William Devenay
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William Devenay (1864 – 12 May 1934) 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 ...
and politician.


Biography

Born in
Renfrew Renfrew (; ; ) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former royal house, Renfrew gaine ...
in Scotland, he found work as a dock labourer, and moved to London, also working for a time driving a bakers' van. He joined the
Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers Union (DWRGLU), often known as the Dockers' Union, was a British trade union representing dock workers in the United Kingdom, founded in 1887 and merged into the Transport and General Workers' U ...
, and was soon working full-time for the union as its London District Secretary.''Labour Who's Who'' (1924), p.45 He also became active in the
Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...
(ILP),John Marriott, ''The Culture of Labourism: The East End Between the Wars'', pp.102–104 and in 1898 was elected as its first councillor in
West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...
. The ILP affiliated to the Labour Party and, as more Labour councillors were elected, he became an
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
in 1911, and then Mayor of West Ham in 1919/20, the first former docker to become a Labour mayor. He also stood for Labour in
Mile End Mile End is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is east of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road ...
at the
1918 United Kingdom general election The 1918 United Kingdom general election was called immediately after the Armistice with Germany which ended the First World War, and was held on Saturday, 14 December 1918. The governing coalition, under Prime Minister David Lloyd George, sen ...
, taking second place with 25.1% of the vote. Devenay remained active in the Dockers' Union, becoming an assistant national organiser, and in 1911 was a leading figure in a strike of transport workers in London.
Ben Tillett Benjamin Tillett (11 September 1860 – 27 January 1943) was a British socialist, trade union leader and politician. He was a leader of the "new unionism" of 1889, that focused on organizing unskilled workers. He played a major role in foundin ...
later described him as "...the plodder of the movement, and to his years of organising work is due a lot of the feeling aroused among the Transport Workers of London". In 1922, the union became part of the new
Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general union, general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland—where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU)—with 900 ...
(TGWU), and Devenay was appointed as secretary of its General Workers Group.
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 ...
, "Obituary: Alderman W. Devenay", ''Annual Report of the 1934 Trades Union Congress''
In 1914, Devenay was appointed to the
Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...
, replacing
Harry Orbell Harry Orbell (4 November 1860 – 27 March 1914) was a British trade unionist. Born in Bethnal Green on 4 November 1860, Henry Joseph (Harry) Orbell trained as a writing desk maker, but was unable to find sufficient work, and so instead foun ...
, and in 1930 he was made chair of its maintenance committee, the most senior position held to that date by any trade unionist on the body.Lincoln Gordon, ''The Public Corporation in Great Britain'', p.31 He retired from his trade union posts in 1932, and died in May 1934.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devenay, William 1864 births 1934 deaths Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Mayors of places in Greater London People from Renfrew Scottish trade unionists