Background
Feather was born in Idle, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire in 1908, and was named after the recently elected socialist Member of Parliament Victor Grayson.
Feather was born in Idle, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire in 1908, and was named after the recently elected socialist Member of Parliament Victor Grayson.
He was educated at Hanson Grammar School in Bradford.
He began work at age 14 and joined the Shopworkers" Union. He was elected shop steward at age 15, and chairman of his branch committee at age 21. In 1937 he joined the staff of the Trades Union Congress.
He became Assistant Secretary (1947-1960), Assistant General Secretary (1960-1969), and General Secretary (1969-1973).
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1961 New Year Honours. As General Secretary, Feather led the British trade union movement"s fight against Heath government"s Industrial Relations Acting 1971.
After retirement from the Trades Union Congress, he was President of the European Trade Union Confederation (1973-1974). He was created a life peer as Baron Feather, of the City of Bradford on 6 March 1974.
Lord Feather died two years later in 1976.
With his blunt Yorkshire manner, he was something of a "character" in British public life. He was often imitated by Mike Yarwood. When he appeared on Parkinson he admitted to stealing sheep in the 1930s.
He was the subject of an episode of This Is Your Life (United Kingdom television series), first broadcast on 28 November 1973.