Alfred Whitehead (14 January 1862 – 21 February 1945) was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
co-operative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...
activist.
Born in the
Newton Heath
Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883.
Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...
area of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, Whitehead left school at the age of ten to work in a textile factory. He became interested in the co-operative movement, and in 1886 became a clerk for the
Co-operative Union
Co-operatives UK is a British co-operative federation described as "the central membership organisation for co-operative enterprise throughout the UK". It was founded in 1870 as the Co-operative Central Board, changing its name to the Co-opera ...
. He was promoted to become its north-western secretary, then in 1895 became the organisation's assistant secretary. He succeeded as secretary of the union in 1912, serving until 1929.
[Joyce Bellamy, "Whitehead, Alfred", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.I, p.345]
Whitehead also served on the executive of the
International Co-operative Alliance
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), established in 1895, is a non-governmental organization dedicated to uniting, representing, and supporting cooperatives around the world. It is the guardian of the internationally recognized definiti ...
from 1910, and as its vice-president from 1921. He was the president of the
Co-operative Congress
The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the " Owenite Congress" in the 1830s. Members of Co-operatives UK ...
in 1928.
In his spare time, Whitehead taught in a
Sunday school
]
A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes.
Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
, was active in the
temperance movement
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...
, and joined the
Union of Democratic Control
The Union of Democratic Control was a British advocacy group, pressure group formed in 1914 to press for a more responsive foreign policy. While not a pacifism, pacifist organisation, it was opposed to military influence in government.
World Wa ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Alfred
1862 births
1929 deaths
People from Newton Heath
Presidents of Co-operative Congress