Harry Douglass, Baron Douglass of Cleveland (1 January 1902 – 5 April 1978) was a British

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

. Born in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

, England, Douglass entered work at the age of 13, becoming a steel melter. He immediately joined the

Iron and Steel Trades Confederation The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups, being the largest union in these fields. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now pa ...

, and became a member of its executive council in 1933. Two years later, he was appointed as a full-time organiser for the union, then rose to become Assistant General Secretary in 1945 and finally General Secretary in 1953,Sir Harry Douglass,
Manpower Utilisation
, British Automation Conference 1965, Discussion Group A2 serving until 1967. He was also President of the International Metal Workers' Federation. Douglass also chaired the

British Productivity Council The British Productivity Council (BPC) was a body that aimed to increase Britain's industrial efficiency. It was formed in 1953 and superseded the Anglo-American Council on Productivity (AACP), which was formed in 1948 and dissolved in 1952. Until 1 ...

, and served as the

President of the Trades Union Congress The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the d ...

in 1967. On retirement he was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

on 22 September 1967, taking the title Baron Douglass of Cleveland, ''of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in the

County of York Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

''.''

Dod's Parliamentary Companion ''Dods Parliamentary Companion'' (formerly "Dod's Parliamentary Companion") is an annual politics reference book published in the United Kingdom. It provides biographies and contact information on members of the Houses of Parliament and the Ci ...

'', Vol.146 (1978), p.92

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglass, Harry 1902 births 1978 deaths General Secretaries of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation Life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from Middlesbrough Presidents of the Trades Union Congress