John Gibbons

John Gibbons was one of few first-generation Irish immigrants to elevate from the working-class to becoming a white-collar worker. Prior to moving to Leadville, Gibbons, a Molly Maguire, was found guilty by a court for conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to seven years in prison. It was then Gibbons took his entire family escaped and made their way to Leadville.

There, Gibbons worked as a miner. The Gibbons’ household once struggled to survive and make ends meet, being threatened by inflated company store prices, poor working conditions, and horrible pay. The appeal of Molly Maguire mentalities appealed to many like Gibbons, where a father and husband tried to provide for his family. He then eventually left the mines to work as a coal dealer and then an agent for the Rocky Mountain News, where he was able to conceal his past. He then started to accrue wealth.

Gibbons’ was not only a respected member of the Leadville community, but through this, he was a living example that proved the Molly Maguires were not as brutal as they seemed. He had been quite contrary to what people believed Molly Maguires to be: he was adored by many, involved in the Catholic church and fraternal organizations, and even ran for political office in Lake County. In his obituary, it was claimed that he was known “favorably” by “every man, woman, and child”. However, many did not know that much like other Molly Maguires, he had joined not to cause discourse within his community, but to fight for the rights and wages that would ensure his and his family’s well being.