John Wilson (1837-1915)
Encyclopedia
John Wilson was an English coal miner, trade unionist, and a Member of Parliament
(MP) for more than 25 years.
, near Hartlepool, his mother Hannah died when he was four. After his father, Christopher (b. 1807 at Greatham), died of cholera
when Wilson was ten, he worked in the mines, spent four years as a merchant seaman, and return to Durham as a miner in 1860. Married in 1832 to Margaret (née Firth), the couple emigrated to the United States in 1864, where Wilson worked the mines in Pennsylvania and Illinois. They returned to Durham in 1867; the first two of their five children had been born in America.
Wilson was one of the founders in 1869 of the Durham Miners' Association
(DMA), which led to him being denied employment, but in 1878 he became a fulltime union organiser, rising to become the DMA's general secretary
in 1896.
had extended the vote to working-class men in urban areas, allowing the election in 1874 of Thomas Burt
and Alexander Macdonald
as Liberal–Labour
Members of Parliament
(MPs).
The Representation of the People Act 1884
extended the same qualifications to the county constituencies, enfranchising many miners for the first time. Wilson was elected at the 1885 general election
as Liberal–Labour MP for the new Houghton-le-Spring constituency
, but lost his seat when the Liberal Party
split at the 1886 general election
over Irish Home Rule
.
He returned to House of Commons
in 1890, at a by-election
for the Mid Durham constituency
following the death of William Crawford
, a Liberal-Labour MP who was also Secretary of the Durham Miners' Association.
In Parliament
, Wilson impressed as an effective speaker. However, he followed a different political path to many of his mining colleagues. The Liberal–Labour movement had consisted of local electoral pacts between trades unions and the Liberal Party, whereby trade union-sponsored MPs (who received no salary) were politically allied to the Liberal Party, but the movement declined after 1885. The formation in 1893 of the resolutely socialist Independent Labour Party
was followed in 1900 by the Labour Representation Committee, which in 1906 changed its name to the Labour Party
. The Labour movement no longer depended on the Liberal Party, and the alliance was effectively over when the MPs sponsored by the Miners' Federation of Great Britain joined the Labour Party after the January 1910 general election.
However, Wilson did not join the Labour Party. A primitive methodist, he was a Liberal by conviction rather than by convenience, an admirer of Gladstone
who believed in free trade
when much of the rest of the Labour movement was following a socialist path.
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,...
(MP) for more than 25 years.
Early life
Born at GreathamGreatham, County Durham
Greatham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Hartlepool and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. Greatham village is located approximately three miles south of Hartlepool town centre.- History :...
, near Hartlepool, his mother Hannah died when he was four. After his father, Christopher (b. 1807 at Greatham), died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
when Wilson was ten, he worked in the mines, spent four years as a merchant seaman, and return to Durham as a miner in 1860. Married in 1832 to Margaret (née Firth), the couple emigrated to the United States in 1864, where Wilson worked the mines in Pennsylvania and Illinois. They returned to Durham in 1867; the first two of their five children had been born in America.
Wilson was one of the founders in 1869 of the Durham Miners' Association
Durham Miners' Association
The Durham Miners' Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded in 1869 and its membership quickly rose to 4,000, but within a year had fallen back to 2,000...
(DMA), which led to him being denied employment, but in 1878 he became a fulltime union organiser, rising to become the DMA's general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
in 1896.
Political career
The Reform Act 1867Reform Act 1867
The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised the urban male working class in England and Wales....
had extended the vote to working-class men in urban areas, allowing the election in 1874 of Thomas Burt
Thomas Burt
Thomas Burt PC was a British trade unionist and one of the first working-class Members of Parliament.-Career:...
and Alexander Macdonald
Alexander Macdonald (Lib-Lab politician)
Alexander Macdonald was a Scottish miner, teacher, trade union leader and Lib–Lab politician.-Family and education:Macdonald was born in New Monkland, Lanarkshire, the son of Daniel McDonald and his wife Ann...
as Liberal–Labour
Liberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
Members 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,...
(MPs).
The Representation of the People Act 1884
Representation of the People Act 1884
In the United Kingdom, the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which further extended the suffrage in Britain after the Disraeli Government's Reform Act 1867...
extended the same qualifications to the county constituencies, enfranchising many miners for the first time. Wilson was elected at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
as Liberal–Labour MP for the new Houghton-le-Spring constituency
Houghton-le-Spring (UK Parliament constituency)
Houghton-le-Spring was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983.Centred on the town of Houghton-le-Spring in the City of Sunderland, it elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election...
, but lost his seat when the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
split at the 1886 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
over Irish Home Rule
Irish Government Bill 1886
The Government of Ireland Bill 1886, commonly known as the First Home Rule Bill, was the first major attempt made by a British government to enact a law creating home rule for part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
.
He returned to House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
in 1890, at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the Mid Durham constituency
Mid Durham (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Durham was a county 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....
following the death of William Crawford
William Crawford (Durham politician)
William Crawford was an English miner, trade unionist and a Liberal politician.Crawford was born at Cullercoats Northumberland and worked in Hartley Coal Mines from the age of 10. In 1862 actively opposed the attempt of the Northumberland mine owners to impose the system of yearly hiring...
, a Liberal-Labour MP who was also Secretary of the Durham Miners' Association.
In Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, Wilson impressed as an effective speaker. However, he followed a different political path to many of his mining colleagues. The Liberal–Labour movement had consisted of local electoral pacts between trades unions and the Liberal Party, whereby trade union-sponsored MPs (who received no salary) were politically allied to the Liberal Party, but the movement declined after 1885. The formation in 1893 of the resolutely socialist Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
was followed in 1900 by the Labour Representation Committee, which in 1906 changed its name to 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...
. The Labour movement no longer depended on the Liberal Party, and the alliance was effectively over when the MPs sponsored by the Miners' Federation of Great Britain joined the Labour Party after the January 1910 general election.
However, Wilson did not join the Labour Party. A primitive methodist, he was a Liberal by conviction rather than by convenience, an admirer of Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
who believed in free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
when much of the rest of the Labour movement was following a socialist path.