| Biography | Walter McLennan Citrine, 1st Baron Citrine, GBE, PC (22 August 1887, Wallasey 22 January 1983, Brixham) was a British trade unionist and politician.
An electrician by trade, he became Mersey District's secretary of his trade union, the Electrical Trades Union, in 1914. Twelve years later he became General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, holding the post for twenty years, including through World War II. He was also president of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions 1928-45 and president of the World Trade Union Conference in 1945.
Citrine strengthened the TUC's influence over the Labour Party. He opposed plans by the Labour Government in 1931 to cut unemployment benefits. After Ramsay MacDonald sacked his Cabinet and formed a coalition with the Conservatives to force his policies through, Citrine led the campaign to have him expelled from the party. Citrine later supported the Attlee government's policy of nationalisation and served on the National Coal Board and served as chairman of the Central Electricity Board 1947-57. He was granted a peerage in 1947.
He authored The ABC of Chairmanship, regarded by many in the labour movement as the "bible" of committee chairmanship. His autobiography Men and Work was published in 1964. His personal papers are held at the London School of Economics.
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