Annie Drummond Maxton (9 February 1888 – 1981) was a Scottish

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

politician and

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 ...

. Born in

Pollokshaws Pollokshaws ( sco, Powkshaws) is an area on the South side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is bordered by the residential neighbourhoods of Auldhouse to the east, Eastwood and Hillpark to the south and Shawlands to the north, with the Glas ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...

in February 1888, Maxton was convinced to join the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

(ILP) by her elder brother,

James Maxton James Maxton (22 June 1885 – 23 July 1946) was a British left-wing politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. He was a pacifist who opposed both world wars. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as on ...

. She trained as a teacher and became active in the

Educational Institute of Scotland The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional st ...

. The ILP left the Labour Party in 1931, a split which Maxton supported. She was elected to

Barrhead Barrhead ( sco, Baurheid, gd, Ceann a' Bharra) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. At the 2011 census its population was 17,268. History Barrhead was formed when ...

Town Council, becoming part of a substantial ILP group there. When internal disputes rocked the ILP in Glasgow, Maxton did not get involved. As a result, in 1937, she was elected Chairman of the Scottish Divisional Council of the ILP - an important position, given that all the ILP's Members of Parliament were based in Glasgow. With her newfound prominence, Maxton stood in several elections for the ILP, including the 1940 East Renfrewshire by-election. She stood in the important 1948 Glasgow Camlachie by-election, but took only 6.4% of the votes cast. By this point, the ILP was in sharp decline, no longer retaining any parliamentary representation. Although many members left to join the Labour Party, Maxton remained loyal to the ILP, and in 1953 was elected its chair, a position she held until 1958. She remained on the party's

National Administrative Council The National Administrative Council (NAC) was the executive council of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), a British socialist party which was active from 1893 until 1975. Creation The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was founded at a conference in ...

for several further years.

, ''Report of the Seventieth Annual Conference of the Independent Labour Party'' (1962)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxton, Annie 1888 births 1981 deaths Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members Independent Labour Party parliamentary candidates Politicians from Glasgow Scottish socialists Women councillors in Scotland