William Coaker
William Ford Coaker | |
---|---|
Born | October 19, 1871 |
Died | October 26, 1938 (aged 67) |
Occupation(s) | union leader, businessman, politician |
Known for | Founding the Fishermen's Protective Union and establishing Port Union. |
Sir William Ford Coaker
Coaker is known for criticizing the
Early life
Coaker was born in 1871 in
Coaker studied agriculture at Macdonald College, Quebec, and began farming operations at "Coakerville," an island at Dildo Run. By 1902, he would also serve as telegraph operator, customs worker, and postmaster. In 1903 he formed a telegraph operators' union, though a year later he quit the union and his three most recent professions. Retiring to Coakerville, be began contemplating an organization of fishermen and the first constitution for the union he would later found.
Fishermen's Protective Union
Coaker organized the first meeting of what would become the Fishermen's Protective Union in the
In 1923, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1999, a novel loosely based on his life was written by Gordon Rodgers.
There is both a poem and song written referencing Coaker. The original anthem of the Fishers Protective Union was titled "We are coming Mr. Coaker, and we're 40 thousand strong". This anthem was sung or chanted at FPU meetings to show support for Coaker and his movement to unite the fishermen.[3] There is also a poem titled "Coaker's Dream".[4]
The former high school on
Political career
He took the FPU into politics in 1912 and Coaker was elected to the
Personal life
Coaker married Jessie Leah Crosbie Cook, born 22 January 1871 of Southside, St. John's, in 1901. They lived together at Coakerville and had one daughter, Carmine (Camilla) Gertrude Coaker, born in 1902. Camilla attended Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick and Havergal College in Toronto, Ontario. Lady Jessie Coaker died on January 9, 1947, at the age of 76.[6]
References
- ^ Smallwood, Joseph R. (1927). Coaker of Newfoundland: The Man who led the Deep-Sea Fishermen to Political Power. London: The Labour Publishing Company. p. 14.
- ^ Horan, Catherine F. "Coaker, Sir William Ford". In Smallwood, Jospeph R.; Pitt, Robert D. W. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. Vol. 1. pp. 457–61.
- ^ We Are Coming Mr. Coaker (Traditional) lyrics, chords & MIDI
- ^ Coaker's Dream (Collected by MacEdward Leach) with lyrics
- ^ "Coaker Page". www.nwia.k12.nf.ca. Archived from the original on October 1, 2005.
- ^ "In Memoriam: Lady Jessie Coaker". Evening Telegram. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrafor. 15 February 1947.
External links
- Heritage Newfoundland
- Government of Canada, Newfoundland and the Great War, Who's Who in Newfoundland, Sir William Coaker
- The Rise of the Fishermen's Protective Union, the First World War and the National Government, 1908-1919
- Select Bibliography of Sir William Ford Coaker, the Fishermen's Protective Union (FPU)
- Poem "Coaker's Dream"
- Song "We Are Coming Mr. Coaker"
- Sir William Ford Coaker