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Len Forden

1910 – 1977

British trade unionist

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About Len Forden

Lived 1910 – 1977 (aged 66–67). Len Forden was a British trade unionist.

Leonard Forden (1910 – 5 March 1977) was a British trade unionist. He served on both the General Council of the Trades Union Congress and the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party.

Forden worked for many years as a bus driver in Manchester. He joined the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) in 1924, and became secretary of his union branch in 1943. In 1949, he was elected to the General Executive Council of the TGWU, and he served as vice-chairman and then, from 1960, as chairman of the council and president of the union.

In 1958, Forden was elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), despite still working on the buses, it being a tradition of the TGWU that one their nominees would not work full time for the union. He served until 1964, when he agreed to stand down, in order that Frank Cousins could take his place. He instead won election to the General Purposes Committee of the TUC. While on the body, he chaired the party's Staff Negotiations Committee.

Forden also served as a delegate to the International Transport Workers' Federation and the Manchester and Salford Trades Council. From 1960, he served on the National Advisory Council on the Employment of the Disabled. In his spare time, he was a magistrate.

Forden retired from his posts in 1975, and died two years later.

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Important facts

Born
1910
Birth century
Occupation
Also known as
Leonard Forden

People in Len Forden's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Len Forden's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Len Forden?

British trade unionist

When was Len Forden born?

Len Forden was born in 1910.

When did Len Forden die?

Len Forden died on 5 March 1977.

What was Len Forden's occupation?

Len Forden was a trade unionist.

What nationality was Len Forden?

Len Forden was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Len Forden

· Wikidata: Q51343500

· DBpedia: Len Forden

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Len Forden. https://biography.guide/len-forden/

MLA: "Len Forden." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/len-forden/.

Chicago: "Len Forden." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/len-forden/.

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