John McClelland Work was born on January 3, 1869 in Washington, Iowa. In 1892, he
received his law degree from Columbia Law School in Washington, D.C., which was
subsequently incorporated into George Washington University. Work began practicing
law in Des Moines, Iowa, and was a founding member of the local branch of the Social
Democratic Party of America in 1900. He served as a delegate from Iowa at the
founding convention of the Socialist Party of America in 1900.
From 1904 through 1910, Work traveled across the country speaking on behalf of the
Socialist Party, and between 1911 and 1913 he served as the secretary of the
Socialist Party. He taught law at the La Salle Extension University in Chicago from
1913 to 1917 and while there produced pamphlets on various legal subjects and in
support of socialism. From 1917 to 1942, Work served as the chief editorial writer
for the Milwaukee Leader, focusing on writing
articles, pamphlets, and books after his tenure at the paper ended. Throughout the
period between 1900 and 1925, Work ran unsuccessfully for several political offices,
including United States senator from Iowa in 1908 and Wisconsin in 1925.
At the end of his life, John Work lived with his only daughter, Josephine, in
Shorewood, Wisconsin. He passed away January 5, 1961 from pneumonia at the age of
92.
