Alec Kitson
Alexander Harper Kitson (21 October 1921–2 August 1997) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party official.
Kitson grew up in Kirknewton, from where he undertook milk deliveries to Morningside alongside Sean Connery.[1] He studied at Kirknewton School before becoming a lorry driver. He became an active trade unionist, and a full-time union official from 1945. In 1959, he was elected as General Secretary of the Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union, serving until 1971, when he took the union into a merger with the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU)[2]
Kitson chaired the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) in 1966, and was its Treasurer from 1974 until 1981. He was also long-term member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, serving from 1968 until 1986, and was the Chair of the Labour Party in 1980–81.[2] He unsuccessfully contested the General Secretaryship of the TGWU in 1977, serving instead its Deputy General Secretary from 1980 until his retirement in 1986.[1]
Kitson was known as an admirer of the Soviet Union, a position largely influenced by Abe Moffat. He served on the World Peace Council as a supporter of James Lamond, and visited the USSR annually from the 1950s until the 1980s.[3]
In his spare time, Kitson served on the national council of War on Want, on Corstorphine Community Council, and briefly as Chairman of Heart of Midlothian FC.[2] In retirement from his union posts, he also served as Chairman of the Board of Lothian Buses plc.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tam Dalyell, "Obituary: Alec Kitson", The Independent, 4 August 1997
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "KITSON, Alexander Harper", Who Was Who
- ↑ Darren G. Lilleker, Against the Cold War, p.187
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
John Brannigan
|
General Secretary of the Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union 1959–1971 |
Succeeded by Position abolished |
| Preceded by
William Scholes
|
President of the Scottish Trades Union Congress 1966–1967 |
Succeeded by Bill McLean |
| Preceded by | Deputy General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union 1980–1986 |
Succeeded by Bill Morris |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of the Labour Party 1980–1981 |
Succeeded by Judith Hart |
