The President of Co-operative Congress has been a prominent position in the British co-operative movement. Co-operative Congress is the national conference for the movement.
Beginning with the first modern Congress in 1869, a Congress President was elected to preside over the event: to begin with, a President was elected for each day of Congress, but from 1896 a single President was elected for the whole event. Being president was considered the highest honour in the UK Co-operative Movement, with societies nominating individuals for the position in recognition of their contribution to the movement. The President was presented with a commemorative medal, and gave a keynote address to the conference.
The Congress voted to abolish the position of President in 2007, with Alan Gill (former Chief Executive of Leeds Co-operative Society) being the last to serve in the position.
| Year/Location | Presidents | Society/Location/Affiliation | Delegates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Hughes MP (day 1) Anthony Mundella MP (day 2) Walter Morrison MP (day 3) Hon Auberon Herbert (day 4) | Activist (Political) (London) (Political) | 107 | ||
| Walter Morrison MP (day 1) Rev. W. Nassau Molesworth (day 2) John Tomlinson Hibbert MP (day 3) Lloyd Jones (day 4) | Political Vicar of Spotland, Rochdale (Political) Activist | 109 | ||
| Hon. Auberon Herbert MP (day 1) Charles C. Cattell (day 2) Walter Morrison MP (day 3 & 4) | Political (Birmingham) (London) | 113 | ||
| Thomas Hughes MP (day 1) Edward Vansittart Neale (day 2) Lloyd Jones (day 3) | Activist Co-operative Union Activist | 183 | ||
| Joseph Cowen, Jun (day 1) Dr John Hunter Rutherford (day 2) Thomas Hughes MP (day 3) | (Proprietor, Newcastle Chronicle) Ouseburn Engine Works Activist | 199 | ||
| Thomas Brassey MP (day 1) Walter Morrison (day 2 & 3) | Political (Late MP for Plymouth) | 189 | ||
| Prof. Thorold Rogers (day 1) Thomas Hughes QC (day 2) Walter Morrison (day 3) | University of Oxford Activist (London) | 114 | ||
| Professor Edward Caird (day 1) George Anderson MP(day 2) Mr Crabtree (day 3) | Glasgow University (MP for Glasgow) (Hebden Bridge) | 116 | ||
| Hon. Auberon Herbert (day 1) Lloyd Jones (day 2) Abraham Greenwood (day 3) | 162 | |||
| Marquess of Ripon (day 1) James Fraser, Bishop of Manchester (day 2) Dr. John Watts (day 3) | Honoured Guest Honoured Guest Activist | 273 | ||
| Professor James Stuart (day 1) John Thomas Whitehead Mitchell (day 2) Mr Crabtree (day 3) | Cambridge University CWS; Rochdale Hebden Bridge | 131 | ||
| Joseph Barber Lightfoot, Bishop of Durham (day 1) R.S. Watson (day 2) H.R. Bailey (day 3) | Honoured Guest (Solicitor, Newcastle) Co-op Printing, Manchester | 174 | ||
| Lord Derby (day 1) Thomas Hughes QC (day 2) James Crabtree (day 3) | Honoured Guest Activist North Western Section (possibly Hebden Bridge) | 310 | ||
| Lord Reay (day 1) Cllr Henry Pumphrey (day 2) George Hines (day 3) | Honoured Guest Lewes Building Ipswich | 294 | ||
| Rt. Hon. William Edward Baxter MP (day 1) William Maxwell (day 2) John Allan (day 3) | Political (MP for Montrose) SCWS (Glasgow) | 394 | ||
| Sedley Taylor, MA (day 1) Amos Scotton (day 2) J. Hartley (day 3) | (Trinity College, Cambridge) (Derby) Lincoln | 454 | ||
| Lloyd Jones (day 1) Frank Hardern (day 2) Lewis Feber (day 3) | Activist Oldham Industrial Oldham Equitable | 578 | ||
| Earl of Morley (day 1) Arthur Dyke Acland MP (day 2) J. H. Young (day 3) | Honoured Guest Political; Oxford University Plymouth | 406 | ||
| George Holyoake (day 1) Sir Wilfrid Lawson MP (day 2) Councillor Rule (day 3) | Activist Honoured Guest (Carlisle) (Gateshead) | 464 | ||
| Edward Vansittart Neale (day 1) Marquess of Ripon (day 2) John Cave (day 3) | Co-operative Union Honoured Guest Dewsbury | 581 | ||
| Professor Alfred Marshall (day 1) Ben Jones (day 2) George Hines (day 3) | Cambridge University (London) Ipswich | 435 | ||
| Earl of Rosebery (day 1) William Maxwell (day 2) James Deans (day 3) | Honoured Guest SCWS Kilmarnock | 654 | ||
| Arthur Dyke Acland MP (day 1) Duncan McInnes (day 2) Joseph Hepworth (day 3) | Political Lincoln Coventry Watchmakers | 580 | ||
| John Thomas Whitehead Mitchell, JP (day 1) Abraham Greenwood (day 2) T. Cheetham (day 3) | CWS
| 871 | ||
| Councillor George Hawkins (day 1) Joseph Clay (day 2) William Henry Brown (day 3) | Oxford; CWS London Branch (Gloucester) (Newport) | 645 | ||
| Thomas Tweddell, JP (day 1) James McKendrick (day 2) William Crooks (day 3) | Hartlepool; CWS Newcastle Branch (Newcastle) (Blaydon) | 722 | ||
| George Thomson (day 1) Thomas Bland JP (day 2) James Broadbent (day 3) | William Thomson Industrial Partnership, Huddersfield (Huddersfield) Huddersfield Industrial | 849 |
| Year/Location | President | Society/Location/Affiliation | Delegates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900 | ||||
| William Maxwell, JP | 1000 | |||
| Duncan McInnes | Lincoln | 932 | ||
| Frank Hardern, JP | Oldham Industrial | 1205 | ||
| Newport | 1027 | |||
| Joseph Warwick | North Shields | 1138 | ||
| George Hawkins | Oxford; CWS London Branch | 1006 | ||
| John Shillito | CWS
| 1150 | ||
| Stratford (London) | 1376 | |||
| 1318 | ||||
| J. C. Gray, JP | Co-operative Union | 1320 | ||
| William Lander | Bolton | 1492 | ||
| Blaina | 1334 | |||
| W. R. Rae | Sunderland | 1556 | ||
| Henry Wilkins | Plymouth | 1442 | ||
| George Thorpe | Dewsbury | 1615 | ||
| William Openshaw | CWS London | 1489 | ||
| James Deans | Kilmarnock | 1247 | ||
| Robert Fleming | Belfast | 1367 | ||
| George Bastard | Leicester | 1410 | ||
| William Gregory, JP | Preston | 1345 | ||
| E. R. Wood | Ton | 1044 | ||
| Thomas Killon | CWS | 1268 | ||
| Fred Hayward | Burslem | 1559 | ||
| G. A. Ramsay, BA | (West Country) | 1669 | ||
| George Major | Rotherham | 1515 | ||
| 1411 | ||||
| Robert Stewart | 1571 | |||
| Chas Saxton | Worcester | 1546 | ||
| W. E. Dudley, JP | CWS | 1709 | ||
| William James McGuffin, JP | Belfast | 1411 | ||
| J. T. Jackson | Gloucester | 1734 | ||
| Co-operative Union | 1662 | |||
| Henry May, OBE, JP | ICA | 1558 | ||
| Thomas Liddle, MBE, JP | Hartlepools | 1572 | ||
| William John Salmon, JP | Colchester | 1619 | ||
| John Downie | Wishaw | 1633 | ||
| Joseph Millington, JP | Birmingham | 1621 | ||
| Arthur Pickup | Birkenhead | 1734 | ||
| Wyndham Edwards, JP | (South Wales) | 1814 | ||
| George Riddle, CBE | Carlisle | 1772 | ||
| E. G. Haskins, JP | Bath | 1889 | ||
| Joseph Worley | Leicester | 1944 | ||
| William Neville, JP | 1957 | |||
| William Gallacher, JP | 1517 | |||
| Sir Fred Hayward, JP | Burslem | 1063 | ||
| Neil S. Beaton, JP | 1263 | |||
| Thomas Lawther | Amble | 1354 | ||
| 1944 | Cancelled on account of War conditions |
| Year/Location | President | Society/Location/Affiliation | Delegates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Palmer, JP | Co-operative Union | 1584 | ||
| J. Bradshaw, JP | Co-operative Union | 1721 | ||
| G.L. Perkins | (Winchester) | 1770 | ||
| A.J. Tapping | 1796 | |||
| Thomas Harry Gill, JP | CWS | 1839 | ||
| J.W. Blower, CBE, JP | Ripley | 1978 | ||
| H. Taylor | Kettering Industrial; Kettering Clothing; CPF | 2027 | ||
| CWS | 2020 | |||
| J. Corina | 2015 | |||
| H.J. Twigg | Plymouth | 2032 | ||
| J.M. Davidson | 2062 | |||
| G.R. Doulgas, JP | Birkenhead | 2149 | ||
| F. Oakley, BA | Mansfield Sutton | 2120 | ||
| James Peddie MBE | CWS | 2127 | ||
| James Peddie MBE | CWS | 1831 | ||
| J.A. Stirling, FACCA | 2137 | |||
| A.E. Jupp, CSD | CPF | 2122 | ||
| John Jacques, BA(Com), JP | 2106 | |||
| P.M. Williams, JP | Hartlepools | 2119 | ||
| L. Cooke, OBE, JP | CWS | 2026 | ||
| 2029 | ||||
| D. Shaw, JP, FACCA | 1980 | |||
| G.L. Armitage, JP, FCA, FCIS | Birmingham | 1908 | ||
| H.C. Jennings | CWS | 1667 | ||
| 1583 | ||||
| Robert Southern, CBE, BA(Com), CHD | Co-operative Union | 1323 | ||
| H. Kemp, JP, CSD | CWS | 1162 | ||
| G. Williams, FACCA | Cambridge | 961 | ||
| G. Williams, FACCA | Cambridge | 551 | ||
| A. Wilson, FCIS, FBIM | CWS | 917 | ||
| B.T. Parry, JP, CMD | Blackburn | 876 | ||
| J.M. Wood, CHD | Parliamentary Committee | 924 | ||
| Mrs. E.M. Dodds | CWS | 913 | ||
| R.L. Marshall, OBE, MA | Co-operative Union | 850 | ||
| G.R. Gay, JP, DL | 886 | |||
| Sir Arthur Sugden | CWS | 891 | ||
| J.H. Perrow, CSD | Bolton & Wigan | 1002 | ||
| H. Bailey, CBE | Rushden | 857 | ||
| H.W. Whitehead, JP | North Eastern | 676 | ||
| W.H. Twigg, MBE | 679 | |||
| Mrs. N.E. Willis, JP | CRS London | 690 | ||
| Mrs. G. Bunn, JP | Brighton | 650 | ||
| G. Bromley, JP | Leicestershire | 616 | ||
| W.H. Farrow, CSD | 588 | |||
| Political | 594 | |||
| J. Mason, DL | Blackburn | 583 | ||
| F.R. Pashley | Greater Nottingham | 571 | ||
| W.P. Anderson | Central Midlands | 559 | ||
| A. Arlow | Greater Peterborough | 561 | ||
| David Wise OBE | Political; Invicta | 548 | ||
| George Cunningham | 583 | |||
| U.S. Todner MBE | East Mercia | 660 | ||
| Alf Morris MP | Political | 565 | ||
| G.W. Money, MBE | Yorkshire | 560 | ||
| Pauline Green MEP | Political | 543 | ||
| Alan Middleton | Lincoln | 531 | ||
| Bob Burlton | 428 | |||
| Mrs. P. Wheatley | 489 | |||
| 472 | ||||
| Gareth Thomas MP | ||||
| Keith Darwin | ||||
| Meg Munn MP | Political | |||
| Alan Gill |