William Adamson (2 April 1863 – 23 February 1936) was a Scottish trade unionist and
Labour politician. He was
Leader of the Labour Party from 1917 to 1921 and served as
Secretary of State for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...
in 1924 and during 1929–1931 in the first two Labour ministries headed by
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 ...
.
Background
Adamson was born in
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Acco ...
,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...
, and was educated at a local
dame school
Dame schools were small, privately run schools for young children that emerged in the British Isles and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman who would educate children f ...
. He worked as a miner in Fife where he became involved with the
National Union of Mineworkers. In 1902–08 he was Assistant Secretary of the
Fife and Kinross Miners' Association
The Fife and Kinross Miners' Association was a coal miners' trade union based in Fife and Kinross-shire in Scotland.
History
The union was founded in 1869 or 1870, and proved immediately successful by achieving the eight-hour day for miners ...
,
[Spartacus-educational.com William Adamson](_blank)
and he thereafter served as its General Secretary.
[David Howell, Adamson, William illie(1863–1936), ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'']
Political career
Active with the new
Labour Party, Adamson was first elected to
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
for
West Fife in the
December 1910 general election
The December 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 3 to 19 December. It was the last general election to be held over several days and the last to be held before the First World War.
The election took place following the efforts o ...
. His victory was the only Labour gain from the
Liberals in that election.
Adamson was elected
Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party on 24 October 1917, a post he held until 1921.
He led the party into the
general election of 1918, which saw Labour gain 15 seats and become the largest opposition party in the House of Commons for the first time; however, there remained uncertainty as to whether Adamson or the leader of the independent Liberals,
Donald Maclean could claim to be the true
leader of the opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
in the Commons.
In 1918 he was sworn into the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...
. In 1919, Adamson was confident that the experience of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
would "produce a different atmosphere and an entirely different relationship amongst all sections of our people" and would act as a watershed in the process of social reform. He served as
Secretary for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...
and
Secretary of State for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...
in 1924
and between 1929 and 1931
in the Labour governments of
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 ...
.
However, he split with MacDonald after the formation of the
National Government. Adamson lost his seat in the
1931 election which he contested for Labour against MacDonald's coalition.
He stood again in the
1935 election but again failed to take the seat, losing on this occasion to
William Gallacher of the
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...
.
Personal life
Adamson was married to Christina Myles Marshall (1862–1935), a factory worker, with whom he had two daughters and two sons; one of the latter was killed during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
Adamson died in February 1936, aged 72. He is buried in
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Acco ...
Cemetery, just north of the roundel at the end of the entrance avenue.
References
*Torrance, David, ''The Scottish Secretaries'' (Birlinn 2006)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, William
1863 births
1936 deaths
Scottish Labour MPs
Politicians from Dunfermline
British Secretaries of State
Leaders of the Labour Party (UK)
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Fife constituencies
Miners' Federation of Great Britain-sponsored MPs
Scottish Baptists
UK MPs 1910–1918
UK MPs 1918–1922
UK MPs 1922–1923
UK MPs 1923–1924
UK MPs 1924–1929
UK MPs 1929–1931
20th-century Scottish politicians