Edward Harford (21 March 1838 – 11 January 1898) was a British

trade unionist 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 ...

. Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Harford grew up in Tiverton in Devon, where he completed five years of an apprenticeship in a confectionery factory. He moved to

Hatherleigh Hatherleigh is a small market town in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1306. It hosts an arts festival in July, and a carnival in November featuring two flaming tar barrel runs. T ...

to take a position in the Devon County Constabulary, where he married. He then became a porter with the

Bristol and Exeter Railway The Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied wi ...

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

,
Harford, Edward
This new career proved a success, and Harford found work at a higher grade with the

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...

, based in

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

. He also joined the

Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom from 1872 until 1913. History The ASRS was an industrial union founded in 1871 with the support of the Liberal MP Michael Thomas Bas ...

(ASRS), which he represented at the 1871

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 ...

(TUC), and in 1873 he became a full-time organiser for the union, based in Sheffield. However, the pay proved insufficient to support his family, now including five children, and he left to work in an iron foundry. Harford remained supportive of the ASRS and, around 1880, found work for the union once more, now as joint secretary of its campaign for a nine-hour day. He became the union's national organiser in 1882, and when the union's general secretary was forced to retire due to poor mental health, he was the only candidate to take over. As secretary, Harford pushed to increase membership, believing this would improve the union's bargaining position without the need for industrial action. Indeed, membership under his leadership increased from 8,000 to more than 50,000, and he completed a merger with the Scottish ASRS. He also continued to campaign for reduced working hours, and represented the union on the

Parliamentary Committee of the TUC The Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress was the leading body of the British trade union movement from 1871 until 1921. History The Trades Union Congress (TUC) was established in 1868 and formed a committee to act on its decisions a ...

from 1887 until 1892 and 1894 to 1897. Harford also took an interest in politics, and supported the election of working men to Parliament. He was the treasurer of the

Labour Electoral Association {{Short description, Political motive of the Labour Electoral Association The Labour Electoral Association was a political organisation in the United Kingdom which aimed to get working men elected to Parliament. Foundation The issue of political re ...

, and stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal-Labour candidate for

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

at the

1895 UK general election The 1895 United Kingdom general election was held from 13 July to 7 August 1895. The result was a Conservative parliamentary majority of 153. William Gladstone had retired as prime minister the previous year, and Queen Victoria, disregarding G ...

. By 1897, Harford was facing growing opposition from within his union, with some members disliking his liberal politics and readiness to make concessions to employers. That year, Harford decided to settle two disputes despite the opposition of the ASRS executive, and after he appeared to be drunk at a concluding meeting, his opponents won a vote at the

Annual General Meeting An annual general meeting (AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization. These organizations include membership associations and companies with shareholders. These meetings may be required ...

which led to him being dismissed, albeit with a pension.David Howell, ''Dictionary of Labour Biography vol.XI'', pp.130-140 He spent the next few months as the TUC representative to the

American Federation of Labour The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual s ...

, but died on the return voyage, in January 1898, on board the SS ''Saint Paul''. Harford was buired in

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

on 11 January 1898.Bagwell, Philip S
"Harford, Edward (1838–1898), railwayman and trade unionist."
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 Sep. 2004; Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harford, Edward 1838 births 1898 deaths General secretaries of the National Union of Railwaymen Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress People from Tiverton, Devon People who died at sea Trade unionists from Devon Burials at Abney Park Cemetery