William Kean (17 March 1871 – 5 January 1954) 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 ...

. Born 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 ...

, Kean became a cutler working in silver and a

. By his early twenties he was secretary of the small Sheffield-based Spoon and Fork Filers, Odd Workers and Stampers Society. From this position, he masterminded a merger of several small unions which formed the

National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades {{Infobox union , name = NUGSAT , location_country= United Kingdom, Ireland , affiliation = TUC, Labour{{cite book, last1=Eaton, first1=Jack, last2=Gill, first2=Colin, title=The Trade Union Directory, date=1981, publisher=Pluto Press, ...

(NUGSAT), completed in 1911, and became its first secretary.

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 ...

, ''Report of Proceedings at the 86th Annual Trades Union Congress'' (1954), p. 319. In 1921, Kean was elected to the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

(TUC), remaining in place until 1945, and serving as President of the TUC in 1934/1935. In his spare time, Kean was a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

, was active on the Sheffield Trades Council, a founder of Sheffield's Labour Representation Committee, and served on a variety of government committees. In the 1939 New Year Honours, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.Jack Eaton and Colin Gill, ''The Trade Union Directory'' (1981), pp. 137–138. He finally retired as secretary of NUGSAT in 1953, and died the following year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kean, William 1871 births 1954 deaths Cutlers Trade unionists from Sheffield Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the Trades Union Congress