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Sir Herbert Richard NicholasOBE (13 March 1905 – 15 April 1997) was atrade unionist and political organiser.
Born inBristol, Nicholas worked for thePort of Bristol Authority until 1936, when he took a full-time post in theTransport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). He moved toLondon to become National Officer in 1940, and in 1956 rose to become Assistant General Secretary. In the same year, he was elected to theNational Executive Committee of theLabour Party, and from 1960 to 1964 he was theparty treasurer, appointed in order to maximisetrade union donations.[1]
Frank Cousins, General Secretary of the TGWU, served asMinister of Technology from 1964 to 1966, and during this period, Nicholas became Acting General Secretary, also serving on the General Council of theTrades Union Congress. In 1967, he returned to the Labour NEC. He took early retirement from the union in 1968 to becomeGeneral Secretary of the Labour Party, having been offered the post byHarold Wilson after several other candidates refused the position.[1]
Nicholas was criticised after Labour lost the1970 general election, and he stood down in 1972.[1]
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Assistant General Secretary of theTransport and General Workers' Union 1956–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Acting General Secretary of theTransport and General Workers' Union 1964–1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Trades Union Congress representative to theAFL-CIO 1967 With:Jack Cooper | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Labour Party 1960–1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Secretary of the Labour Party 1968–1972 | Succeeded by |