Jacob S. Coxey, Sr.

Jacob Sechler Coxey, Sr., sometimes known as General Coxey , of Massillon, Ohio, was an American politician who ran for elective office several times in Ohio. Twice, in 1894 and 1914, he led Coxeys Army, a group of unemployed men who marched to Washington, D.C. to present a Petition in Boots demanding that the United States Congress allocate funds to create jobs for the unemployed. Although the marches failed, Coxeys Army was an early attempt to arouse political interest in an issue that grew in importance until the Social Security Act of 1935 encouraged the establishment of state unemployment insurance programs.

Coxey was born on April 16, 1854 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, the son of Mary Ann and Thomas Coxey. His family moved to the industrially thriving Danville, Pennsylvania when he was six years old. Known as Jake, Coxey excelled in school and took his first job at the age ofas a water boy in the mill where his father worked.

Source: Wikipedia