John Mallinson (1860 – 12 January 1929) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician.
He took evening classes at Heriot-Watt College, and became active in the Edinburgh Cordwainers' Union.
[1] Although he held generally conservative views which were unpopular in the movement, his attention to detail and neutrality in chairing meetings were greatly valued, and he soon became a prominent figure.
He was surprised to be elected to the post,[2] but it did not change his view that the TUC had done little for Scotland, and he worked with John Keir to establish the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC).
[5] However, when the STUC was actually established, he was unhappy with its structure, and unsuccessfully argued for a delay in creating it.