William Henry Wood was a British

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.

Biography

Wood was a compositor, and became the Secretary of the

Manchester Typographical Society Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...

, serving until 1879. In 1864, he was elected as the first Secretary of the Manchester Trades Council.The History of the TUC 1868-1968: Part One 1868-1899
/ref> A keen trade unionist, Wood played a prominent role in two national union conferences: in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

in 1866, and in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1867.A. E. Musson,
The Congress of 1868: The Origins and Establishment of the Trades Union Congress
' With Samuel Caldwell Nicholson, he was inspired to create the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

(TUC), in frustration at the indifference of the Congress of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science to trade union activities. As Nicholson did not attend the first meeting of the TUC, Wood was elected as its first Secretary. He held the post for only one year, after which he was replaced by George Potter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, William Henry British trade union leaders General Secretaries of the Trades Union Congress Year of birth missing Year of death missing Presidents of the Trades Union Congress