American labor leader John Brophy lived here in Nanty Glo. He was president of District 2, United Mine Workers of America, from 1916 to 1926, and gained national prominence for his "Miner's Program," which called for a shorter work week, nationalization of the mines, and a labor party. An official of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) from 1935 to 1961, he was a longtime advocate for a democratic labor movement.