John M. Work was educated at Washington Academy in Washington, Iowa, Monmouth (Illinois) College, and Columbian University (now George Washington University), from which he earned a law degree in 1892. He practiced law in Des Moines, Iowa until 1900, when he joined the Socialist Party and became a full-time lecturer and party organizer. Until 1910, Work lectured throughout the United States; from 1911-1923 he was secretary of the Socialist Party.
Work headed the editorial page staff of the Milwaukee Leader, under editor Victor Berger, for 25 years until the paper suspended publication in 1942. In addition, he wrote six books and several Socialist pamphlets and ran for public office many times during the early 1900s. He died in January, 1961.
Following Work's death, his personal papers, including correspondence (circa 1910-1960), scrapbooks of clippings and reminiscences, photographs, and books were presented by his daughter to the Milwaukee Public Library.
