Joseph Dominic Frayne (26 February 1882 – 11 December 1942) 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 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 benefits ...

leader, who served as President of the

Cardroom Amalgamation The Cardroom Amalgamation or Cardroom Workers' Amalgamation (CWA)Joseph L. White, ''The Limits of Trade Union Militancy'', p.240, note 9 was a British trade union which existed between 1886 and 1974. It represented workers in the cotton textil ...

and Chair of the General Federation of Trade Unions. Frayne was born in

Reddish Reddish is an area in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. south-east of Manchester city centre. At the 2011 Census, the population was 28,052. Historically part of Lancashire, Reddish grew rapidly in the Industria ...

and worked for several years as a stripper-and-grinder in a cotton mill in Stockport. He was active in the Stockport Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives' Association, and in about 1916, he was appointed as full-time secretary of the union. The union was affiliated to the Cardroom Amalgamation (CWA), and Frayne was accordingly appointed to its executive committee. He was held in high esteem by the members of the CWA and, despite Stockport being one of its smaller affiliates, he was elected as President of the Amalgamation in 1926, defeating Archie Robertson, and then W. H. Carr by 35 votes to 34 in the final round of voting. In 1932, Frayne's two sons, aged eight and five, drowned in a pond in Reddish, the older boy while trying to save the younger. Frayne stood down as president of the CWA in 1936 to served a two-year term as chair of the General Federation of Trade Unions. The following year, he was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. He died in Manchester.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frayne, Joseph 1882 births 1942 deaths People from Stockport Presidents of British trade unions Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK) Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Reddish