Heighton, William (1801–1873), labor radical and shoemaker, was born in Oundle in Northamptonshire, England, and shortly before the War of 1812, came to the United States with his family, settling in Philadelphia. Little is known of Heighton’s early years. Around 1820 he married Ann Beckley, with whom he had at least four children. He supported his family on the paltry wage of a journeyman shoemaker....
