Thomas Hurley (died 21 October 1933) 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 politician.

Life

Thomas Hurley was born in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, his parents having emigrated from Ireland, and being involved in the

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 ...

movement. Hurley became interested in socialism, and founded a branch of the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

(SDF) in the town. He promoted the group by giving regular public speeches, and served for several years on the party's national executive. In 1895, Hurley stood for the Blackburn

School Board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

, and topped the poll. In 1898, he forced a vote for the town's elective auditor, and he also won that position. Finally, in 1899, he was elected to the borough council, representing St Paul's ward. In 1900, the SDF affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee, and Hurley was a leading campaigner for

Philip Snowden Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, PC (; 18 July 1864 – 15 May 1937) was a British politician. A strong speaker, he became popular in trade union circles for his denunciation of capitalism as unethical and his promise of a socialist utop ...

in the Blackburn constituency at the

1900 UK general election The 1900 United Kingdom general election was held between 26 September and 24 October 1900, following the dissolution of Parliament on 25 September. Also referred to as the Khaki Election (the first of several elections to bear this sobriquet), ...

. Hurley resigned from the council in 1901. He tried to regain his seat on three occasions, but was unsuccessful. He remained a member of the SDF, and its successor, the

British Socialist Party The British Socialist Party (BSP) was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained decisive control of the party and saw t ...

, in which he was part of the minority who supported British involvement in

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 ...

. Hurley worked variously as a shuttlemaker, a quarryman, and a club steward. He joined the

National Union of General Workers The National Union of General Workers is the name of: * National Union of General Workers (Sohyo), a former trade union in Japan * National Union of General Workers (Zenrokyo) The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) is the shortened, Engl ...

, and became secretary of its local branch, but then transferred to the small

Amalgamated Society of Shuttlemakers The Society of Shuttlemakers was a trade union representing workers involved in making shuttles for looms, in England. While always a small union, at its peak it represented 90% of workers in the industry. The union was founded in 1891 as the Am ...

. He became a district organiser for the shuttlemakers, and then in 1919 was elected as the union's general secretary. He represented the union on Blackburn

Trades Council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

, and in 1923, when the local trades council and Labour Party were merged, he became president. In 1925, he was elected as a

Poor Law Guardian Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

, and he eventually won a seat on the council, becoming leader of the Labour group.

Death

Hurley died suddenly on 21 October 1933, while still in office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, Thomas Year of birth missing 1933 deaths Councillors in Lancashire General secretaries of British trade unions Labour Party (UK) councillors People from Blackburn Social Democratic Federation members