Frank Sheppard (29 December 1861 – 13 July 1956) was a British

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 A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Probably born in Weston-super-Mare, Sheppard became an orphan when he was nine, and was fostered in Langford, undertaking an apprenticeship as a bootmaker. Once qualified, he moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

to find work, and became active in the National Union of Operative Boot and Shoe Riveters and Finishers. By 1884, he became the union's Bristol representative, and in 1893, he was elected as president of

Bristol Trades Council The Bristol Trades Council is a trades council representing workers in Bristol in England. History The first attempt to form a trades council in Bristol was in 1868, when the Council of Amalgamated Trades was created. However, by the following y ...

.Bob Whitfield, ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.III, pp.160-162 In 1887, Sheppard joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

, and he also served as honorary secretary of the

Bristol Socialist Society The Bristol Socialist Society was a political organisation in South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the ...

. In 1893, he was elected to Bristol City Council as an independent labour representative for St Pauls, and was re-elected in 1904, serving until his death. He subsequently left the SDF and became prominent in the local Labour Party, standing unsuccessfully for Bristol East at the

January 1910 general election The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...

. He supported British involvement in

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 ...

, and worked with

Ben Tillett Benjamin Tillett (11 September 1860 – 27 January 1943) was a British socialist, trade union leader and politician. He was a leader of the "new unionism" of 1889 that focused on organizing unskilled workers. He played a major role in founding ...

to encourage trade unionist to enlist in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Sheppard stood down from his trade union posts in 1913 and 1914, became the first Labour

Lord Mayor of Bristol The position of Lord Mayor of Bristol was conferred on the city in June 1899 (effective 15 November 1899) as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours and was confirmed by letters patent dated 1 April 1974. Prior to November 1899 the position of M ...

in 1917, and then spent much of his time as secretary of the Shirehampton Housing Utility Company, which constructed cheap but high-quality housing for workers. He was selected to stand as a Coalition Labour candidate in Bristol Central at the 1918 general election, but

Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader, and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union in the years 1922–19 ...

led a campaign to remove him, as Labour's official policy was not to participate in the coalition, and Bevin instead stood. Sheppard was awarded the

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1918 and

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1930 New Year Honours The 1930 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1929. The recipients of honour ...

. He remained a Labour Party councillor and reconciled with Bevin; despite his earlier support for a coalition, he did not join the National Labour Organisation split. He served on the tribunal for

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

s during

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and remained politically active until shortly before his death, age of 94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Frank 1861 births 1956 deaths Councillors in Bristol Trade unionists from Bristol Trade unionists from Somerset Labour Party (UK) councillors People from Weston-super-Mare Social Democratic Federation members Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Mayors of Bristol