Henry Taylor (trade unionist)
Henry Taylor (1844 – 1919) was a British trade union leader.
Born in Luton in 1844, Taylor became a carpenter, and joined the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J). While based in London, he was elected as a branch secretary, and was trained in union administration by Robert Applegarth.[1]
Taylor was supportive of the
J. E. Matthew Vincent, editor of the union's newspaper, falsely claimed that Taylor was embezzling union funds. Taylor won a resulting legal case, and Vincent left the union.[2][3]
Taylor represented the union to the
Parliamentary Committee of the TUC.[4]
In 1876, Taylor resigned as the general secretary of NALU, in order to become an honorary emigration agent in
Victoria, and was also appointed as a special commissioner for South Australia. On stepping down, he was given 100 sovereigns, and letters of thanks from several Members of Parliament were read out.[5] He later revealed that he had become disillusioned with the general secretary, Joseph Arch, and in 1879 wrote a letter arguing that Arch should not be given any administrative responsibility.[6]
Taylor married twice and died at Adelaide, South Australia in 1919.
References
- ^ a b Groves, Reg (1949). Sharpen the Sickle. London: Porcupine Press. pp. 50–55.
- ISBN 978-1473817043.
- ^ "The rival agricultural labourers' unions". Manchester Guardian. 24 December 1875.
- ^ "Parliamentary Committee elected at Glasgow, on Friday October 15th, for the years 1875-6". Annual Report of the Trades Union Congress: 1. 1875.
- ^ "[untitled article]". Hampshire Telegraph. 1 July 1876.
- ^ "Mr Arch and the Agricultural Labourers' Union". Jackson's Oxford Journal. 8 February 1879.