William Pickles (born October 1865) 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 political activist. Born in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

, Pickles began working half-time in a woollen mill when he was eleven, and left school to work full-time two years later. He became a painter and decorator the following year, then in 1886 was a founder member of the

National Amalgamated Society of Operative House Painters and Decorators The Amalgamated Society of Painters and Decorators (ASPD) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1886 and 1970. History The union had its origins in the Manchester Alliance of Operative House Painters, founded in 1855, wh ...

. In 1897, Pickles was elected as President of the Huddersfield Trades Council, serving until 1908.R. B. Perks, ''The new Liberalism and the challenge of Labour in the West Riding of Yorkshire 1885-1914 with special reference to Huddersfield'', p.164 Although he never held high office in his own union, he was elected to the Parliamentary Committee of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

, and served as President of the TUC in 1900. At some point in the 1890s, Pickles also joined 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 ...

(ILP). Through this, he became active in the Labour Representation Committee, for which he was elected to Huddersfield School Board in 1901, and then to the town council, representing Lindley, in 1904, serving for six years. Pickles was a prominent supporter of T. Russell Williams in his contest for

at the 1906 general election. He was one of four candidates shortlisted by the Labour Party for the 1907 Colne Valley by-election. Although he lost the nomination to

Victor Grayson Albert Victor Grayson (born 5 September 1881, disappeared 28 September 1920) was an English socialist politician of the early 20th century. An Independent Labour Party Member of Parliament from 1907 to 1910, Grayson is most notable for his sensat ...

, Pickles subsequently became one of Grayson's leading supporters in his disputes with the ILP.

Duncan Tanner Duncan Tanner (19 February 1958 – 11 February 2010) was a political historian and academic. His best-known work covered the British Labour Party and voting in the early 20th century. He held the post of director of the Welsh Institute for Social ...

, ''Political Change and the Labour Party 1900-1918'', p.265 He stood for Labour in

Holmfirth Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly consist ...

at the January 1910 general election, but took only 14.9% of the vote. Pickles remained active in the Labour Party, and stood again for it in Kingston upon Hull North West at the 1929 general election, taking second place with 30.1% of the vote. In

1931 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 ...

, he stood in Pudsey and Otley, taking only 24.0%. His final contest was his home town of

at the 1935 general election, where he managed 39.2% of the votes cast. Pickles retired from his union duties in 1944, aged 79.''Woodworkers, Painters & Buildingworkers Journal'' (1944), p.138

References

1865 births Year of death missing Councillors in West Yorkshire Trade unionists from Huddersfield Independent Labour Party politicians Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Presidents of the Trades Union Congress {{England-politician-stub