John Hogan Jenkins (1852–1936) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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 politician. He was mayor of Cardiff (1903–04), President of the Trades Union Congress (1895–96) and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for Chatham, Kent (1906–1910).

Biography

Jenkins was born in Pembroke on 27 May 1852. A shipwright by trade, he spent most of his life in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. He was firstly a Liberal-Labour and then Labour Party politician. Driven by strong Methodist Christian principles, he founded a Shipwrights Society in Cardiff, becoming its President. He helped found several other trade unions. He became

President of the Trades Union Congress The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the d ...

in 1895. In 1900 he was elected to

Cardiff Council Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...

and was

Mayor of Cardiff This is a list of mayors of Cardiff, Wales. The first mayor recorded for Cardiff was in 1126 though the title was generally given to the Constable or military governor of Cardiff Castle.

from 1903 to 1904. With his background in shipbuilding, Jenkins launched his campaign in 1904 to become

(MP) for the English port town of

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. The seat was held by the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and Jenkins was standing against Conservative mayor Major Jameson. The campaign was rough at times, but Jenkins built up a strong loyal base of supporters. He was elected as MP at the 1906 general election. Jenkins was unexpectedly defeated at the January 1910 election by the

candidate,

Gerald Hohler Sir Gerald Fitzroy Hohler KC (29 August 1862 – 30 January 1934) was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for constituencies in Kent from 1910 to 1929. He was born in Banstead, Surrey, t ...

, who ran a compelling campaign to improve the British navy. The local Chatham newspaper in 1910 ran the headline "Surprising Defeat of Alderman Jenkins". Jenkins did not stand for Parliament again.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, John 1852 births 1936 deaths Liberal-Labour (UK) politicians Mayors of Cardiff Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the Trades Union Congress UK MPs 1906–1910 Welsh trade unionists