Frank Wolstencroft

Frank Wolstencroft CBE (23 December 1882 – 30 June 1952) was a British trade union leader.

Born in Royton in Lancashire, Wolstencroft entered work at an early age, then at the age of sixteen was apprenticed as a joiner.^[1]^[2] He joined the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J) in 1906 and was elected as its Royton branch secretary the following year. Soon, he was also serving as secretary of its Oldham district, and in 1914 he was elected to its national Executive Council.^[1]

Wolstencroft was elected as Assistant General Secretary of the ASC&J in 1920,^[3] and then in 1926 he became General Secretary of its successor, the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW), elected by a huge majority.^[4] This was a period of rapid growth for the union, and Wolstencroft also worked to build international links; during World War II, he was a key founder of the Anglo-Soviet Trade Union Committee.^[4]

In 1928, he was elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), serving until 1949,^[2] and in 1942, he was President of the TUC.^[4] He also served on executive of the International Union of Woodworkers and its successors,^[1] the National Insurance Advisory Committee, and the board of the Disabled Persons Employment Corporation. In 1947, he received the CBE.^[4] He retired from the general secretaryship in 1948, becoming President of the Co-operative Press.^[4]

In his spare time, Wolstencroft enjoyed a variety of sports.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers, Our Society's History, p.304
^ ^a ^b Raymond Streat, Lancashire and Whitehall: The Diary of Sir Raymond Streat, Volume 1, p.51
^ Bulletin of the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (1952), p.115
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Woodworkers Journal (1951-1953), p.115
^ Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Journal (1942), p.19

Trade union offices
Preceded by Alexander Gordon Cameron	Assistant General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners 1920	Succeeded by Position abolished
Preceded by New position	Assistant General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers 1921–1925	Succeeded by Thomas O. Williams
Preceded by Alexander Gordon Cameron	General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers 1925–1948	Succeeded by Jack McDermott
Preceded by Allan Findlay and Arthur Shaw	Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour 1931 With: John Beard	Succeeded by Charles Dukes and Bill Holmes
Preceded by George Gibson	President of the Trades Union Congress 1942	Succeeded by Anne Loughlin

[our-1] Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers, Our Society's History, p.304

[streat-2] Raymond Streat, Lancashire and Whitehall: The Diary of Sir Raymond Streat, Volume 1, p.51

[3] Bulletin of the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (1952), p.115

[woodworkers-4] Woodworkers Journal (1951-1953), p.115

[5] Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Journal (1942), p.19

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