Founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), Samuel Gompers was its first president in 1886 and served in that capacity until his death in 1924, except for the year 1895. During World War I, he served as an advisor to the Council on National Defense. He championed "business unionism," advising union leaders to build their unions and bargain with employers for economic gains. Gompers' goals for labor were better wages, hours, and working conditions rather than political reform. He was viewed as conservative, opposed to industrial unions, government regulation, and the widening of the labor movement to include African Americans, women, and unskilled workers. He built the AFL into the largest labor organization in the nation.