William Henry Drew (1854 - 29 January 1933) was a British textile worker, early trade unionist and one of the founders of 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 ...

Early years

W. H. Drew was born in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

in 1854 and by the mid-1860s was working in agriculture. He began to be increasingly interested in politics at around the time that John Duke Coleridge QC was contesting Exeter for 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 ...

Keith Laybourn Keith Laybourn (born 13 March 1946) is Diamond Jubilee Professor of the University of Huddersfield and Professor of History. He is a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century specialising in labour history and the work ...

and John Saville, "Drew, William Henry (Harry)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.IV, pp.75–77 Around 1862 Drew migrated to

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...

then on to Shipley where he began work as a wool comber at Pricking Mill. Next he started work as a workhouse man at Airedale Mills and then as a

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, for ...

weaver. By 1887 he was an active organiser for the West Riding Power Looms Weavers' Association and was on the executive committee for the next twenty years.

Trade unionist

Around this time Drew became a pioneer of independent labour politics and textile trade unionism. Along with

Allen Gee Allen Gee (6 September 1852 – 12 August 1939) was a British trade unionist and politician. Professional background Gee worked in the woolen industry in Huddersfield, and was involved in a major, but unsuccessful, strike in 1883. This experi ...

and Ben Turner he was recruited by the ''

Yorkshire Factory Times The ''Yorkshire Factory Times'' was a British newspaper, founded in 1889. It was published weekly between 3 January 1890 and 29 December 1899. The newspaper was initially edited by Joseph Burgess and published from Huddersfield. The ''Yorkshire ...

'' in 1889 as a correspondent. In December 1890, the workers at the Manningham Mills went on strike. Drew, Gee and Turner provided leadership for the strikers and the strike gave a new impetus to trade unionism and a reinvigorated hope for independent political action. The strike may have failed in its primary objectives but after it had finished, the

Bradford Labour Union The Bradford Labour Union was a political party based in Bradford in England, which was an important forerunner of the Independent Labour Party. In late 1890 and early 1891, there was a major strike at the Manningham Mills in Bradford. Followi ...

was established. Throughout this time Drew was suffering from

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

and constant ill health. In 1891 he became president of the Bradford Labour Union and stood successfully for the Bradford School Board and in 1892 he gave evidence to the Royal Commission on Labour. By 1893, Drew's importance to the labour movement was very much recognised. At the inaugural conference of the Independent Labour Party in Bradford, Drew was selected to take the chair at the conference although, when it was taken to a vote,

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. ...

was elected chairman. Drew was however, unanimously elected as vice chairman, and he was also elected to the party's first

National Administrative Council The National Administrative Council (NAC) was the executive council of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), a British socialist party which was active from 1893 until 1975. Creation The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was founded at a conference in ...

. By the mid-1890s Drew had helped found the Bradford Central Labour Club of which he became the President only to resign in 1895 due to a change of rules which allowed non-union members to hold office. In 1893 the Bradford Unemployed Emergency Committee was established, Drew being a leading member. This organisation united the Independent Labour Party, the

Bradford Trades Council Bradford Trades Council brings together trade unionists in and around Bradford, in West Yorkshire in England. History The first Bradford Trades Council was founded in July 1867 by six local unions. They were inspired by the London tailors' stri ...

and the Social Reform Union. He encouraged this organisation to conduct its own survey of unemployment which firmly discredited the statements put out by the Bradford Board of Guardians. Having been on the trades council since 1887, he became secretary in 1898, following the departure of James Bartley. Ben Turner stated on his work, ''"He put the Trades Council on to its wider basis. He paved the way."'' On the

Education Act 1902 The Education Act 1902 ( 2 Edw. 7 c. 42), also known as the Balfour Act, was a highly controversial Act of Parliament that set the pattern of elementary education in England and Wales for four decades. It was brought to Parliament by a Conservat ...

he showed fierce opposition and in 1907 left for Canada, returning to Bradford and dying on 29 January 1933.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, William Henry 1854 births 1933 deaths Politicians from Exeter Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members English trade unionists Textile workers