William John Parry (28 March 1842 – 1927) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

businessman, politician and author. Parry was a leading voice in a range of activities and causes, and was the first general secretary of the

North Wales Quarrymen's Union The North Wales Quarrymen's Union (NWQU) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded on 27 April 1874 at the Queen's Hotel, Caernarfon after a month of discussions between quarrymen from Dinorwic and other supporter ...

. Born in Bethesda to John and Elizabeth, Parry was a religious man who took a keen interest in the plight of the slate and stone

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

workers local to his home town. Parry took a prominent part in the creation of the North Wales Quarrymen's Union in 1874, and as well as taking the role as general secretary, later became the union's president. In 1879 he visited slate mines in the United States on the request of his union. In 1889 Parry became a member of the first

Caernarfonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

County Council, and its chairman in 1892–1893. In 1896, he led the purchase of the

Pantdreiniog quarry The Pantdreiniog quarry (also known as the Pant Dreiniog quarry) was a slate quarry within the town of Bethesda in North Wales. It was worked between about 1825 and 1923. It played a significant part in the Penrhyn Great Strike, Britain's long ...

in Bethesda and was became the manager. Parry wrote for several local newspapers, in both the Welsh and English language, and published several books. Of note are his works ''y Ymdrafodaeth'' (1875) and ''The Penrhyn Lock-out'' (1900). Many of his papers and writings are held at Bangor University.

References

1842 births 1927 deaths Welsh journalists Welsh-language writers Welsh trade unionists {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub