John Dugdale (Labour politician)
Encyclopedia
John Dugdale was a British
newspaper journalist and politician. Well-connected with the Labour Party
establishment, he worked as Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
and was appointed a Minister in his post-war government.
from 1951 to 1954. He was sent to Wellington College
, from where he moved to Christ Church
, Oxford
. On leaving Oxford, Dugdale joined the Diplomatic Service and was stationed in Beijing
as an Attaché in the British embassy.
on the Yangtze River
during troubles there in 1930. In the 1931 general election
, Dugdale fought the constituency of Leicester South
as a Labour Party
candidate. In the new Parliament, he was appointed as Private Secretary by Clement Attlee
, who had become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party largely by default of being the only former Minister to survive the election.
in 1934 from Islington South. He enjoyed his time on the LCC and local government in general, becoming Vice-President of the Association of Municipal Corporations. At the 1935 general election
he tried again to get into Parliament, this time for Cardiff Central
, but was again defeated; he fought a byelection in York
in 1937. Dugdale married Irene Haverson, granddaughter of George Lansbury
, in December 1938.
(MP) for West Bromwich
Frederick Roberts
resigned due to ill health, Dugdale was chosen to follow him, and he was elected unopposed at the by-election in April 1941
.
In December 1941, Dugdale was an organiser of a Labour rebellion in the House of Commons over National Service
. His group put down an amendment insisting that National Service in industry should happen in conjunction with nationalisation of industries involved in the war effort. The Labour whips did not support the amendment. In 1942 he was part of an all-party group which pressed for wider Sunday opening of cinemas and theatres, decrying the campaigning of the Lord's Day Observance Society
. He also took up his interest in China, becoming Secretary of the All-Party Group on China when it was formed in 1943.
to Clement Attlee. When Attlee formed his government after the 1945 general election
, Dugdale was made Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. The job involved a great deal of travelling to visit Royal Navy
bases which were scattered across the world. His health was not always good during his time in office. In 1949 he was named to the Privy Council
.
. In the summer of 1950 he went on a tour of East Africa, including the Tanganyika groundnut scheme
.
in Tanganyika
he was invited to a cocktail party given in his honour by Captain Rydon, a British settler. Accepting on condition that there was no 'colour bar', Dugdale found that some of those presented to him refused to meet him. When one of the settlers made a statement disapproving of the government's Africa policy and defending European rule, Dugdale decided to walk out of the party and return to his hotel; the incident had wide publicity. Dugdale strongly believed in developing African administration and praised the contribution of Kwame Nkrumah
in Gold Coast
.
, Southern Rhodesia
and Nyasaland
. In 1956 he asked Parliamentary questions on the mysterious death of Lionel Crabb
, who had disappeared while apparently on an intelligence mission to spy on a visiting Soviet
warship. In 1958 Dugdale stood for the Shadow Cabinet, but finished bottom of the poll with only 36 votes. He kept up travelling, including a visit to Uganda
in 1959, during which he opposed the government's policy of reserving seats in the Uganda Parliament for the Indian minority after independence, which he blamed for civil unrest in the colony.
, Dugdale took issue with those who claimed that a pledge of nationalisation had cost votes for the Labour Party. In late 1959 he was one of the first to call for a cricket boycott on South Africa
until the policy of apartheid was ended. When he won a place in the ballot for Private Members' Bills in November 1960, he introduced a Bill to make the conditions of farm animals more humane, although it was unsuccessful.
Dugdale's deep belief in the Commonwealth led him to oppose the Macmillan government's application to join the European Economic Community
. He demanded that Macmillan accept the resignation of the First Lord of the Admiralty over the Vassall spy case
. While speaking on the Defence Estimates in the House of Commons on 11 March 1963, Dugdale was taken ill and rushed to hospital; he died during the night.
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...
newspaper journalist and politician. Well-connected with the Labour Party
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...
establishment, he worked as Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
and was appointed a Minister in his post-war government.
Early career
Dugdale was from a high-class family, the only son of Colonel Arthur Dugdale who was Commander of the Queens's Own Oxfordshire Hussars during the First World War. He was also second cousin of Thomas Dugdale, who was Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and FoodMinister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
from 1951 to 1954. He was sent to Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
, from where he moved to Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. On leaving Oxford, Dugdale joined the Diplomatic Service and was stationed in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
as an Attaché in the British embassy.
Journalism and politics
This life did not suit him and Dugdale then went into journalism. He was a correspondent for The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
during troubles there in 1930. In the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, Dugdale fought the constituency of Leicester South
Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , by the first past the post voting system...
as a Labour Party
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...
candidate. In the new Parliament, he was appointed as Private Secretary by Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
, who had become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party largely by default of being the only former Minister to survive the election.
Local government
He was elected to London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
in 1934 from Islington South. He enjoyed his time on the LCC and local government in general, becoming Vice-President of the Association of Municipal Corporations. At the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
he tried again to get into Parliament, this time for Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Cardiff Central is a borough constituency in the city of Cardiff. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
, but was again defeated; he fought a byelection in York
City of York (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of York was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in 1937. Dugdale married Irene Haverson, granddaughter of George Lansbury
George Lansbury
George Lansbury was a British politician, socialist, Christian pacifist and newspaper editor. He was a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1912 and from 1922 to 1940, and leader of the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935....
, in December 1938.
Entry to Parliament
Dugdale resigned as Attlee's Secretary and enlisted in the Army during the Second World War and was an Officer. He had edited a book of Attlee's speeches called The Road to War which was published in 1940. However, when the Labour Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
(MP) for West Bromwich
West Bromwich (UK Parliament constituency)
West Bromwich was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1974. It was based around West Bromwich, in the West Midlands...
Frederick Roberts
Frederick Roberts (politician)
Frederick Owen Roberts PC was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected at the 1918 general election as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich, defeating the sitting Conservative MP Viscount Lewisham...
resigned due to ill health, Dugdale was chosen to follow him, and he was elected unopposed at the by-election in April 1941
West Bromwich by-election, 1941
The West Bromwich by-election, 1941 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of West Bromwich in Staffordshire on 16 April 1941...
.
In December 1941, Dugdale was an organiser of a Labour rebellion in the House of Commons over National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. His group put down an amendment insisting that National Service in industry should happen in conjunction with nationalisation of industries involved in the war effort. The Labour whips did not support the amendment. In 1942 he was part of an all-party group which pressed for wider Sunday opening of cinemas and theatres, decrying the campaigning of the Lord's Day Observance Society
Lord's Day Observance Society
Day One Christian Ministries is a Christian organisation based in the United Kingdom that lobbies for no work on Sunday, the day that many Christians celebrate as the Sabbath, a day of rest — a position based on the fourth of the Ten Commandments.Originally founded in 1831 as the Lord's Day...
. He also took up his interest in China, becoming Secretary of the All-Party Group on China when it was formed in 1943.
Ministerial Office
During the last months of the war, Dugdale was Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Clement Attlee. When Attlee formed his government after the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, Dugdale was made Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. The job involved a great deal of travelling to visit Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
bases which were scattered across the world. His health was not always good during his time in office. In 1949 he was named to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
.
Colonial office
In a reshuffle in February 1950, Dugdale was moved to be Minister of State at the Colonial Office. He endorsed the fight against communist insurgents in the Federation of MalayaFederation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
. In the summer of 1950 he went on a tour of East Africa, including the Tanganyika groundnut scheme
Tanganyika groundnut scheme
The Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme was a plan to cultivate tracts of what is now Tanzania with peanuts. It was a project of the British Labour government of Clement Attlee. It was abandoned in 1951 at considerable cost to the taxpayers when it did not become profitable...
.
An embarrassing incident
While visiting ArushaArusha
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...
in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
he was invited to a cocktail party given in his honour by Captain Rydon, a British settler. Accepting on condition that there was no 'colour bar', Dugdale found that some of those presented to him refused to meet him. When one of the settlers made a statement disapproving of the government's Africa policy and defending European rule, Dugdale decided to walk out of the party and return to his hotel; the incident had wide publicity. Dugdale strongly believed in developing African administration and praised the contribution of Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
in Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
.
Opposition spokesman
When the Labour Party went into opposition in 1951, Dugdale remained a spokesperson on Colonial affairs. He opposed the plan to unite Northern RhodesiaNorthern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
, Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
and Nyasaland
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
. In 1956 he asked Parliamentary questions on the mysterious death of Lionel Crabb
Lionel Crabb
Lionel "Buster" Crabb OBE, GM was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser in 1956.-Early life:...
, who had disappeared while apparently on an intelligence mission to spy on a visiting Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
warship. In 1958 Dugdale stood for the Shadow Cabinet, but finished bottom of the poll with only 36 votes. He kept up travelling, including a visit to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
in 1959, during which he opposed the government's policy of reserving seats in the Uganda Parliament for the Indian minority after independence, which he blamed for civil unrest in the colony.
Campaigns
After the 1959 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, Dugdale took issue with those who claimed that a pledge of nationalisation had cost votes for the Labour Party. In late 1959 he was one of the first to call for a cricket boycott on South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
until the policy of apartheid was ended. When he won a place in the ballot for Private Members' Bills in November 1960, he introduced a Bill to make the conditions of farm animals more humane, although it was unsuccessful.
Dugdale's deep belief in the Commonwealth led him to oppose the Macmillan government's application to join the European Economic Community
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. He demanded that Macmillan accept the resignation of the First Lord of the Admiralty over the Vassall spy case
John Vassall
William John Christopher Vassall was a British civil servant who, under pressure of blackmail, spied for the Soviet Union....
. While speaking on the Defence Estimates in the House of Commons on 11 March 1963, Dugdale was taken ill and rushed to hospital; he died during the night.