William "Bill" Samuel Hilton (21 March 1926 – 12 June 1999) was a British Labour and Co-operative politician and trade unionist who later went on to become director general of the Federation of Master Builders.
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Early life
Hilton was born in Woolley Colliery, near Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1926. His father was a master painter who moved to Saltcoats in Ayrshire, Scotland to find work. Hilton was educated at Ardrossan Academy and retained a Scottish accent for the rest of his life.
He initially worked as a railway fireman, becoming active with the National Union of Railwaymen. His involvement in Labour politics saw him become agent to David Kirkwood, an Independent Labour Party member of parliament and militant "Red Clydesider".
When Kirkwood retired from parliament in 1951, Hilton became national organiser of the Association of Building Technicians, subsequently taking up the post of research officer with the National Federation of Building Trades Operatives in 1953. In 1954 he was the author of Building by Direct Labour: A National Survey.
Parliament
He first contested a parliamentary election in 1955, standing unsuccessfully at East Hertfordshire, a safe Conservative seat. At the next election in 1959 he contested the more marginal seat of Ealing North, but again failed to be elected.