Minnie Pallister (12 March 1885 – 26 March 1960) was an English political activist,

political writer The following people are authors of writings on political subjects: See also *Lists of writers The following are lists of writers: Alphabetical indices A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H&n ...

, self-described "

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

propagandist Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

", unsuccessful political candidate for the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

, and radio personality. Pallister was born in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, and was the daughter of a clergyman. She was trained as a teacher at

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

, and worked for a decade as a schoolteacher in a Welsh

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. She joined the Independent Labour Party during its affiliation to the Labour Party, and in 1914 became the president of the party's federation in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Pallister helped organise the

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

organization

No-Conscription Fellowship The No-Conscription Fellowship was a British pacifist organization which was founded in London by Fenner Brockway and Clifford Allen on 27 November 1914, after the First World War had failed to reach an early conclusion. Other prominent support ...

. Also during the war, she was an active

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...

for the causes of peace and labour. In the general elections of

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 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

, Pallister was an unsuccessful candidate for the

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

constituency in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. Due to health problems, Pallister retired from active politics in the 1920s. In the 1920s, she wrote a number of books on the topic of socialism. In the 1930s, she wrote books about gardening. In 1936, Pallister joined the pacifist organisation

Peace Pledge Union The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) is a non-governmental organisation that promotes pacifism, based in the United Kingdom. Its members are signatories to the following pledge: "War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determine ...

, and in 1945 she was elected as a member of the organization's council. In the 1950s, Pallister was affiliated with

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

as a regular contributor in the radio magazine programme ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by A ...

''. She died in 1960, at the age of 75.

Early life and education

Minnie Pallister was born in

Kilkhampton Kilkhampton ( kw, Kylgh) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in northeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is on the A39 road#Atlantic Highway, A39 about four miles (6 km) north-northeast of Bude. Kilk ...

, the middle of three daughters of William and Rose (Parsons) Pallister. Her father was a clergyman. She attended Tasker's High School for Girls and earned a teaching credential at

."Miss Minnie Pallister"
''

Pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

'' (11 September 1915): 8.

Career

Minnie Pallister taught for ten years in an elementary school in

Brynmawr Brynmawr (; , ,) is a market town, community and electoral ward in Blaenau Gwent, Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at above sea level at the head of the South Wales Valleys. It grew with the devel ...

, where she became familiar with Welsh working lives. Her piano skills were also welcomed by local musicians. By 1914 she was president of the

Federation of the

(the first woman elected to that position), and serving on the Breconshire Education Committee.

Keir Hardie James Keir Hardie (15 August 185626 September 1915) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party, and served as its first parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. Hardie was born in Newhouse, Lanarkshire. ...

described her "like a new meteor on the horizon" for her eloquence. In

and later she was busy as a speaker for the peace and labour movements, and organised the

in Wales. In 1922, as ILP organiser for

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, she was quoted on the front page of the ''Labour Leader'' declaring: "We were right on the War. We were right on the Peace. We were right on Reparations." She was advertised as "Wales' Greatest Woman Orator" in newspaper announcements. She also ran for office several times in the 1920s, and was quoted about

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in 1924. Pallister stood in

at the general elections in

and

. In 1923, Pallister gained 5,986 votes, 19.5% of the votes cast. She finished third among the candidates, behind

Henry Page Croft Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft (22 June 1881 – 7 December 1947) was a decorated British soldier and Conservative Party politician. Early life and family He was born at Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Ric ...

of the Unionist Party (with 50.4% of the votes) and Cyril Berkeley Dallow of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

(with 30.1% of the votes). In 1924, Pallister gained 7,735 votes, 27.3% of the votes cast. She finished second among candidates, behind Henry Page Croft of the Unionist Party (with 72.7% of the votes). Pallister's health suffered from her constant activity, and she was advised by doctors to change her schedule. She became a full-time writer, though she remained interested in political matters. "My politics are me," she said, "it seems almost impossible that there should still be people who believe that politics do not matter." A lifelong

, she joined the

in 1936, was elected to its Council in 1945 and later became a Sponsor. She was a regular contributor to the

BBC radio programme in the 1950s.

Works

Books by Minnie Pallister include ''Socialism for Women'' (pamphlet, 1923); ''The Orange Box: Thoughts of a Socialist Propagandist'' (1924); ''Socialism, Equality and Happiness'' (pamphlet, 1925); ''Rain on the Corn and Other Sketches'' (1928); ''Gardener's Frenzy: Being an Alphabet of the Garden'' (1933); and ''A Cabbage for a Year'' (1934).

Death

Minnie Pallister died on 26 March 1960, aged 75. Towards the end of her life, an unspecified illness had forced her to retire from political activities. At the time of her death, she was mainly active as a radio broadcaster.Labour Party National Committee Conference, Volumes 59-61
(1960–1961): 53. "Minnie Pallister, who died in March aged 75, was well-known for her propaganda work, first in Wales and then all over the country in the 1920s. She was compelled by illness to withdraw from active politics for some years, but in recent years became a frequent broadcaster on radio."

References

Sources

* ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949'', compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)

External links

*Historian Alun Burge wrote
four-part profile of Minnie Pallister
on his blog in March 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pallister, Minnie 1885 births 1960 deaths 19th-century English people 19th-century English women writers 20th-century English educators 20th-century English politicians 20th-century English women politicians 20th-century English writers 20th-century English women writers 20th-century British women educators English activists English women activists Schoolteachers from Cornwall Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members People from Kilkhampton British women in World War I English pacifists Alumni of Cardiff University Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates BBC people English pamphleteers Writers from Cornwall English political writers British propagandists English radio personalities