Allen Gee (6 September 1852 – 12 August 1939) was a British

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Professional background

Gee worked in the woolen industry in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

, and was involved in a major, but unsuccessful, strike in 1883. This experience inspired him to found what became the

General Union of Textile Workers The General Union of Textile Workers was a trade union representing textile workers in England, most of its members being weavers in the West Riding of Yorkshire. History The union was founded in 1881 following a strike at Newsome Mills in Hudd ...

, with membership from the wider district. In 1885, he was elected as the first president of the Huddersfield

Trades Council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

. He was a strong supporter of the Weavers' campaign for an eight-hour day, launched in 1886, and was involved in the

Manningham Mills Strike Manningham may refer to: Places *Manningham, South Australia, a north eastern suburb of Adelaide * City of Manningham in Victoria, Australia * Manningham, Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England *Manningham Road State (Bell/Springvale) Highway, a ...

. In 1888, he was elected as General Secretary of the West Yorkshire Power-Loom Weavers Association (later to become the Textile Workers), a position which he held until 1922. Hugh Armstrong Clegg, ''A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889: 1889-1910'', p.184

Unions

Gee attended the founding conference of the Independent Labour Party. He was soon elected as an independent labor member of Huddersfield Town Council, although the Liberal Party attempted to claim that he was a supporter of their group. In 1900, he was elected to the first Executive of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), and he was also appointed as one of the organization's first trustees. He served as the second Chairman of the National Executive Committee, in 1901, although he did not chair the annual conference. From 1910 until 1912, he was chairman of the General Federation of Trade Unions, while at the 1918 general election, he stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. In later life, Gee became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, and remained close to his fellow trade unionist Ben Turner. When the Huddersfield Trades Council celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, in 1935, Gee marched at the head of the celebratory parade.''Labour'', Vol. 2, p.280

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gee, Allen 1852 births 1939 deaths Trade unionists from Huddersfield Councillors in West Yorkshire General secretaries of British trade unions Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK) Labour Party (UK) officials Textile workers Chairs of the Labour Party (UK) Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates