John Hales (1839 – fl.1882) 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 unionist 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 Employee ben ...

and

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

activist who served as secretary of the

International Workingmen's Association The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...

. Born in Ireland,Bernard Cook, "Hales, John", in: Hales came to prominence as the leader of the small Elastic Web Weavers of London union. He championed the right of women to join the union, something so opposed by a minority that they falsely accused him of embezzlement. He was suspended while an investigation took place, but was cleared. In 1866, he became an early member of the International Workingmen's Association's (IWMA) General Council, and he persuaded his union to affiliate to the association later the same year.Henry Collins and Chimen Abramsky, ''Karl Marx and the British Labour Movement'', pp.73, 85 Also interested in

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

, he proposed that it work with supporters of Bronterre O'Brien to create a Labour League to act as the British section of the international.

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

spoke against the proposal, and instead a separate organisation was established, named the "

Land and Labour League The Land and Labour League was formed in October 1869 by a group of radical trade unionists affiliated to the International Working Men's Association. Its formation was precipitated by discussion of the land question at the Basle Congress of 1869. ...

" on Hales' proposal. He was also active in the

peace movement A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...

, as a founder member of the British section of the International League of Peace and Liberty. In 1871, Hales became general secretary of the IWMA, and from early 1872 also acted as its United States corresponding secretary.Marcello Musto, ''Workers Unite!: The International 150 Years Later'' He lost these positions in the summer of 1872, when the headquarters of the organisation were moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, against his opposition. In November, he led a split in the British Federation of the IWMA, disassociating it from the American leadership and from Marx. With the support of

Johann Eccarius Johann Georg Eccarius (also known as John George Eccarius; 23 August 1818 – 5 March 1889) was a Thuringian tailor and labour activist. Eccarius was a member of the League of the Just and later of the Communist League before becoming General Secre ...

, Hermann Jung and

Thomas Mottershead Thomas Mottershead Victoria Cross, VC, Distinguished Conduct Medal, DCM (17 January 1892 – 12 January 1917) was an England, English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the ene ...

, he called a congress of the Federation with the intention of turning it into a political party with trade union backing. They signed up to the new St Imer International, despite having little in common with its

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

leadership, and the organisation soon ceased to have any importance. During the early 1870s, Hales was a member of the

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

Radical Electoral Committee, and rallied its members in support of Frederick Maxse's unsuccessful candidacy at the 1874 UK general election. Hales himself stood twice for the

London School Board The School Board for London, commonly known as the London School Board (LSB), was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London. The Elementary Education Act 1870 was the first to provide for ...

in Hackney: in 1870 he took more than 5,000 votes, while in 1882 he was further from election. Hales established the radical Commonwealth Club in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

, and thereafter represented it on various committees. In 1877, he was its delegate to the Universal Socialist Congress in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, where he argued strongly for prioritising Parliamentary action, this position ultimately being won, against the wishes of the anarchist delegates. He also represented the Commonwealth Club on the committee of the Land Reform Union. In 1880, he was elected as the secretary of the Labour Representation League, succeeding

Henry Broadhurst :''See also Harry Broadhurst'' Henry Broadhurst (13 April 1840 – 11 October 1911) was a leading early British trade unionist and a Lib-Lab politician who sat in the House of Commons for various Midlands constituencies between 1880 and 190 ...

, though the league achieved little under his leadership, and dissolved in 1882.E. P. Thompson and Peter Linebaugh, ''William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary'', p.300 Hales' life after 1882 is unknown, but he was remembered by

George Lansbury George Lansbury (22 February 1859 – 7 May 1940) was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1929–31, he spent ...

as a friend and important influence on his early life and interest in socialism.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hales, John 1839 births Year of death unknown Trade unionists from London Members of the International Workingmen's Association