William House (trade unionist)

English trade unionist (1854–1917)

William House (18 January 1854 – 7 May 1917) was an English trade unionist.

House grew up in the West Auckland area of County Durham. He worked for many years as a coal miner, and joined the Independent Labour Party. He was elected to Durham County Council, then as a checkweighman for his pit. He was particularly prominent in the 1892 miners' strike, and became known for his public speaking. In 1899, he was chosen as an agent for the Durham Miners' Association, and he was elected as the union's president the following year, serving until his death.

House stood for the Labour Party at Bishop Auckland for the January and December 1910 general elections, coming within 5% of victory on the second occasion. He also stood unsuccessfully in the 1913 Houghton-le-Spring by-election. The following year, he became vice-president of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. He was the union's choice to replace John Wilson in the 1915 Mid Durham by-election, but they ultimately chose not to stand him, due to the electoral truce during the First World War.

References

^ T. Readshaw, History of the Bishop Auckland Industrial Co-operative Flour and Provision Society Ltd, p.204
Duncan Tanner, Political Change and the Labour Party 1900-1918, pp.281-282
John Wilson, A History of the Durham miners, p.293
W. R. Garside, The Durham Miners: 1919-1960, pp.78-79
Duncan Tanner, Political Change and the Labour Party 1900-1918, p.219
Duncan Tanner, Political Change and the Labour Party 1900-1918, p.205
W. R. Garside, The Durham Miners: 1919-1960, pp.322-323

Trade union offices
Preceded byJohn Forman	President of the Durham Miners' Association 1900–1917	Succeeded byJames Robson
Preceded byW. E. Harvey	Vice-President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1914–1917	Succeeded byHerbert Smith

v t e Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
Presidents	1889 Pickard 1904 En. Edwards 1912 Smillie 1922 Smith 1929 Richards 1931 Eb. Edwards 1932 Lee 1934 J. Jones 1939 Lawther 1954 E. Jones 1960 Machen 1960 Ford 1971 Gormley 1982 Scargill 2002 Lavery 2012 Wilson
Vice-Presidents	1889 Woods 1909 Smillie 1912 Harvey 1914 House 1917 Smith 1922 Walsh 1924 Richards 1929 Eb. Edwards 1931 Lee 1932 J. Jones 1933 Davies 1934 Lawther 1939 Bowman 1950 E. Jones 1954 T. Jones 1961 Collindridge 1963 Bullough 1969 Schofield 1973 McGahey 1987 Thompson 1989 Vacant 1992 Cave 2002 Stanley 2010 Wilson 2012 Thomas
General Secretaries	1889 Ashton 1919 Hodges 1924 Cook 1932 Eb. Edwards 1946 Horner 1959 Paynter 1968 Daly 1984 Heathfield 1992 Scargill 1992 Vacant? 2002 Kemp 2007 Kitchen
Treasurers	1889 En. Edwards 1904 Abraham 1918 Robson 1921 Richardson
Affiliates and areas	Bristol Cleveland Cokemen Colliery Officials and Staffs Cumberland Derbyshire Durham Forest of Dean Kent Lancashire and Cheshire Leicestershire Midland Counties (Cannock Chase North Staffordshire Old Hill Pelsall Shropshire Warwickshire West Bromwich) Northumberland North Wales Nottinghamshire Scotland (Ayrshire Fife and Kinross Lanarkshire Mid and East Lothian Mid and West Lothian Stirling) Somerset South Derbyshire South Wales Yorkshire
Strikes	1893 1912 1926 1969 1972 1974 1984–1985