Bill Morris
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Sir William Morris (born 19 October 1938), generally known as Bill Morris, was general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1992 to 2003, and the first black leader of a British trade union.
Bill Morris was born in Manchester, Jamaica. After the death of his father, William, a part-time policeman, his mother, Una, went to England to find work and settled in Birmingham. In 1954 Bill joined her, finding work at Hardy Spicer Engineering Ltd, a local firm. In 1958 he joined the Transport and General Workers' Union and in 1962 became a shop steward.
After serving on the TGWU General Executive Council (GEC) from 1972 to 1973, Bill Morris joined the union as a full-time official. He served as district officer of the Nottingham District from 1973 to 1976 and district secretary of the Northampton District from 1976 to 1979. In 1979, he became national secretary of the Passenger Services Trade Group, which was responsible for staff working for bus and coach companies. In 1986 he was elected deputy general secretary, serving under general secretary Ron Todd.
On Ron Todd's retirement in 1992, Bill Morris was elected general secretary. He was re-elected in 1995 and served until his own retirement on his 65th birthday, 19 October 2003. During his time as general secretary, he was generally regarded as a moderate and did not have a good relationship with the more radical elements of his union. He was also known as a supporter of Prime Minister Tony Blair, although the relationship cooled towards the end of Morris's tenure.
Bill Morris was a member of the TUC General Council and Executive Committee from 1988 to 2003. He was appointed a director of the Bank of England in 1998. He was also a member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords from 1999 to 2000. On the governing bodies of several universities and colleges, he was appointed first chancellor of the University of Technology, Jamaica in 1999.
Morris married Minetta in 1957. She died in 1990. They have two sons.
Bill Morris was knighted in 2003. He was succeeded as general secretary by Tony Woodley.