Mary Macarthur

For the Canadian scientist, see Mary MacArthur.
For the American actress, see Mary MacArthur (actress).

Mary Macarthur
Born
Mary Reid Macarthur

(1880-08-13)13 August 1880
Glasgow, Scotland
Died1 January 1921(1921-01-01) (aged 40)
Golders Green, London, England
Known forWomen's trade unionism and women's suffrage
SpouseWilliam Anderson

Mary Reid Anderson (née Macarthur; 13 August 1880 – 1 January 1921) was a Scottish suffragist (although at odds with the national groups who were willing to let a minority of women gain the franchise)[1][2] and was a leading trades unionist. She was the general secretary of the Women's Trade Union League and was involved in the formation of the National Federation of Women Workers and National Anti-Sweating League.[3]

In 1910, Macarthur led the women chain makers of Cradley Heath to victory in their fight for a minimum wage and led a strike to force employers to implement the rise.[4]

Around 1901, Macarthur became a trade unionist after hearing a speech made by John Turner about how badly some workers were being treated by their employers. She became secretary of the Ayr branch of the Shop Assistants' Union, and her interest in this union led to her work for the improvement of women's labour conditions. In 1902 Mary became friends with Margaret Bondfield who encouraged her to attend the union's national conference where Macarthur became the first woman[5] to be elected to the union's national executive.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Mary Macarthur". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Vellacott, Jo (1993). From Liberal to Labour with Women's Suffrage: The Story of Catherine Marshall. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 385. ISBN 0-7735-0958-5.
  4. ^ "Mary Reid MacArthur". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  5. ^ Awcock, Hannah (6 April 2017). "Turbulent Londoners: Mary Macarthur, 1880-1921". Turbulent London. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Women in History of Scots Descent - Mary MacArthur". www.electricscotland.com.
  7. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Macarthur, Mary" . Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.