John Newton (trade unionist)

John Edward Newton (16 June 1908[1][2] – 4 January 1993)[3] was a British trade unionist.

Born in Lofthouse in Yorkshire,[4] Newton began work in tailoring at the age of 21.[5] He won awards for his cutting and design skills, but increasingly came to focus on trade unionism.[4]

Newton was elected as the president of the Middlesbrough branch of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (NUTGW) in 1939, he was elected to the union's executive council in 1943, then became assistant regional organiser for the North of England in 1947 and then regional organiser in 1948.[4] In 1952, he was elected as the union's general secretary, taking over from Anne Loughlin the following year.[5] He also served as president of the International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation from its formation, then as the first president of the new International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation, standing down in 1972.[6]

Newton resigned as secretary of the NUTGW in 1968, citing the pressure of work.[7] He also served on the executive council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), and was President of the TUC in 1969.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1939 England and Wales Register
  2. ^ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910
  3. ^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
  4. ^ a b c Trades Union Congress, Labour (1967), p.12
  5. ^ a b "In brief", Manchester Guardian, 4 November 1952, p.2
  6. ^ Richard L. Rowan et al, Multinational Union Organizations in the Manufacturing Industries, No.7, Part 1, p.147
  7. ^ "Tailors' union chief resigns", The Times, 9 August 1968, p.15
Trade union offices
Preceded by General Secretary of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers
1953 – 1968
Succeeded by
Preceded by Clothing Group representative on the General Council of the TUC
1953 – 1970
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Trades Union Congress
1969
Succeeded by
Preceded by
New position
President of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation
1970–1972
Succeeded by