Tom Burlison
Life Peerage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Thomas Henry Burlison 23 May 1936 Edmondsley, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 20 May 2008 Gateshead, England | (aged 71)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Thomas Henry Burlison, Baron Burlison,
Burlison was born in
Professional football
He was a professional
GMWU/GMB trade union
He became a regional officer of the GMB in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1965, and regional secretary in 1978. A polite and unassuming man with a low profile, he was an effective "fixer" behind the scenes, drawing from a base in the union's heartland in the northeast and setting many on the path to power. His staff included former Labour ministers Nick Brown and Doug Henderson, and former MEP and Labour leader in the European parliament Alan Donnelly. He was also involved in the selection of many Labour MPs, including Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson.
He was involved in the negotiations in 1982 to merge the GMWU with the Boilermakers to form the
Labour Party
He was also treasurer of the
Baron Burlison
On 21 October 1997, he was created a
Burlison married Valerie Stephenson in 1981. They had one son and one daughter.
Burlison lived in Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear, for at least 20 years. He died in Gateshead on 20 May 2008 at the age of 71.[2]
References
- ^ "No. 54930". The London Gazette. 27 October 1997. p. 12047.
- ^ "Footballer turned peer dies at 71". BBC Sport. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- "DodOnline". Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
- Obituary: The Independent, 23 May 2008
- Obituary: The Daily Telegraph, 23 May 2008
- Obituary: The Guardian, 11 June 2008
- Obituary: The Times, 20 June 2008