James John Hamlyn Moses (14 August 1873 – 28 May 1946) was an English politician who served as mayor and later MP for

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Personal life

Moses was born in

Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the western bank of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes. It lies within the ...

, the son of James J. H. Moses, a

shipwright Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

, and Susannah L. Peek. He was educated at the Board School, Dartmouth and started work part-time at the age of nine as a newspaper boy. He became a full-time errand boy at the age of thirteen. He took an apprenticeship in the trade of shipbuilding at fifteen. He entered

HM Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial c ...

, Devonport in 1895. He married Agnes Ferris in 1897. He lived at 95 Alexandra Road, Devonport. He was a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

worker and local preacher. He was

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

from 1891.

Political career

Moses became a Member of the Devonport

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 ...

in 1911, the Council of Greater Plymouth in 1914, and 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 ...

in 1921. He then became Borough

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

in 1918,

Mayor of Plymouth This is a list of some notable mayors and all the later lord mayors of the city of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. Plymouth had elected a mayor annually since 1439. The city was awarded the dignity of a lord mayoralty by letters patent dat ...

in 1926–27 and Devon County Magistrate in 1927. He was Member of the Executive Committee of the

Ship Constructive and Shipwrights' Association The Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association (SSA) was a trade union representing shipbuilders in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1882 as the Associated Society of Shipwrights, by eleven local unions in Scotland and No ...

. Moses was originally a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

but joined the Labour Party in 1918 and became a local leader. He contested the

Plymouth Drake Plymouth Drake was a borough constituency in the city of Plymouth, in Devon. It elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election. History The first D ...

constituency in the elections of

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

and

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

, before defeating

Arthur Shirley Benn Arthur Shirley Benn, 1st Baron Glenravel, (20 December 1858 – 13 June 1937), known as Sir Arthur Benn, Bt, between 1926 and 1936, was a British people, British businessman and politician. Early life He was born on 20 December 1858, in Cork (c ...

and H. Pratt in the 1929 election. He was the first royal dockyard worker to be elected to Parliament, serving till

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

. After being elected a petition was presented against him alleging bribery and corruption on the part of his agent during the election. He was cleared of all charges and awarded £3,000 costs.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, James John Hamlyn 1873 births 1946 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Plymouth Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Liberal Party (UK) councillors Mayors of Plymouth English shipbuilders English Methodists UK MPs 1929–1931