William Thomas Kelly (21 June 1874 – 13 March 1944) was a British

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician. Kelly was 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 ...

, serving on its Executive Council from 1903 until 1913, and as chair of its Manchester branch. He then found work as a London organiser for the

Workers' Union The Workers' Union was a general union based in the United Kingdom, but with some branches in other countries. During the 1910s, it was the largest general union in the UK, but it entered a rapid decline in the 1920s, and eventually became part ...

, where his skill at

arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...

was recognised. In 1916, the union established an Arbitration Department, headed by Kelly. Kelly was a supporter of the Labour Party, for which he stood unsuccessfully in

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...

in 1918, 1922, and twice in 1923. In 1924, he instead contested

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

in 1924, for which he was elected, serving until 1931, when he was defeated. He was appointed as an alderman on

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

in 1934, but this did not stop him from winning the Rochdale seat again in 1935. He resigned in July 1940, but remained on the London County Council until his death, in 1944.

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* * 1874 births 1944 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1935–1945 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Rochdale Members of London County Council Transport and General Workers' Union-sponsored MPs Workers' Union-sponsored MPs {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub