Claude Bartlett (1897 – 1 April 1972) was a British

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader. Bartlett worked in

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

s and joined the National Asylum Workers' Union in 1919. He became President of the union in 1927, which in 1931 was renamed the "

Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union The Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was established as the National Asylum Workers' Union in 1910 by asylum attendants in Lancashire. George Gibson (trade unionist), George Gib ...

", all the while remaining a hospital employee.''Report of 104th Annual Trades Union Congress'', p.310 He chaired the conference which saw the union merge with others to form the

Confederation of Health Service Employees The Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) was a United Kingdom trade union representing workers primarily in the National Health Service. History The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the Mental Hospital and Institutional ...

, and was also elected as president of the new union.Frank Lynch,
Claude Bartlett – COHSE President
, COHSE, 1972 In 1948, Bartlett was elected to the General Council of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

, and in 1960, he became

President of the Trades Union Congress The president of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in United Kingdom, British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serv ...

, the first holder of that post in many years to remain in non-trade union employment. He was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1960,Supplement to the London Gazette
, 1 January 1960, p.10 and retired in 1962.Gregory S. Donges, ''Policymaking for the Mentally Handicapped'', p.33 Following his retirement, Bartlett lived in

Ivybridge Ivybridge is a town and civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Plymouth. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England and Wales and lies along the A38 "Devon Expressway" road. The ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, where he served as a parish councillor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Claude 1897 births 1972 deaths Presidents of British trade unions Presidents of the Trades Union Congress Councillors in Devon People from Ivybridge Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire