Leonard Smith (1879 – 1964) was a British trade unionist and politician. Smith joined the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) in 1897, and became very active in the union. In 1905, he was one of a group of union members who marched to London in support of a fair wage clause being added to the contract to make boots for the British Army. Smith was also active in politics, and was first elected to Long Buckby Parish Council in 1898. By the 1920s, he was supportive of the Labour Party, and the union sponsored his candidacy for the party in

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

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 took third place, with 18.9% of the vote. He also stood in the

1931 United Kingdom 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 ...

, in

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

, taking second place with a 31.9% vote share. In 1923, Smith was appointed as a full-time national organiser for NUBSO. He relocated to

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, and was soon elected to its town council. In 1938, he was elected as the union's general president, serving until his retirement in 1944. In 1949–1950, he was Mayor of Northampton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Len 1879 births 1964 deaths Councillors in Northamptonshire General Presidents of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Politicians from Northamptonshire People from Long Buckby