Sir Mark Hodgson, OBE (19 November 1880 – 17 October 1967) 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. Born in Hull, Hodgson grew up in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, studying at Diamond Hall School before taking an apprenticeship as a plater in the shipyard. He joined the

United Society of Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders The Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers (ASB) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Many of its members worked in shipbuilding, in which industry it was the leading trade union, while over tim ...

, and in 1913 became the Tyne and

Wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in m ...

delegate on the union's executive council. From 1923 to 1936, he served as the union's chairman, then was elected as its general secretary.Hodgson, Sir Mark
, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' While general secretary, Hodgson negotiated on behalf of members during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and took a number of local and national positions. In 1938, he was awarded the OBE, and in 1945 he received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

. He stood down as secretary in 1948, taking a job as chairman of the Northern Regional Board for Industry, serving in this role until 1965.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgson, Mark 1880 births 1967 deaths General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers People from Sunderland Trade unionists from Tyne and Wear Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress