John Mansfield (1889–1970) was a British

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. Born in

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

, Mansfield described himself as having attended the "borough polytechnic", before becoming an engineer and fitter. He relocated to

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

to work at

Peter Brotherhood Peter Brotherhood (1838–1902) was a British engineer. He invented the Brotherhood engine used for torpedoes as well as many other engineering products. With his son he built a large engineering business in London bearing his name, Peter Brother ...

. While there he became active in the

Amalgamated Society of Engineers The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics. History The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and Mi ...

(ASE), serving as its district secretary. Mansfield was very active in the Labour Party, serving as honorary secretary of its Peterborough branch, and standing for election in the Peterborough constituency at the

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

and

1924 United Kingdom general election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

s. On each occasion he took second place, with his best vote share being 41.0% in 1918. In 1921, Mansfield was elected to

Peterborough City Council Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough ...

, serving for many years as the chair of the Peterborough Joint Education Board. He was Mayor of Peterborough in 1932, and was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for his work. In the 1950s,

John Mansfield School John Mansfield School was located in the Dogsthorpe area of Peterborough, England. The school opened in 1957, when the estate had just been completed, and was originally an all-girls school for those who failed the 11+. In 1981, it became a mixe ...

was named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansfield, John 1889 births 1970 deaths Councillors in Peterborough English trade unionists Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Tottenham