George Davy Kelley
Encyclopedia
George Davy Kelley was a British
trades unionist and Labour
politician.
Kelley was born in Ruskington
, Lincolnshire
in 1848. He became apprenticed to the lithographic printing
trade in York
. Following his apprenticeship, he worked as a printer in London
, Birmingham
, Leeds
and Bradford
. He moved to Manchester
to become general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Lithographic Printers
, formed in 1880.
Kelley was an early proponent of the Labour movement putting forward candidates for election. He became vice-president of the Labour Electoral Society in 1889, and presided at the Labour Electoral Congress held in Hanley in 1890. He was elected to the parliamentary committee of the Trades Union Congress
in 1892.
He held the office of secretary of a number of bodies: the Manchester Trade and Labour Council, the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation of Trade Councils, the Manchester and District Board of Conciliation and the National Printing and Kindred Trades Federation.
In 1902 he travelled to New York
as part of Alfred Moseley's Commission of Inquiry into the organisation of Labour. Two years later as vice-chairman of the National Committee of Organised Labour, he campaigned for the introduction of a universal old age pension.
At the 1906 general election
he was selected as one of the Labour Representation Committee candidates, and was elected as Member of Parliament
for Manchester South West
, unseating the sitting Conservative
MP. Due to ill-health he retired from parliament at the next general election in January 1910. He died in Manchester in December 1911, aged 63.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trades unionist and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician.
Kelley was born in Ruskington
Ruskington
Ruskington is a large village in the English county of Lincolnshire, on the north-south B1188 road, just north of the A153. The village has approximately 2,200 dwellings, and from east to west is two kilometres long.-History:...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in 1848. He became apprenticed to the lithographic printing
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
trade in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. Following his apprenticeship, he worked as a printer in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. He moved to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to become general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Lithographic Printers
National Graphical Association
The National Graphical Association was a British trade union. It was formed in 1964 by the merger of two long-term rival unions, the Typographical Association and the London Typographical Society...
, formed in 1880.
Kelley was an early proponent of the Labour movement putting forward candidates for election. He became vice-president of the Labour Electoral Society in 1889, and presided at the Labour Electoral Congress held in Hanley in 1890. He was elected to the parliamentary committee of the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
in 1892.
He held the office of secretary of a number of bodies: the Manchester Trade and Labour Council, the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation of Trade Councils, the Manchester and District Board of Conciliation and the National Printing and Kindred Trades Federation.
In 1902 he travelled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as part of Alfred Moseley's Commission of Inquiry into the organisation of Labour. Two years later as vice-chairman of the National Committee of Organised Labour, he campaigned for the introduction of a universal old age pension.
At the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he was selected as one of the Labour Representation Committee candidates, and was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Manchester South West
Manchester South West (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester South West was one of six single-member Parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the existing three-member Parliamentary Borough of Manchester...
, unseating the sitting Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP. Due to ill-health he retired from parliament at the next general election in January 1910. He died in Manchester in December 1911, aged 63.