Peter J. McGuire

• Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor and founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, is believed to be the first person to propose a Labor Day celebration.
  
  

Matthew Maguire

• Matthew Maguire was the secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York in 1882. That year, the union organized the first Labor Day. Maguire often gets credit for executing the event.
  
  

First Labor Day

• The first Labor Day occurred Tuesday, September 5, 1882. A parade of about 10,000 workers marched from City Hall to 42nd Street in New York. A picnic followed in Wendel's Elm Park.
  
  

Spreading the Word

• In 1884, the Central Labor Union settled on the first Monday in September to celebrate Labor Day. The union lobbied for other industrial centers to celebrate the day; in 1885, Labor Day occurred in multiple cities across the country.
  
  

Legislation

• In 1887, Oregon was the first state to pass a law making Labor Day an official holiday. In 1894, Congress passed a law recognizing Labor Day as a federal holiday.