William James Abraham (1883 – September 1927) was a British trade unionist and politician who served as president of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR). Born in

Colmworth Colmworth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire, England about north-east of Bedford. The parish, including the hamlet of Duck's Cross, had a population of 393 at the 2011 census. Geography Colm ...

in Bedfordshire, Abraham became a railway signalman, based in Sheffield, and joined the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS). This became part of the NUR, and Abraham served as secretary of its Sheffield No.2 Branch for many years. This was an important branch, and by 1915 he was regarded as the most significant figure on the left wing of the union, leading arguments at its annual conference until the end of the decade. He also served as the president of the

Sheffield Trades and Labour Council The Sheffield Trades and Labour Council, usually known as the Sheffield Trades Council, is a labour organisation uniting trade unionists in Sheffield. Precursors The earliest recorded attempt to found an alliance of trade unions in the city is th ...

. Abraham became politically active in Sheffield, joining the Labour Party, and was elected to Sheffield City Council in 1919. The following year, he was elected as national president of the NUR, then one of the largest unions in the country. At the

1922 United Kingdom general election The 1922 United Kingdom general election was held on Wednesday 15 November 1922. It was won by the Conservative Party, led by Bonar Law, which gained an overall majority over the Labour Party, led by J. R. Clynes, and a divided Liberal Party. ...

, he stood in Bolton, sponsored by the NUR, taking only fourth place, with 15.8% of the vote. Shortly after the election, Abraham's health worsened, and he retired from his political and trade union activity to his family's dairy farm in Colmworth. He died there in September 1927.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham, William James 1883 births 1927 deaths Councillors in Sheffield Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates People from Bedfordshire Presidents of the National Union of Railwaymen