Thomas G. Sunter (30 April 1847 – 20 September 1901) 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 ...

. Born in the Halton area of

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, Sunter began working for the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

in 1864, as a cleaner. He was steadily promoted until he became an express train driver, a job he undertook for sixteen years. Sunter was one of the first members of the

Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) is a British trade union representing drivers of trains including services such as the London Underground (Tube). It is part of the International Transport Workers' Federation ...

(ASLEF), which was initially based in Leeds. He served on the union's first executive committee, which was led by Joseph Brooke, its part-time secretary. Brooke proved ineffective, and in 1885 the executive voted to remove him from office. An election to the post was held, Sunter taking on Brooke, and Sunter won by a 6-to-1 majority. Under Sunter's leadership, ASLEF's membership rose from 1,000 to over 10,000. In 1901, he became ill, but was able to attend meetings and expected to recover. However, he died suddenly, aged 54, on 21 September and was buried at Beeston Hill Cemetery, Leeds, three days later. In 1881, his address was given as 91, Bewerley Street, Beestan Road, Leeds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunter, Thomas 1847 births 1901 deaths General secretaries of ASLEF People from Halton Moor Trade unionists from Leeds 19th-century English people