William J. Spencer (1867–1933) was an American labor leader who was secretary-treasurer of the Building Trades Department of the American Federation of Labor from its founding nearly continuously until his death in 1933.

William J. Spencer
Born1867
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Died1933 (aged 65–66)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationLabour leader

Spencer was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1867. He became a plumber and emigrated to Buffalo, New York, in 1894, where he joined Local 36 of the Journeymen Plumbers.

Spencer was elected secretary-treasurer of the international Plumbers' union in 1897. In 1900, he was appointed "general organizer" of the union.

In 1903, Spencer was elected secretary-treasurer of the Structural Building Trades Alliance (SBTA). He served until 1908, when the SBTA affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and became the Building Trades Department (BTD). He was elected secretary-treasurer of the BTD, and served until 1924. He was elected to the same office again in 1927, and served until his death in 1933.

In 1904, Spencer was elected eighth vice-president of the AFL. He served one year.

Spencer lived in Dayton, Ohio, from 1903 to 1912, after which he lived in Washington, D.C.

References

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  • "Glossary." In The Samuel Gompers Papers, Vol. 6: The American Federation of Labor and the Rise of Progressivism, 1902-6. Stuart J Kaufman, Peter J. Albert, and Grace Palladino, eds. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1997. ISBN 0-252-02303-X
  • Palladino, Grace. Skilled Hands, Strong Spirits. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8014-4320-2
Trade union offices
Preceded by
New position
Eighth Vice-President of the American Federation of Labor
1903–1905
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Department founded
Secretary-Treasurer of the Building Trades Department
1908–1924
Succeeded by
William J. Tracy
Preceded by American Federation of Labor delegate to the Trades Union Congress
1921
With: James J. Forrester
Succeeded by
Preceded by
William J. Tracy
Secretary-Treasurer of the Building Trades Department
1927–1933
Succeeded by
Herbert Rivers