Ben Turner (politician)
Sir Ben Turner
Born in Holmfirth, Turner later claimed that his family had connections to the Chartist and Luddite movements. He became a textile worker, and first joined a trade union in 1883, when he has involved in a strike of weavers in Huddersfield.[1] He worked as a full-time union organiser from 1889.[2]
Turner was Secretary of the Heavy Woollen district branch of the
A supporter of independent workers' representation, Turner was elected to a local school board in 1892, and was a founder member of the Independent Labour Party in 1893. Also that year, he was elected to Batley Town Council, serving for many years, including a stint as Mayor of Batley from 1913 to 1916.[4]
Turner supported the creation of the Labour Party, serving on its National Executive Committee for eighteen years, and as its chairman, in 1911. He stood for Parliament on numerous occasions, and was finally elected for Batley and Morley at the 1922 general election, losing his seat in 1924, but winning it back in 1929 before losing it a final time in the 1931 election.[4] He served in the Government as Secretary for Mines for a year from 1929.[2]
Turner was also heavily involved in the
On the occasion of his Golden Wedding in 1934 Turner wrote a volume of poetry entitled "Rhymes, Verses and Poems from a Yorkshire Loom" (Pontefract, W. McGowan, 1934)
References
- ^ Cyril Pearce, Comrades in Conscience, p. 306
- ^ a b c H. A. Clegg, A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889: 1911-1933, p. 580
- ^ National Portrait Gallery, "Sir Ben Turner"
- ^ Who Was Who
- ^ "Trades Union Congress - the history of the TUC 1868-1968 part 3". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
External links
- - Ben Turner collection at National Portrait Gallery
- Archival Material at Leeds University Library