William Coaker
William Ford Coaker | |
|---|---|
| President of the Fishermen's Protective Union | |
| In office November 3, 1908 – February 3, 1926 | |
| Succeeded by | J. H. Scammell |
| Member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly for Bonavista East | |
| In office October 29, 1928 – June 11, 1932 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly for Bonavista | |
| In office November 3, 1919 – June 2, 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred B. Morine |
| Succeeded by | Walter Monroe Lewis Little William C. Winsor |
| In office October 30, 1913 – November 26, 1914 Serving with John Abbott and Robert G. Winsor | |
| Preceded by | Sydney Blandford William C. Winsor Donald Morison |
| Succeeded by | Alfred B. Morine |
| Member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly for Twillingate | |
| In office November 26, 1914 – November 3, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Bond |
| Succeeded by | George Jones Solomon Samson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 19, 1871 St. John's, Newfoundland |
| Died | October 26, 1938 (aged 67) Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Nationality | Newfoundlander |
| Political party | Fishermen's Protective Union |
| Spouse |
Jessie Crosbie Cook (m. 1901) |
| Children | 1 (Camilla) |
| Alma mater | Bishop Feild College |
| Occupation | Businessman and union leader |
| Known for | Founding the Fishermen's Protective Union and establishing Port Union |
Sir William Ford Coaker KBE (October 19, 1871 – October 26, 1938) was a Newfoundland union leader and politician and founder of the Fisherman's Protective Union, the Fishermen's Union Trading Co., and the town of Port Union. A polarizing figure in Newfoundland politics and society, he was described as "the outstanding social reformer produced by Britain's Oldest Colony" by eventual Premier Joey Smallwood.
Coaker is known for criticizing the truck system which dominated the fishery of Newfoundland in the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries.