Charles Hobson (25 February 1845 – 28 October 1923) 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 ...

. Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, Hobson completed an apprenticeship in metalworking, and worked until the 1890s with

Britannia metal Britannia metal (also called britannium or Britannia ware) is a specific type of pewter alloy, favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition by weight is typically about 92% tin, 6% antimony, and 2% copper. Britannia ...

at Atkin Brothers. In 1866, he joined the Britannia Metal Workers' Union and, after a few years, became its delegate to Sheffield Trades Council.Helen Mathers, "Hobson, Charles (1845-1923)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.VII, pp.121-123 By the mid-1880s, Hobson was one of the more prominent trade unionists in Sheffield. He was the secretary of a committee investigating products falsely claiming to be made in Sheffield. In 1887, he was elected as secretary of the trades council, in which role he increased its membership, gaining affiliations from more engineering unions. In 1895, he enthusiastically led the council into the Industrial Union of Employers and Employed, although this did not get widespread support from trade unions, and soon collapsed. Hobson was a supporter of the

Labour Electoral Association {{Short description, Political motive of the Labour Electoral Association The Labour Electoral Association was a political organisation in the United Kingdom which aimed to get working men elected to Parliament. Foundation The issue of political re ...

, and the Sheffield Labour Association, which supported working men as Liberal-Labour candidates. He was elected to

Sheffield Town Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...

in 1887, representing St George's ward, and also to the Sheffield School Board in 1893, and the

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

in 1894. He was proposed as a candidate for the 1894 Sheffield Attercliffe by-election, although this was opposed by much of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, who did not want a worker as a candidate. This experience increased support for the new

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), with which Hobson had some sympathy, although he never joined, instead retaining membership of the Liberal group on the council. Hobson also attended the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

(TUC), and he was elected to serve on its

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in 1900 and 1901. During the 1890s, Hobson became wealthier, setting up first a greengrocers' shop, then a brick making firm, and finally dealing in property. However, his business partner, Warrington Slater, was declared bankrupt in 1903. During proceedings, it emerged that Hobson had been involved in corrupt dealings: while a member of the city's Health Committee, he had received a £100 commission from Slater after the committee had bought some land owned by Slater. Hobson refused to resign, but

Arnold Muir Wilson Arnold Muir Wilson (1857 – 1 October 1909) was a British solicitor and politician. Born in Sheffield, Wilson studied in Germany before becoming a solicitor based at Clifford's Inn. He built up a large practice in Sheffield, usually representing ...

, a

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

councillor, brought a prosecution against him, and he was sentenced to three months in prison. Following his imprisonment, Hobson resigned all his positions, but he retained significant public sympathy. On release, he again became involved with the trades council, and arranged a deal between its rival Liberal-Labour and

supporters. However, this soon broke down, and in 1908 the council split, with Hobson re-elected as president of the Lib-Lab version of the council. Hobson was injured when he was hit by a motor vehicle in 1916, and his health did not fully recover. He resigned his trades council post in 1917, although he continued to write newspaper articles, arguing that strikes should be avoided.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, Charles 1845 births 1923 deaths Liberal-Labour (UK) politicians Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Councillors in Sheffield Trade unionists from Sheffield