Upton Sinclair (1878–1968) was a writer and muckraker whose 1906 novel The Jungle exposed the horrific and unsanitary practices of the American meatpacking industry. Sinclair, a Socialist reformer, hoped that the book would move the public towards socialism. Though it did not lead to a widespread socialist movement, The Jungle did prompt an investigation into the meatpacking industry and the Meat Inspection Act.