Edward Hough (5 November 1879 – 22 November 1952) 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 benefits (s ...

. Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Hough was orphaned at the age of six months, and was brought up by an aunt who lived in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. He left school at the age of twelve to work at the

Ossett Ossett is a market town in the City of Wakefield metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated between Dewsbury, Horbury and Wakefield. At the 2011 Census, the population was ...

Roundwood Colliery, then in 1900 moved to work at

Featherstone Featherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 it had a population of 15,244. Featherstone railway stat ...

. He became active in the

Yorkshire Miners' Association The Yorkshire Miners' Association was a British trade union. It is now an integral part of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). History The union was founded in 1881 with the merger of the South Yorkshire Miners' Association, and the ...

(YMA), becoming the branch delegate in 1903, and branch secretary in 1909/10. 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 ...

, he studied at

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

. In 1919, he was elected as Vice-President of the YMA, a post he held for many years.Robert G. Neville, ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.3, pp.117-118 Hough joined 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) in the 1890s, and was a prominent campaigner for the ILP candidate in the

1897 Barnsley by-election The 1897 Barnsley by-election, was a by-election held on 28 October 1897 for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was notable for its role in the development of the Independent Labour Party. Background The constituency of Barnsley had ...

. In 1910, he stood for election to the

West Riding County Council West Riding County Council (WRCC) was the county council of the administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1 April 1889 to 31 March 1974. The council met at County Hall in Wakefield. The county council had jurisdiction over the ...

for the Labour Party, with the support of the ILP. Although he was unsuccessful, he stood repeatedly until he was finally elected in 1925. On the council, he became known for his campaigns for new housing for workers. He also stood unsuccessfully in Don Valley at the 1918 general election. In 1943, Hough was elected to the executive of the

Miners' Federation of Great Britain The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in Engla ...

, using his position to advocate for the nationalisation of the coal mines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hough, Edward 1879 births 1952 deaths Alumni of Ruskin College Members of West Riding County Council English trade unionists Independent Labour Party politicians Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Trade unionists from Edinburgh