Henry Taylor (1844 – 1919) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade union leader. Born in

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

in 1844, Taylor became a carpenter, and joined the

Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J) was a New Model Trade Union in the 1860s in the United Kingdom, representing carpenters and joiners. History The formation of the Society was spurred by the Stonemason's strike, 1859, ...

(ASC&J). While based in London, he was elected as a branch secretary, and was trained in union administration by

Robert Applegarth Robert Applegarth (26 January 1834 – 13 July 1924) was a prominent British trade unionist and proponent of working class causes. Biography Robert Applegarth was born in Hull in England. His father was the captain of a whaling brig. He spent a ...

. Taylor was supportive of the

National Agricultural Labourers' Union The National Agricultural Labourers Union (NALU) was a trade union representing farm workers in Great Britain. Foundation The union's origins lay in a meeting at Wellesbourne in Warwickshire, held in February 1872. Joseph Arch, a well-known ...

(NALU), which was founded in Warwickshire in 1872, and was elected as its first general secretary. He secured the backing of the

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

for the new union. Late in 1873, he set off for New Zealand, accompanying some agricultural labourers who wished to emigrate, and the following year he took a similar trip to Canada. While on this second trip, 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. Taylor represented the union to the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

(TUC) on several occasions, and in 1875 he was narrowly elected to the

Parliamentary Committee of the TUC A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

. In 1876, Taylor resigned as the general secretary of NALU, in order to become an honorary emigration agent in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and was also appointed as a special commissioner for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. On stepping down, he was given 100 sovereigns, and letters of thanks from several Members of Parliament were read out. He later revealed that he had become disillusioned with the general secretary,

Joseph Arch Joseph Arch (10 November 1826 – 12 February 1919) was an English trade unionist and politician, born in Barford, Warwickshire, who played a key role in unionising agricultural workers and in championing their welfare. Following their enfranc ...

, and in 1879 wrote a letter arguing that Arch should not be given any administrative responsibility. Taylor married twice and died at Adelaide, South Australia in 1919.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Henry 1844 births 1919 deaths 19th-century British people British emigrants to Australia General secretaries of British trade unions Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress People from Leamington Spa