Andrew Conley (18 December 1881
[''1939 England and Wales Register''] – 5 June 1952) was a
British trade unionist.
Born in
Leeds to
Irish parents,
[''Report of the annual conference'' (1952), Labour Party] Conley fought in the
Second Boer War.
[Anne J. Kershen, ''Uniting the Tailors'', p. 84] He then worked as a garment maker,
and became a branch secretary in the
Amalgamated Union of Clothiers Operatives, then national organiser of its successor, the
United Garment Workers' Trade Union.
In 1920, various tailors' trade unions merged to form the
National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (NUTGW). Although
Joseph Young
__NOTOC__Joseph Young (April 7, 1797 – July 16, 1881) was an early convert to the Latter Day Saint movement and was a missionary and longtime general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was an elder br ...
was seen as the obvious choice for its leadership, his health was failing, and he instead supported Conley's successful campaign for the general secretaryship.
In post, he focussed on absorbing other unions, arranging mergers with more than 20 before he retired in 1948. He was elected to the General Council of the
Trades Union Congress in 1921, and was its
President in 1934, where he led centenary commemorations of the
Tolpuddle Martyrs.
Conley also supported women's trade unionism, encouraging women tailors to become active in the NUTGW,
and he was succeeded as general secretary by
Anne Loughlin.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conley, Andrew
1881 births
1952 deaths
British military personnel of the Second Boer War
General Secretaries of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers
Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress
Trade unionists from Leeds
Presidents of the Trades Union Congress