Henry Charleton
Encyclopedia
Henry Charles Charleton was a British train driver, trade union
ist and Labour Party
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1922 to 1931 and from 1935 to 1945.
, in London. His father Henry Charleton was an engine-driver on the Midland Railway
.
The younger Henry was educated at Mansfield Place Board School, which he left at age 12. He worked initially as an assistant to a blacksmith
, before following his father into the Midland Railway. He rose through the grades and eventually became a driver.
In 1897, Charleton married Louisa Jane Alcock from Kentish Town. They had one son.
(NUR). In 1919 he compiled the Locomotive Men's Conditions of Service in 1919, and later became a member of the NUR's executive committee.
He was elected at the 1922 general election
as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Leeds South
, and held the seat until his defeat in 1931
. The formation of the National Government had undermined support for Labour, and in many constituencies the Liberal
and Unionist
parties fielded a single candidate in support of the National Government. However, Leeds South was contested by the Liberal and Unionists, so Charleton was expected to hold the seat. However the Unionist candidate Noel Whiteside
took the seat with a majority of 2.0% of the votes.
Described by The Times
as a "moderate", he regained the seat at the 1935 general election
, and held it until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election
.
He was chairman of the Select Committee
on Estimates in 1930, and from 1929 to 1931 he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to William Lunn
, the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
. He was a briefly a Junior Lord of the Treasury, in 1931.
He also served as an alderman
on London County Council
.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1922 to 1931 and from 1935 to 1945.
Early life and family
Charleton was born in Kentish TownKentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, in London. His father Henry Charleton was an engine-driver on the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
.
The younger Henry was educated at Mansfield Place Board School, which he left at age 12. He worked initially as an assistant to a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, before following his father into the Midland Railway. He rose through the grades and eventually became a driver.
In 1897, Charleton married Louisa Jane Alcock from Kentish Town. They had one son.
Career
Whilst working on the railways, Charleton studied at the St Pancras Working Men's College, and became active in the National Union of RailwaymenNational Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
(NUR). In 1919 he compiled the Locomotive Men's Conditions of Service in 1919, and later became a member of the NUR's executive committee.
He was elected at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Leeds South
Leeds South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds South was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election...
, and held the seat until his defeat in 1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
. The formation of the National Government had undermined support for Labour, and in many constituencies the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and Unionist
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
parties fielded a single candidate in support of the National Government. However, Leeds South was contested by the Liberal and Unionists, so Charleton was expected to hold the seat. However the Unionist candidate Noel Whiteside
Noel Whiteside
Borras Noel Hamilton Whiteside was a British company director and politician, who served a single term as a Conservative Member of Parliament . He was noted for his interest in aviation, being a private pilot and frequently raising the issue of air defence in Parliament...
took the seat with a majority of 2.0% of the votes.
Described by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as a "moderate", he regained the seat at the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
, and held it until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
He was chairman of the Select Committee
Select Committee
A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
on Estimates in 1930, and from 1929 to 1931 he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to William Lunn
William Lunn
William Lunn was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected at the 1918 general election as Member of Parliament for the newly-created Rothwell constituency in West Yorkshire, and held the seat until he died in office in 1942, aged 69.In 1924, Lunn served in Ramsay...
, the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
The position of Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British ministerial position, subordinate to that of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, created in 1925 to deal with British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the...
. He was a briefly a Junior Lord of the Treasury, in 1931.
He also served as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
on London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
.