# John L. Lewis John L. Lewis (1880–1969) was the powerful American labor leader who headed the United Mine Workers and founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). In this KB he appears chiefly through his 1940 break with Franklin Roosevelt: on **October 23, 1940**, Lewis delivered a national radio address attacking FDR and endorsing Republican [[Wendell Willkie]] — an address whose financing was arranged by the Nazi-backed oilman [[William Rhodes Davis]], with whom Lewis was personally friendly. See [[1940 Presidential Election]]. > [!note] Stub > Minimum-viable page created to support links from [[William Rhodes Davis]]. Expand with UMW/CIO history and the full arc of the Lewis–Roosevelt relationship. ## See Also - [[William Rhodes Davis]] - [[1940 Presidential Election]] - [[Wendell Willkie]]