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Bernard Sullivan (1886 – 1957) was a
Bernard Sullivan (1886 – 1957) was a British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
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, who served on London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
.
Born in 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 populati ...
, Sullivan worked as a garment cutter and dress designer. He was an early member of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), serving as secretary of the New Wortley LRC in 1904/05. He joined a forerunner of the United Garment Workers' Trade Union
The United Garment Workers' Trade Union (UGWTU) was a trade union in the United Kingdom.
The union was founded in 1915, with the merger of the Amalgamated Union of Clothiers Operatives with the Amalgamated Jewish Tailors, Machinists and Press ...
.
Sullivan served with the West Yorkshire Regiment
)
, march = ''Ça Ira''
, battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine
, anniversaries = Imphal (22 June)
The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...
during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, returning to the clothing industry after the war. In 1920, when the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
was formed, he was appointed as its full-time London District Secretary. He also served on the Shirt, Collar and Tie Wages Council, the Wholesale Tailoring Wages Council, the Made Up Textile Wages Council, and the Regional Board for Industry, and was a member of the London Trades Council
The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils
History
Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...
.
Initially, Sullivan was seen as one of the more radical figures in the union, a member of the Friends of Soviet Russia
The Friends of Soviet Russia (FSR) was formally established in the United States on August 9, 1921 as an offshoot of the American Labor Alliance for Trade Relations with Soviet Russia (ALA). It was launched as a "mass organization" dedicated to r ...
, and a supporter of striking workers at Rego in 1928. Unlike the London District Organiser Sam Elsbury, he did not join the United Clothing Workers' Union split. During the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, he supported the republicans. A founder of the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists, and a leading figure in the Catholic Action
Catholic Action is the name of groups of lay Catholics who advocate for increased Catholic influence on society. They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Ita ...
movement, and was prominent in arguing the case for Catholic schooling during debates around the Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 (7 and 8 Geo 6 c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the "Butler Act" after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Historians ...
.
Sullivan supported the Labour Party, and was elected to represent Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
at the 1937 London County Council election
An election to the County Council of London took place on 4 March 1937. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having two votes in the two-member seats. The Labour Party made gains, increasing their majority over the ...
. In 1949/50, he was vice-chairman of the council. He also spent a period as chief whip, and chaired the Public Assistance Committee
A Public Assistance Committee (PAC), in the UK, was a body locally created after the abolition of the boards of guardians in 1930 by the Local Government Act 1929, when their powers and responsibilities for poor relief were passed to county and co ...
and Rivers and Mains Committee. He retired in 1952, and died five years later.
References