{{Short description|British trade unionist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} thumb|Arthur Pugh '''Sir Arthur Pugh''' CBE (19 January 1870 – 2 August 1955) was a British trade unionist.
Born in Ross-on-Wye, Pugh was apprenticed to a farmer who also worked as a butcher, but soon moved to Neath to work in the steel industry, where he became active in the British Steel Smelters' Association. In 1901, he moved to Frodingham, Lincolnshire, and he became first Assistant Secretary and then Office Secretary of the union. In 1917, he played a leading role in the formation of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) and the British Iron, Steel and Kindred Trades Association, becoming the first General Secretary of the ISTC. He served as President of the Trades Union Congress in 1926, during the UK General Strike, was on the economic consultative committee of the League of Nations, and was active in running the ''Daily Herald'' newspaper. He retired from his union posts in 1935, and wrote ''Men of Steel'', a history of the metal-workers trade unions.<ref>"[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35629 Pugh, Sir Arthur]", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''</ref>
Pugh was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1930 New Year Honours for public services,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33566 |supp=y |pages=7 |date= 31 December 1929}}</ref> and knighted in the 1935 Birthday and Silver Jubilee Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=31 May 1935 |supp=y |issue=34166 |pages=3592 }}</ref>
He was featured in Jack Thorne's 2023 play ''When Winston Went to War with the Wireless'', played by Elliott Rennie.<ref>{{cite web |title=Donmar Warehouse reveals complete cast for ”When Winston Went to War with the Wireless” |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/donmar-warehouse-reveals-complete-cast-for-when-winston-went-to-war-with-the-wireless_58814/ |website=WhatsOnStage.com |access-date=25 August 2023 |date=24 April 2023}}</ref>
==References== <references />
{{start box}} {{s-npo|union}} {{succession box|title=Assistant General Secretary of the British Steel Smelters' Association|years=1906 – 1917|before=J. T. Macpherson|after=''Position abolished''}} {{succession box|title=General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation|before=''New position''|after=John Brown|years=1917–1935}} {{succession box|title=President of the Trades Union Congress|before=Alonzo Swales|after=George Hicks|years=1926}} {{succession box|title=Iron, Steel and Minor Metal Trades representative on the General Council of the TUC|years=1921 – 1935|before=''New position''|after=John Brown and William Kean|with=William Kean}} {{succession box|title=Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour|years=1927|with=Will Sherwood|before=John Bromley and George Hicks|after=Ebby Edwards and John Marchbank}} {{s-aca}} {{succession box|title=President of the Workers' Educational Association|years=1926 – 1928|before=Fred Bramley|after=R. H. Tawney}} {{end box}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Arthur}} Category:1870 births Category:1955 deaths Category:General secretaries of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Category:Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Category:People from Ross-on-Wye Category:Presidents of the Trades Union Congress Category:Trade unionists from Herefordshire
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