James Bell (27 August 1872 – 27 December 1955) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who represented

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

from

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

– 22. He was described by a fellow union official as "one of the shrewdest negotiators the trade unions in the cotton industry had ever had."

Biography

Bell was born in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, County Durham, the son of John Bell, a coalminer, and his wife, Margaret (''née'' Guy). At age 13, he began working as a cotton weaver at a factory in

Haworth Haworth () is a village in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, in the Pennines, south-west of Keighley, west of Bradford and east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages includ ...

, Yorkshire, then moved with his father and brothers to

Nelson, Lancashire Nelson is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 29,135 in 2011. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Burnley and 2.5 miles southwest of Colne. It developed as a ...

to work in one of the town's

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

s. He became involved in trade union activities, leading to his sacking on three occasions. He subsequently moved to the town of

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

, becoming secretary of the Oldham district of the

Amalgamated Weavers' Association The Amalgamated Weavers' Association, often known as the Weavers' Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Initially, it operated in competition with the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in part of its area, ...

in 1905, the first of many posts he held with the organisation over the next 41 years, including vice-president (1930–37) and president (1937–45). He was the first president of the Oldham Labour Party, and attempted to gain election to the

Borough Council A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

without success. In

, he was elected as member of parliament for

, the first non-

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 ...

to be elected for this seat since its creation in 1885. This was principally due to a divided Conservative vote between the

Coalition Conservative The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...

s and the candidate of the National Farmers Union. Bell served only one term in parliament, losing his seat at the next election in 1922. After leaving parliament, Bell continued his union activities. In 1924, he was appointed secretary of the International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations, and from 1925 to 1931 was secretary of the

United Textile Factory Workers Association The United Textile Factory Workers' Association (UTFWA) was a trade union federation in Great Britain. It was active from 1889 until 1975. Objectives The federation was founded in 1889, to represent the various textile workers' unions in polit ...

—known as "the cotton workers parliament." In 1930, he took part in a trade mission to China. He also served on several government commissions and as a member of the National Arbitration Tribunal.

Personal life and death

In 1895, Bell married Elizabeth Hannah Heaton. They had at least six children,''1911 England Census'' including two sons who were in the Army during the

First World War 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 later lived in

Wythenshawe Wythenshawe () is a district of the city of Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Cheshire, Wythenshawe was transferred in 1931 to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the ...

, Manchester. He died, aged 83, at the Oldham and District General Hospital in December 1955.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, James 1872 births 1955 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1918–1922 General Secretaries of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association People from Darlington People from Oldham British weavers Presidents of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association United Textile Factory Workers' Association-sponsored MPs