born March 12, 1922, Camden, S.C., U.S.
died Aug. 14, 1999, Washington, D.C.
U.S. labour-union leader.
He served as an officer in the U.S. merchant marine and joined the American Federation of Labor (AFL) as a staff researcher in 1948. He was elected secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO in 1969 and succeeded George Meany as president in 1979. During Kirkland's tenure (1979–95), the AFL-CIO's membership and political influence waned due to shrinking employment in the U.S. manufacturing sector.