| Year | Name | Union |
| 1868 | William Henry Wood | Manchester and Salford Trades Council |
| 1869 | T. J. Wilkinson | Flint Glass Makers Friendly Society |
| 1871 | George Potter | London Working Men's Association |
| 1872 | W. H. Leatherland | Organised Trade Association |
| 1873 | W. Lishman | Leeds Trades Council |
| 1874 | William Rolley | Sheffield Federated Trades Council |
| 1875 | J. Fitzpatrick | Liverpool Trades Council |
| 1875 | John Battersby | Scottish Typographical Association |
| 1876 | J. C. Laird | Newcastle Trades Council |
| 1877 | D. Merrick | Leicester Boot and Shoe Finishers |
| 1878 | G. F. Jones | Bristol Trades Council |
| 1879 | D. Gibson | Edinburgh and District Trades Council |
| 1880 | J. Murphy | Friendly Society of Ironfounders |
| 1881 | Edwin Coulson | Operative Bricklayers' Society |
| 1882 | R. Austin | Amalagamated Society of Engineers |
| 1883 | T. Smith | National Union of Boot and Shoe Riveters |
| 1884 | J. C. Thompson | Aberdeen Trades Council |
| 1885 | T. R. Threlfall | Typographical Association |
| 1886 | Frederick Maddison | Typographical Association |
| 1887 | W. Bevan | Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners |
| 1888 | S. Shaftoe | |
| 1889 | R. D. B. Ritchie | Dundee Trades Council |
| 1890 | William Matkin | Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners |
| 1891 | Thomas Burt | Northumberland Miners Union |
| 1892 | John Hodge | British Steel Smelters Association |
| 1893 | S. Munro | Typographical Association |
| 1894 | Frank Delves | Amalagamated Society of Engineers |
| 1895 | John Jenkins | Shipwrights' Society |
| 1896 | J. Mallison | Edinburgh Trades Council |
| 1897 | J. V. Stevens | Tinplate Workers Union |
| 1898 | James O'Grady | Amalgamated Union of Cabinet Makers |
| 1899 | W. J. Vernon | Typographical Association |
| 1900 | W. Pickles | National Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters |
| 1901 | C. W. Bowerman | London Society of Compositors |
| 1902 | W. C. Steadman | River Thames Barge Builders Trades Union |
| 1903 | W. Boyd Hornidge | National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives |
| 1904 | Richard Bell | Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants |
| 1905 | James Sexton | National Union of Dock Labourers |
| 1906 | D. C. Cummings | United Society of Boilermakers |
| 1907 | Alfred Gill | Bolton Cotton Spinners Association |
| 1908 | David Shackleton | Textile Factory Workers Association |
| 1909 | David Shackleton | Textile Factory Workers Association |
| 1910 | James Haslam | Miners Federation of Great Britain |
| 1911 | William Mullin | Operative Cotton Spinners Association |
| 1912 | Will Thorne | National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers |
| 1913 | W. J. Davis | Amalgamated Society of Brassworkers |
| 1915 | James Seddon | National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks |
| 1916 | Harry Gosling | National Transport Workers Federation |
| 1917 | John Hill | United Society of Boilermakers |
| 1918 | J. W. Ogden | Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers |
| 1919 | G. H. Stuart-Bunning | Postmen's Federation |
| 1920 | Jimmy Thomas | National Union of Railwaymen |
| 1921 | E. L. Poulton | National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives |
| 1922 | R. B. Walker | National Union of Agricultural Workers |
| 1923 | Joe Williams | Musicians Union |
| 1924 | Alf Purcell | Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association |
| 1925 | Alonzo Swales | Amalgamated Engineering Union |
| 1926 | Arthur Pugh | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation |
| 1927 | George Hicks | Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers |
| 1928 | Ben Turner | General Union of Textile Workers |
| 1929 | Ben Tillett | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1930 | J. Beard | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1931 | Arthur Hayday | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1932 | John Bromley | Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen |
| 1933 | Alexander Walkden | Railway Clerks Association |
| 1934 | Andrew Conley | National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers |
| 1935 | William Kean | National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades |
| 1936 | A. A. H. Findlay | United Patternmakers Association |
| 1937 | Ernest Bevin | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1938 | H. H. Elvin | National Union of Clerks and Administrative Workers |
| 1939 | Joseph Hallsworth | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers |
| 1940 | William Holmes | National Union of Agricultural Workers |
| 1941 | George Gibson | Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union |
| 1942 | Frank Wolstencroft | Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers |
| 1943 | Anne Loughlin | National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers |
| 1944 | Ebby Edwards | Miners Federation of Great Britain |
| 1945 | Ebby Edwards | National Union of Mineworkers |
| 1946 | Charles Dukes | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1947 | George W. Thompson | Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen |
| 1948 | Florence Hancock | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1949 | Will Lawther | National Union of Mineworkers |
| 1950 | Herbert Bullock | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1951 | Alfred Roberts | National Association of Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives |
| 1952 | Arthur Deakin | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1953 | Tom O'Brien | National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees |
| 1954 | Jack Tanner | Amalgamated Engineering Union |
| 1955 | Charles Geddes | Union of Post Office Workers |
| 1956 | Wilfred Blackwell Beard | United Patternmakers Association |
| 1957 | Tom Williamson | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1958 | Tom Yates | National Union of Seamen |
| 1959 | Robert Willis | London Typographical Society |
| 1960 | Claude Bartlett | Confederation Of Health Service Employees |
| 1961 | Ted Hill | United Society of Boilermakers |
| 1962 | Anne Godwin | Clerical and Administrative Workers Union |
| 1963 | Frederick Hayday | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1964 | George H. Lowthian | Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers |
| 1965 | Harold Collison | National Union of Agricultural Workers |
| 1966 | Joseph O'Hagan | National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades |
| 1967 | Harry Douglass | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation |
| 1968 | Lord Wright | Amalgamated Weavers Union |
| 1969 | John E. Newton | National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers |
| 1970 | Sidney Greene | National Union of Railwaymen |
| 1971 | Jack Cooper | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1972 | George Smith | Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians |
| 1973 | Joseph Crawford | National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers |
| 1974 | Alfred Allen | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers |
| 1975 | C. M. Patterson | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1976 | Cyril Plant | Inland Revenue Staff Federation |
| 1977 | C. M. Patterson | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1978 | David Basnett | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| 1979 | Thomas Jackson | Union of Post Office Workers |
| 1980 | Terry Parry | Fire Brigades Union |
| 1981 | Alan Fisher | National Union of Public Employees |
| 1982 | Alan Sapper | Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians |
| 1983 | Frank Chapple | Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union |
| 1984 | Ray Buckton | Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen |
| 1985 | J. F. Eccles | General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union |
| 1986 | Ken Gill | Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section |
| 1987 | Fred Jarvis | National Union of Teachers |
| 1988 | Clive Jenkins | Manufacturing, Science and Finance |
| 1989 | Tony Christopher | Inland Revenue Staff Federation |
| 1990 | Ada Maddocks | National and Local Government Officers Association |
| 1991 | Alex Smith | GMB Union |
| 1992 | Rodney Bickerstaffe | National Union of Public Employees |
| 1993 | Alan Tuffin | Union of Communication Workers |
| 1994 | Jimmy Knapp | National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers |
| 1995 | Leif Mills | Banking, Insurance and Finance Union |
| 1996 | Margaret Prosser | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 1997 | Tony Dubbins | Graphical, Paper and Media Union |
| 1998 | John Edmonds | GMB Union |
| 1999 | Hector Mackenzie | UNISON |
| 2000 | Rita Donaghy | UNISON |
| 2001 | Bill Morris | Transport and General Workers Union |
| 2002 | Tony Young | Communication Workers Union |
| 2003 | Nigel de Gruchy | National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers |
| 2004 | Roger Lyons | Amicus |
| 2005 | Jeannie Drake | Communication Workers Union |
| 2006 | Gloria Mills | UNISON |
| 2007 | Alison Shepherd | UNISON |
| 2008 | Dave Prentis | UNISON |
| 2009 | Sheila Bearcroft | GMB |
