Alfred James Dobbs (18 June 1882 – 27 July 1945) was a British Labour Party 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 benefits (s ...

. He died in a car accident the day after he had been elected as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for

Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire. In 2019, the ward of Smethwick had an estimated population of 15,246, while the wider b ...

. His one day as an MP remains the shortest term in the era after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Local politics and union career

Dobbs was born in Bozeat,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It ...

. He served as a

Rushden Rushden is a market town and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, around east of Northampton. The parish is on the border with Bedfordshire, north of Bedford. The parish of Rushden covers an area of some . The population of Rushd ...

Urban District Councillor between 1906 and 1910, although he moved to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

in 1909. There, he immediately took an interest in the Leeds branch of the

National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1873 and 1971. It represented workers in the footwear industry. History The union was founded in 1873, when many riveters and ...

, becoming president of the branch in 1917. In March, 1919, he was elected to the Executive Committee of the Union. In local politics, Dobbs was elected as a

Leeds City Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. It was dissolved in 1919 due to financial irregularities, after which Leeds United was established as a replacement. History The club w ...

Councillor from 1923 to 1929, then as

Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

in Leeds 1929–36 and was chairman the Housing Committee. Dobbs was Leader of Labour Group on

Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of ...

between 1931 and 1936 as well as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

. After his time at the Leeds City Council, Dobbs worked as National Organiser for the Shoe Union 1936–45. He was well known at senior levels of the Labour Party, a member of the National Executive Committee 1936–45 and Chair of the Labour Party 1942–43. Dobbs stood for Parliament on several occasions, in

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

at the 1929 general election and in Leeds North East at the

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and 1935 general elections.

Election and death

He was elected as MP for

in the Labour landslide of 1945, succeeding the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

incumbent,

Roy Wise Alfred Roy Wise (7 July 1901 – 21 August 1974) was a British Conservative Party politician and was the Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Rugby and Smethwick . Biography He was born on 7 July 1901 to Alfred Gascoyne Wise and Augus ...

who stood in the Epping constituency. However, having been elected on 26 July 1945, Dobbs was killed in a car accident the next day, 27 July 1945. Attempting to avoid a child, Dobbs' car was in collision with a military vehicle in

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, and he was killed instantly. His passenger, Mrs. Elsie Marshall, was seriously injured and was brought to the

Doncaster Royal Infirmary Doncaster Royal Infirmary is a district general hospital of 800 beds, located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is managed by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History Early history Doncaster Royal Infir ...

. She died later in hospital. Although there have been occasions when MPs were elected posthumously, Dobbs' term was the shortest actually served since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was succeeded as MP for Smethwick by Labour's

Patrick Gordon Walker Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker, (7 April 1907 – 2 December 1980) was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet Minister. He lost his Smethwi ...

, who held the seat for the next 19 years.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbs, Alfred James 1882 births 1945 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives-sponsored MPs People from Wellingborough Road incident deaths in England UK MPs 1945–1950 Councillors in Northamptonshire Councillors in Leeds Chairs of the Labour Party (UK) English trade unionists Elected officials who died without taking their seats

Local politics and union career

Election and death

See also

References