Today In Labor History March 26, 1850: Edward Bellamy was born. Bellamy was an American author and socialist political activist, most well-known for his utopian novel, “Looking Backward,” one of the most commercially successful books published in the 19th century. It particularly appealed to the intellectuals who were alienated by the Gilded Age greed, corruption and violence. His book inspired many to form so-called “nationalist clubs” to implement his ideas of a society free of private property, social classes, war, poverty, crime, lawyers, politicians, prostitution, merchants, soldiers, and taxes. Plus, everyone could retire by the age of 45. He died at the age of 48 from tuberculosis.