International Typographical Union Local 91(1845 – 1910)
John Armstrong was a Toronto printer and frequent executive officer of the Toronto local, including president in 1875. During the 1872 printers’ strike for the nine-hour day, John was arrested along with several other union leaders. He also served as an executive officer of the International Typographical Union, becoming president in 1878. Five years later, John became president of the new Toronto Trades and Labor Council. He even served as president of the Female Shoe Operatives, Toronto’s only female union in the 1880s. A loyal Conservative, he was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital in 1886. Despite this, John ran as a labour candidate for the provincial legislature in 1894. In 1906, he became secretary of the Ontario Bureau of Labour.