“A Strange Mix of Reform Zeal and Self-interest”: Reexamining Louis Pio in America

Since the 1870s, Louis Pio – the founder of the Danish Social Democratic Party – has been revered and reviled for his labor organizing in Denmark. Pio’s work in America, however, has remained largely unexplored. Utilizing newly discovered sources, this article reexamines Pio’s life in America and argues that he was more involved in Chicago’s labor movement, did better economically, and had a narrower definition of international solidarity than previously acknowledged. In the process, the article positions Pio within larger strands of American labor and immigration history and shows how Northern European immigrants fought to realize American ideals of liberty and equality while often excluding non-white workers from enjoying the fruits of labor organizing.