Furuseth, Andrew (1854-1938)

Norwegian-born US labour leader. As a seaman he helped to organize the Sailor's Union of the Pacific, becoming its secretary in 1887and dedicating the rest of his life to improving the working conditions and lives of sailors. He fought for the passage of various federal laws culminating in the La Follette Seamen's Act of 1915. As president of the International Seamen's Union (1908-38), he worked to get other nations to adopt equally progressive laws on behalf of seamen.

Born in Romedal, Norway, he emigrated to the USA in 1880. Austere in his idealism, he never married, took only the wages of a seaman, and lived much of his life in a cheap hotel room. He sailed first class for the first time in his life in 1913, as President Wilson's delegate to the London Conference on Safety at Sea. His ashes were scattered over the Atlantic.