William Walker (9 January 1871 – 23 November 1918) was a prominent

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

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 ...

and a leading figure within the

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

labour movement. He served as President of the

Irish Trades Union Congress The Irish Trades Union Congress (ITUC) was a union federation covering the island of Ireland. History Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little imp ...

and Vice-Chair of the British Labour Party.

Early life

Born at 35 McCluny Street,

, on 9 January 1871 to Francis Walker, a boilermaker, and his wife, Sarah McLaughlin. He was educated at Saint George's National School, Belfast.

Politics

Walker became a joiner at

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

and quickly became active in the

Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J) was a New Model Trade Union in the 1860s in the United Kingdom, representing carpenters and joiners. History The formation of the Society was spurred by the Stonemason's strike, 1859, ...

. He was elected as their delegate to the

Belfast Trades Council Belfast Trades Council, also known as Belfast & District Trades Union Council, brings together trade unionists in and around Belfast in Northern Ireland. History The council was founded on 29 October 1881 at a meeting of eleven trade unionists. T ...

in 1893, where he led movements towards new unionism, organising both manual workers in the shipyards and female linen workers. He was a founding member of the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

and spoke in favour of

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

regularly from Belfast Customs House steps.Walker, William
, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' In 1904, Walker was elected to

Belfast Corporation Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the l ...

, representing Duncairn. In the same year, he served as President of the

. He stood for the Labour Representation Committee in Belfast North at both the 1905 by-election and 1906 general election, losing by fewer than 500 votes on each occasion. During the former election he said he would, "Make an effort to obtain a redistribution of Parliamentary seats for the purpose of diminishing the extravagant representation of Ireland by means of which the Roman Catholics and disloyal party has hindered the business of the House of Commons." This was criticized by Marxist James Connolly, who accused him of bigotry. Future

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

Ramsey MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

, was the

election agent An election agent in elections in the United Kingdom, as well as some other similar political systems such as elections in India, is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is ...

for Walker during the same election in 1905. Walker espoused

religious socialism Religious socialism is a type of socialism based on religious values. Members of several major religions have found that their beliefs about human society fit with socialist principles and ideas. As a result, religious socialist movements have d ...

stating, “Protestantism means protesting against superstition, hence true Protestantism is synonymous with labour." In 1911 Walker wrote, "Though I admire Karl Marx, he is not a deity to me," Walker was also an

internationalist Internationalist may refer to: * Internationalism (politics), a movement to increase cooperation across national borders * Liberal internationalism, a doctrine in international relations * Internationalist/Defencist Schism, socialists opposed to ...

, stating, "My place of birth was accidental, but my duty to my class is worldwide, hence MY INTERNATIONALISM!" In an attempt to counter opposition from the

Belfast Protestant Association {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Belfast Protestant Association was a populist evangelical political movement in the early 20th-century. The Association was founded in the last years of the 19th century by Arthur Trew, a former shipyard worker ...

, he proclaimed his opposition to

Irish home rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1 ...

. At the 1907 by-election he stood again, but his share of the vote fell back. However, he was elected to the executive of the British Labour Party. Though he opposed home rule he stated in 1911, "I would give each locality (within certain well-defined limits) local autonomy, and thus develop a healthy rivalry in the supply of those amenities to our municipal life." As he became increasingly well known in Britain, Walker contested the

January 1910 general election The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...

as the Labour Party candidate for Leith Burghs, but took a distant third place. In 1911, he undertook a debate with

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

in which he argued that Irish socialists should focus their activities on the British labour movement. However, the following year, he took a local government position related to health insurance which required him to withdraw from political activity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, William 1871 births 1918 deaths Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Irish socialists Trade unionists from Belfast Members of Belfast City Council