James Millar (J. P. M. Millar) (1893–1989) was a Scottish

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

educationalist of the twentieth century.

Early life

Millar, the son of an accountant, James Primrose Malcolm Millar, was born in

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

on 17 April 1893. He attended Musselburgh Grammar School leaving at sixteen to take up an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...

with an

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. His father was chief accountant to the Edinburgh City Chamberlain. His conservative political outlook was originally inherited by James. In 1923 he succeeded George Sims as

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

National Council of Labour Colleges The National Council of Labour Colleges (NCLC) was an organisation set up in the United Kingdom to foster independent working class education. The organisation was founded at a convention held in the Clarion Club House, Yardley, Birmingham on 8/9 O ...

. In this capacity he organised the loose network of labour colleges throughout

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into eleven regional divisions, which each had a divisional organiser. As funds from

trade union 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 were paid to the National Council, this meant that regional autonomy was eroded: although each division elected its own Council and executive committee, the divisional organiser was appointed nationally.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, James 1893 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Scottish educators Trade unionists from Edinburgh People educated at Musselburgh Grammar School