Benjamin Tillett

British labor leader
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Quick Facts
Born:
Sept. 11, 1860, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng.
Died:
Jan. 27, 1943, London (aged 82)
Political Affiliation:
Labour Party

Benjamin Tillett (born Sept. 11, 1860, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng.—died Jan. 27, 1943, London) was an English trade union leader who directed successful dock strikes in 1889 and 1911. Tillett was also an alderman of the London County Council (1892–98) and a Labour member of Parliament (for North Salford, Lancashire, in 1917–24 and in 1929–31). The son of a railway labourer, Tillett settled in the East End of London when he was in his early 20s. There he helped to organize, and became general secretary of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside, and General Workers’ Union, about which he later wrote A Brief ...(100 of 138 words)