John Edmund Mills (2 September 1882 – 11 November 1951) was Labour MP for

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

for three separate periods during the 1920s. Born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in Australia, Mills grew up in

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 ...

, being educated at the city's Higher Grade School. He became an engineer based at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

, and was elected as chair of the works' Shop Stewards' Committee. Mills was a supporter of the Labour Party, and was elected as a Member of Parliament at the 1920 Dartford by-election. Although he lost the seat at the

1922 United Kingdom general election The 1922 United Kingdom general election was held on Wednesday 15 November 1922. It was won by the Conservative Party, led by Bonar Law, which gained an overall majority over the Labour Party, led by J. R. Clynes, and a divided Liberal Party. ...

, he won it back in 1923, serving as

Parliamentary Private Secretary A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...

Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indust ...

. He lost again in 1924, won in 1929, and was finally defeated in 1931. Mills also served on Woolwich Borough Council, and was President of the National Housing Association in 1921.

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* 1882 births 1951 deaths Amalgamated Engineering Union-sponsored MPs Councillors in Greater London Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Sportspeople from Dartford UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1929–1931 {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub