Ed Boyce (1862 - 1941)

Sat Nov 08, 1862

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Ed Boyce, born on this day in 1862, was a radical labor organizer who served as President of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) and as a socialist Idaho State Representative. After just one term, Boyce resigned in disgust.

Boyce was arrested for his role in the 1892 Coeur d’Alene labor strike and inspired “Big Bill” Haywood (co-founder of the IWW) to join his first union.

In 1894, Boyce was elected to the Idaho state senate. There, he battled for the eight-hour day for miners, the establishment of an arbitration board to settle labor disputes, an investigation of the 1892 mining war, and the banning of “yellow-dog” contracts (contracts prohibiting workers from joining the union).

Boyce was so disillusioned by the political process that he resigned after one term.