Edmund Cathery
Edmund Cathery (15 May 1852 – 14 November 1929) was a British trade unionist.
Early life
Born in Portsmouth,[1] Cathery first went to sea at the age of eleven, and was soon working on Syria for P&O. He became active in the North of England Sailors' and Firemen's Friendly Society, and was a leading supporter of Havelock Wilson's foundation of a national organisation, the National Union of Seamen (NUS).[2]
Career
Cathery succeeded Wilson as general secretary of the NUS in 1894, which he renamed as the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union (NSFU). He served until 1926, then again from 1927 to 1928.[3] During World War I, he served on the National Maritime Board, and he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1920.[2]
At the 1918 general election, Cathery stood in Bootle as a candidate of the NSFU, without the official support of either the Liberal Party or the Labour Party. He took 37.0% of the vote but was not elected.[4]
References
- Who Was Who (1929), p.231
- Trades Union Congress, Report of the 1930 Annual Trades Union Congress, p.225
- Victor Leonard Allen, Power in trade unions: a study of their organization in Great Britain, p.277
- F. W. S. Craig, British parliamentary election results 1918–1949
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Havelock Wilson |
General Secretary of the National Amalgamated Sailors' and Firemen's Union 1894–1926 |
Succeeded by William J. Davies |
| Preceded by William J. Davies |
Acting General Secretary of the National Amalgamated Sailors' and Firemen's Union 1927–1928 |
Succeeded by William Robert Spence |