James Stott (6 September 1884 – 18 April 1957) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade union leader, who became secretary of the International Federation of Textile Workers. Stott worked in the cotton industry in

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

, and he became active in his trade union, the

Amalgamated Association of Beamers, Twisters and Drawers The Amalgamated Association of Beamers, Twisters and Drawers (Hand and Machine) (AABTD) was a British trade union which existed between 1866 and 2002. It represented skilled workers in the cotton industry who were responsible for preparing warp ...

, becoming its assistant general secretary by 1930. The Beamers were affiliated to 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 ...

(UTFWA), and this organisation sponsored him as a Labour Party in Heywood and Radcliffe at the

1931 UK general election 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 ...

. The ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described him as a "powerful

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

candidate", but he was not elected. William C. Robinson, secretary of the Beamers, died in 1931, and Stott was elected as his successor. In 1934, he persuaded the UTFWA to adopt a new policy of support for the socialisation of the Lancashire cotton industry, and in 1935, he used this backing to gain the support of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

. His increased profile led him to win election as vice president of the UTFWA, and also to the management committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions. By 1939, Stott was eager to obtain a higher level role in trade unionism. The post of general secretary of the

International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations The International Federation of Textile Workers' Association (IFTWA) was a global union federation bringing together unions of textile workers, principally in Europe. History The federation's origins lay in the International Textile Congress, hel ...

became available, and he won the role.

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 ...

broke out, and so the role remained low profile until it was over. He then led the reconstruction of the federation, bringing together the various surviving or re-established unions of textile workers. Stott retired in 1949, and suffered poor health for several years before his death, in 1957.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stott, James 1884 births 1957 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates People from Bury, Greater Manchester