Terence V. Powderly was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania on 22 January 1849. His parents, Terence Powderly and Madge Walsh, were Irish immigrants. As a young man he worked for the railroad as a . In 1871, he became a member of the International Machinists and Blacksmiths union. He later became its president. During the Long Depression (1873–1879), he didn't have a job. He was blacklisted for being a 'union '. 