Edwin George Gooch (15 January 1889 – 2 August 1964) was a British Labour Party politician and trade union leader. Gooch was born in

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich, England, Norwich off the A11 road (England), A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, where he lived his entire life. He worked for a printer, then became a journalist. He joined the National Union of Journalists and became chair of its

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

branch. He worked as

election agent An election agent in elections in the United Kingdom, as well as some other similar political systems such as elections in India, is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is ...

for George Edwards. He was elected as a Labour Party member of his parish, district and county councils, later being appointed an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

for Norfolk County Council In 1935, when Wymondham Urban District Council was created, Gooch became the first Chairman of the new UDC and held the office for most of the period up to 1946. His wife, Ethel Gooch, became the council's first lady member in 1935 and its first lady Chairman in 1951. Gooch was elected to the executive committee of the

National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers The National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (NUAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1906 and 1982. It represented farmworkers. History The union was established as the Eastern Counties Agricultural Labou ...

in 1926, and served as the union's president from 1928 until his death in 1964. At the 1931 general election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in 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 i ...

-held

South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton. The population of the Local Authority District was 124,012 as taken at the 2011 Census. History The district was formed on 1 April 197 ...

constituency. Gooch did not contest the 1935 general election, but at the 1945 general election, he was elected as

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 of ...

for

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer. The population at the 2011 Census was 101,149. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It was a ...

, defeating the Conservative MP

Thomas Cook Thomas Cook (22 November 1808 – 18 July 1892) was an English businessman. He is best known for founding the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son. He was also one of the initial developers of the "package tour" including travel, accommodation ...

. He held the seat until his death shortly before the 1964 general election, aged 75. He was chairman of the Labour Party's

National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties: * National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa * Australian Labor Party National Executive * Nationa ...

from 1955 to 1956.

References

* *

External links

* 1889 births 1964 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of Norfolk County Council National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers-sponsored MPs UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 People from Wymondham Chairs of the Labour Party (UK) Presidents of the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub