John Kane (trade unionist)
John Kane (18 July 1819 – 21 March 1876) was a
Born in Alnwick in Northumberland, Kane became an orphan when he was young and, as a result, left school at the age of seven to work in a tobacco factory. Two years later, he was able to return to school, where he spent three further years in education, before becoming an apprentice gardener. At the age of seventeen, the head gardener ordered all his staff to give a celebratory welcome to the landowner, but Kane refused, and was beaten. He left, moving to Gateshead, and found employment at an ironworks.
In Gateshead, Kane became interested in trade unionism, and founded a short-lived ironworkers' union in 1842. Its collapse, later in the year, discouraged his workmates from future attempts at forming an association, but Kane remained keen, even as his gained promotions at work, to become a roller.
Around 1850, Kane began collaborating with
In 1862, Kane's agitation for a trade union was finally successful. Branches were formed at works across Gateshead, and Kane was elected president of the new
Kane now devoted his whole time to the union, temporarily moving to
In 1868, the National Association was reorganised as the "Amalgamated Malleable Ironworkers of Great Britain". Kane now became its general secretary, and editor of its newspaper, the Ironworkers' Journal. He worked with
In 1876, Kane died suddenly in Birmingham. His son, W. B. Kane, stood in the election to replace him as general secretary, but was not elected.[1]