George Gibson (trade unionist)

George Gibson
Born	Template:Birth date Calton, Glasgow, Scotland
Died	February 4, 1953(1953-02-04) (aged 67)
Occupation(s)	Trade union leader, mental hospital worker, public official
Years active	1910–1948
Known for	General Secretary of National Asylum Workers' Union and Confederation of Health Service Employees; President of the Trades Union Congress

George Gibson CH (3 April 1885 – 4 February 1953) was a British trade union leader, mental hospital worker, and public official. From 1913 until 1947, he held the position of General Secretary for the National Asylum Workers' Union, which was later renamed the Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union. Following this, he served as General Secretary of the Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) between 1947 and 1948. His professional life concluded amid controversy due to his involvement with Sidney Stanley, a fraudster whose activities were uncovered during the Lynskey Tribunal in 1948.

Gibson was born in Calton, Glasgow, to Johnston Gibson, an Irish immigrant who operated several small enterprises. Despite demonstrating notable intellectual capabilities, Gibson left formal education at the age of eleven and undertook various occupations before relocating to England in 1910 to become an attendant at Winwick Asylum in Warrington.

On 10 July 1910, he played a key role in establishing the National Asylum Workers' Union and was appointed its inaugural Secretary. Progressing within the organization, he became its full-time General Secretary in 1913. The union underwent a name change in 1930 and eventually merged into COHSE in 1947; Gibson maintained his role as General Secretary until his departure in 1948. Additionally, he represented the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on the Nurses Salaries Committee in 1943 and was a member of the TUC General Council from 1928 until his retirement, including serving as its President from 1940 to 1941.

During World War I, Gibson joined the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1915, received a commission in 1917, and was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant in 1919. His military service included two mentions in despatches and exposure to gas attacks, which resulted in chronic respiratory issues.

In the Second World War period, Gibson acted as Director of the Children's Overseas Reception Board (1940–41), managing the evacuation of British children overseas. He also conducted official visits to Sweden and the United States in 1941. After the war, he held several significant positions: vice-chairman of the National Savings Committee (1939–49), director at the Bank of England (1946–49), Chairman of both the North West Regional Board for Industry and the North Western Electricity Board, as well as membership on the BBC General Council. In recognition of his service, he was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1946.

The Lynskey Tribunal in 1949 determined that Gibson had improperly leveraged his influence to benefit Sidney Stanley’s commercial interests for personal advantage, leading to his forced resignation from all official roles despite his protests of innocence.

Gibson's personal life included marriage to Ellen Crossfield prior to World War I; she tragically died in a tram accident. He subsequently married Eva Crabtree, widow of a soldier killed during WWI. He fathered one daughter with Ellen and five children with Eva.

Sources

• Roodhouse, M. (2005) "Gibson, George (1885–1953)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press
• Carpenter, M. (1988) "Working for Health, The History of COHSE", Lawrence & Wishart

External links

• Catalogue of papers, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick