William Matkin
William Matkin (1845–1920) was a British trade unionist.
Born in Caythorpe in Lincolnshire,[1] 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 (TUC) in 1871, and as general secretary of his union in 1883. In order to take up the post, he moved to Liverpool, where he devoted much of his time to the Liverpool Trades Council. 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.[2]
Matkin was a leading supporter of the Labour Electoral Association, which aimed to secure the election of Liberal-Labour candidates: working men who stood for the Liberal Party. He also served as a magistrate.[2]
References
- William Matkin 1817–1879 – Ancestry Retrieved 2018-02-14.
- Trades Union Congress, Report of the 1920 Annual Trades Union Congress, p.235
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Matkin |
General Secretary of the General Union of Carpenters and Joiners 1876–1920 |
Succeeded by T. R. Jones |
| Preceded by Robert Ritchie |
President of the Trades Union Congress 1890 |
Succeeded by Thomas Burt |
| Preceded by William Parrott and William Henry Wilkinson |
Auditor of the Trades Union Congress 1897 With: William Henry Wilkinson |
Succeeded by William Parrott and William Henry Wilkinson |