William Matkin (1845–1920) 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 ...

. Born in Caythorpe in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

,William Matkin 1817–1879 – Ancestry
Retrieved 2018-02-14. Matkin joined the General Union of Carpenters and Joiners (GUCJ) in 1864, and gradually rose to prominence, being elected to the Parliamentary Committee of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

(TUC) in 1871, and as general secretary of his union in 1883. In order to take up the post, he moved to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, where he devoted much of his time to the

Liverpool Trades Council Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. In 1890, the TUC was held in the city, and he was elected as its President. Active in the trade union movement to the end of his life, he also served on the Parliamentary Committee in 1890 and 1891, and from 1911 until 1915.

, ''Report of the 1920 Annual Trades Union Congress'', p.235 Matkin was a leading supporter of the

Labour Electoral Association {{Short description, Political motive of the Labour Electoral Association The Labour Electoral Association was a political organisation in the United Kingdom which aimed to get working men elected to Parliament. Foundation The issue of political re ...

, which aimed to secure the election of Liberal-Labour candidates: working men who stood for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He also served as 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 judici ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matkin, William 1845 births 1920 deaths British trade union leaders Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress People from Caythorpe, Lincolnshire Presidents of the Trades Union Congress