James Andrew Seddon CH (7 May 1868 – 31 May 1939) was a British trades unionist and politician.''Obituary: Mr J. A. Seddon'', The Times, 1 June 1939 Originally a member of the Labour Party, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party.

Biography

Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire in 1868. Having served an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

ship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller.''Biographies of New Members'', The Times, 17 February 1906, p.14 He subsequently became the delegate of the St Helens branch of the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks. He was elected as vice-president and then president of the union in 1901 and 1902. In 1906 he was elected Labour MP for Newton, Lancashire. He held the seat at the subsequent general election in January, 1910, but was defeated by 144 votes in the December 1910 poll.''Last Night's Returns - The Unionist Gains'', The Times, 8 December 1910, p.10 Seddon continued his work with the union movement, was reselected as Labour candidate for Newton and elected a member of the parliamentary committee of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

in 1911. In 1915 he was elected

President of the TUC The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the d ...

. In 1915 Seddon became a founding member of the Socialist National Defence Committee. The SNDC was short-lived, becoming part of the British Workers League in 1916. In 1917 he resigned from the Labour Party, citing a "change of view" caused by 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, ...

. In late spring 1918 the British Worker's League resolved to become a parliamentary party. The National Democratic and Labour Party (British Workers League) or NDP was duly formed as a "patriotic working-class party". At the 1918 general election Seddon successfully contested the Hanley constituency for the NDP, becoming one of the new party's nine MPs. He had the support of the

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

, and therefore did not face opposition from either the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Liberal Parties This article gives information on liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world. Introduction The definition of liberal party is highly deb ...

. He was vice-chairman of the party in the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...

from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920. he was made a

Companion of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

in 1918. Seddon's parliamentary career came to an end in 1922: along with the other NDP MPs he lost his seat at the October general election, despite campaigning as a "National Liberal". He later joined the Conservative Party. Seddon continued his interest in politics outside of parliament. In 1925 he helped found the Steel House Constructors Union, claiming a programme of building steel houses could employ 150,000 men. He became a member of the Industrial Peace Union of the British Empire formed after the

General Strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

of 1926.''Industrial Peace Union'', The Times, 9 February 1928, p.2 J. A. Seddon died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at his home in

New Barnet New Barnet is a neighbourhood on the north east side of the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb located east of Chipping Barnet, west of Cockfosters, south of the village of Monken Hadley and north of Oaklei ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

on 31 May 1939, aged 71.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seddon, James Andrew 1868 births 1939 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies British trade union leaders National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks-sponsored MPs National Democratic and Labour Party MPs UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1918–1922 Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the Trades Union Congress National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians Conservative Party (UK) politicians