Thomas Henry Cann (14 June 1858–6 May 1924), often known as T. H. Cann, 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 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 benefits (s ...

. Cann was born in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, where he became a tin miner. In search of work, he moved to

Brotton Brotton is a village in the civil parish of Skelton and Brotton and situated approximately south-east of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, 9 miles from Redcar, east of Middlesbrough and north-west of Whitby. In 2011, the village had a population of 5,39 ...

Yorkshire 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 ...

, where he mined

ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...

, then to

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. However, he was concerned at the dangerous conditions there, and returned to Brotton, where he worked until the mine closed. He then moved to the Handen Hold Colliery.Norman Emery, ''Banners of the Durham coalfield'', pp.71-72 During his time at Handen Hold, Cann became an active trade unionist, and became well-known after opposing attempted intimidation at the

Castle Eden Castle Eden is a village in County Durham, in England. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 642. It is situated a short distance to the south of Peterlee, Wingate, Hutton Henry, the A19 and Castle Eden Dene. The village is fam ...

Colliery. This led to his election to the executive of the

Durham Miners' Association The Durham Miners' Association (DMA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1869 and its membership quickly rose to 4,000, but within a year had fallen back to 2,000. In December 1870, William Crawford becam ...

, and in 1896, he became its treasurer. He was also elected as an agent, and in 1915, he became the union's general secretary. He died in 1924 aged 65, still in office.''The Colliery Guardian and Journal of the Coal and Iron Trades'', Vol.141, p.1353

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cann, Thomas Henry 1858 births 1924 deaths British coal miners British trade union leaders American people of Cornish descent British emigrants to the United States