Harry Nicholas
{{Short description|British trade unionist (1905–1997)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Other people5|Nicholas Harris Nicolas|Henry Nicholas}}
{{One source|date=October 2021}}
Sir Herbert Richard Nicholas OBE (13 March 1905 – 15 April 1997) was a trade unionist and political organiser.
Early life
Born in Bristol, Nicholas worked for the Port of Bristol Authority until 1936, when he took a full-time post in the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). He moved to London to become National Officer in 1940, and in 1956 rose to become Assistant General Secretary. In the same year, he was elected to the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, and from 1960 to 1964 he was the party treasurer, appointed in order to maximise trade union donations.Jack Jones, "[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-harry-nicholas-1268511.html Obituary: Sir Harry Nicholas]", The Independent, 21 April 1997
Frank Cousins, General Secretary of the TGWU, served as Minister of Technology from 1964 to 1966, and during this period, Nicholas became Acting General Secretary, also serving on the General Council of the Trades Union Congress. In 1967, he returned to the Labour NEC. He took early retirement from the union in 1968 to become General Secretary of the Labour Party, having been offered the post by Harold Wilson after several other candidates refused the position.
Nicholas was criticised after Labour lost the 1970 general election, and he stood down in 1972.
References
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{{succession box
| title = Assistant General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union
| years = 1956–1968
| before = Frank Cousins
| after = Harry Urwin
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{{succession box
| title = Acting General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union
| years = 1964–1966
| before = Frank Cousins
| after = Frank Cousins
}}
{{succession box|title=Trades Union Congress representative to the AFL-CIO|years=1967|with=Jack Cooper|before=William Carron and George Lowthian|after=Sidney Greene and George Smith}}
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{{succession box|before=Aneurin Bevan|title=Treasurer of the Labour Party|after=Dai Davies|years=1960–1964}}
{{succession box|before=Len Williams|title=General Secretary of the Labour Party|after=Ron Hayward|years=1968–1972}}
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{{Transport and General Workers' Union}}
{{Labour Party Treasurer}}
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Category:Labour Party (UK) officials
Category:British trade union leaders
Category:Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress