Archibald Crawford (1883 – 23 December 1924) was a Scottish-born South African trade union leader. Born in Glasgow, Crawford completed an apprenticeship as a fitter, before joining the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. He served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, after which, he settled in South Africa. He became a fireman for the

Central South African Railways The Central South African Railways (CSAR) was from 1902 to 1910 the operator of public railways in the Transvaal Colony and Orange River Colony in what is now South Africa. During the Anglo-Boer War, as British forces moved into the territory of ...

, then a fitter in the railway workshops. He joined the

Amalgamated Society of Engineers The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics. History The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and Mi ...

in 1903, and became secretary of the

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

Trades and Labour Council. In 1906, he became involved in action against lay offs, which led to his own dismissal from the railways. After his sacking, Crawford was a founder member of the Transvaal Independent Labour Party (ILP). He was initially only supportive of white workers, but after hearing

Keir Hardie James Keir Hardie (15 August 185626 September 1915) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party, and served as its first parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. Hardie was born in Newhouse, Lanarkshire. ...

speak, he changed his views, and began arguing that the party should admit non-white workers. He stood unsuccessfully in the 1907 Transvaal general election, but won a seat on

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Municipal Council. Soon after, he was elected as secretary of the ILP. In 1909, Crawford formed the Johannesburg Socialist Society, which competed with the ILP for members. He also edited its newspaper, the ''Voice of Labour''. Although he remained a member of the ILP, he lost his leadership roles. When the ILP merged into the new

South African Labour Party The South African Labour Party ( af, Suid-Afrikaanse Arbeidersparty), was a South African political party formed in March 1910 in the newly created Union of South Africa following discussions between trade unions, the Transvaal Independent La ...

, Crawford refused to join, and instead stood in the

1910 South African general election Year 191 ( CXCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Bradua (or, less frequently, year 944 ''Ab urbe condit ...

as an independent socialist. He received few votes, and instead decided to focus on his trade unionism. He became a leading figure in the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

, and went on an international speaking tour to promote the movement. Crawford met Mary Fitzgerald in 1911. For his activity, in 1914, he was deported, and Fitzgerald came with him to England. Protests to the

Government of South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authority ...

permitted them to return, and Crawford was elected as general secretary of the

South African Industrial Federation The South African Industrial Federation (SAIF) was established in 1914 as an amalgamation of the Industrial Federations in the provinces of South Africa. The federation attracted most of the trades unions in the country. It had a policy of suppo ...

(SAIF), which came to represent 60,000 workers. In this role, he also became the first secretary of the

South African Society of Bank Officials South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

. Crawford and Fitzgerald married in 1919, and Crawford remained leader of the SAIF until it collapsed in 1922.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Archie 1883 births 1924 deaths Trade unionists from Glasgow Emigrants from the United Kingdom to Transvaal Colony South African trade union leaders Industrial Workers of the World members