Arthur Deakin
| Arthur Deakin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1890 Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 1 May 1955, aged 64 Leicester, Leicestershire, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Trade Union official |
Arthur Deakin CH CBE PC (1890–1955) was a prominent British trade unionist who was acting general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1940 and then general secretary from 1945 to 1955.
Deakin was born in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire in 1890, his father died when he was young and his mother re-married and the family moved to South Wales.[1] He began his working life at the age of 13 at the Dowlais Ironworks.[1] He became an active trade unionist during the First World War and a full-time official in 1919.[1] In 1932, he became national secretary of the General Workers National Trade Group within the TGWU and in 1935 became assistant general secretary. In 1940 he effectively took over the position of general secretary, following the appointment of Ernest Bevin as a cabinet minister. Deakin's period as general secretary was marked by a consolidation of the powers of executive, occasional serious outbreaks of unofficial strike action among union members and a fierce anti-communist line.
Deakin was due to retire in November 1955 but on 1 May 1955 Deakin was addressing a May Day rally at the Corn Exchange in Leicester when he collapsed, he was dead on arrival at hospital.[2]
Deakin was succeeded as general secretary by Jock Tiffin.
References
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Assistant General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union 1935-1945 |
Succeeded by Harold Clay |
| Preceded by | General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union 1945-1955 (Acting 1940-1945) |
Succeeded by Jock Tiffin |
| Preceded by | President of the World Federation of Trade Unions 1946 – 1948 |
Succeeded by Giuseppe Di Vittorio |
| Preceded by | Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour 1947 With: Robert Openshaw |
Succeeded by Herbert Bullock and William Harold Hutchinson |
| Preceded by | President of the Trades Union Congress 1952 |
Succeeded by Tom O'Brien |
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1890 births
- 1955 deaths
- General secretaries of the Transport and General Workers' Union
- Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- People from Sutton Coldfield
- Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress
- Presidents of the Trades Union Congress
