John Damrel Prior (10 March 1840 – 4 February 1923)''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995'' 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 ...

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 ...

and chairman of the

Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress 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 1876 until 1879. Born in

Shebbear Shebbear (; ) is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district in Devon, England. History Shebbear was the third-largest settlement recorded in North Devon in the Domesday Book, having 76 households, 20 of which were slaves. It was unusu ...

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 ...

, Prior was educated at

Shebbear College Shebbear College is an all-through school, all-through Private schools in the United Kingdom, private co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 4 – 18 situated in Shebbear, Devon, Shebbear, Devon, England. The school's 85-acre rura ...

."A labour pioneer", ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 10 March 1921 He became interested in trade unionism, and by the mid-1860s, was a prominent figure in the

Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J) was a New Model Trade Union in the 1860s in the United Kingdom, representing carpenters and joiners. History The formation of the Society was spurred by the Stonemason's strike, 1859, ...

(ASC&J), Francis Chandler, ''Amalgamated Society of Carpenters & Joiners: History of the Society, 1860-1910'' serving on the executive of the " Junta"'s Conference of Amalgamated Trades. In 1871, Prior succeeded Robert Applegarth as general secretary of the ASC&J. As Prior was based in

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 ...

, the union's headquarters was relocated to the northern city. A large minority of the union's branches refused to accept his election but, with the support of Applegarth, Prior asserted his control. While general secretary, Prior was regularly elected to the

, serving as its chairman from 1876 until 1879. In 1881, Prior was appointed as a

factory inspector A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

, the first worker to hold the post. He resigned from his trade union posts, and worked as an inspector until his retirement in 1905. He enjoyed a long retirement, celebrating his

diamond wedding A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date that a wedding took place. Couples often mark the occasion by celebrating their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for partic ...

in 1921.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prior, John D. 1840 births 1923 deaths Factory inspectors General secretaries of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress People educated at Shebbear College Trade unionists from Devon