Thomas Mallalieu (c.1858 – 20 August 1935) 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 Employee ben ...

. Mallalieu was born in

Witton-le-Wear Witton-le-Wear is a village in County Durham, North East England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear, to the north-west of Bishop Auckland. Geography and administration Witton-le-Wear is part of the North West Durham Parliament ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. He worked as a

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

hat maker and was involved in uniting various local unions into a national federation, accomplished in 1879. He was involved in a major strike in the industry in 1892/93, and subsequently became general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Journeymen Felt Hatters' and Trimmers' Associations. In this role, he avoided industrial action and focused on signing workplace agreements with employers, remaining in post until his death in 1935."Death of Hatters' Leader", ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 22 August 1935, p.16 Mallalieu was also politically active, and served as a Labour Party member of Denton Urban District Council for twenty years, where he promoted road widening and the creation of a public park. He chaired the council in 1924/25. He was also prominent in the Industrial Alliance Organisation and the General Federation of Trade Unions, serving as its President from 1918 to 1922. In the 1930s, Mallalieu was concerned about a decrease in the number of men wearing hats, complaining that "...adherents of this semi-wild craze are no less in number, and in our hat-manufacturing centres youths brazenly walk the streets at times and don't seem to be ostracized". He died in

Denton, Lancashire Denton is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, five miles (8 km) east of Manchester city centre. Historically part of Lancashire, it had a population of 36,591 at the 2011 Census. History Toponymy Denton probably derives i ...

, aged 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallalieu, Thomas 1858 births 1935 deaths Councillors in Greater Manchester Labour Party (UK) politicians People from Denton, Greater Manchester English trade unionists General secretaries of British trade unions Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK) People from Witton-le-Wear