James Andrew Seddon
Encyclopedia
James Andrew Seddon was a British
trades unionist and politician. Originally a member of the Labour Party
, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party
.
Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire
in 1868. Having served an apprenticeship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller. 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. 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
in 1911. In 1915 he was elected President of the TUC
.
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.
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, and therefore did not face opposition from either the Conservative
or Liberal Parties
. He was vice-chairman of the party in the Commons from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920.
James Andrew Seddon (7 May 1868 – 31 May 1939) was a British
trades unionist and politician.Obituary: Mr J. A. Seddon, The Times, June 1, 1939 Originally a member of the Labour Party
, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party
.
Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire
in 1868. Having served an apprenticeship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller.Biographies of New Members, The Times, February 17, 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, December 8, 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
in 1911. In 1915 he was elected President of the TUC
.
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.
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, and therefore did not face opposition from either the Conservative
or Liberal Parties
. He was vice-chairman of the party in the Commons from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920.
James Andrew Seddon (7 May 1868 – 31 May 1939) was a British
trades unionist and politician.Obituary: Mr J. A. Seddon, The Times, June 1, 1939 Originally a member of the Labour Party
, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party
.
Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire
in 1868. Having served an apprenticeship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller.Biographies of New Members, The Times, February 17, 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, December 8, 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
in 1911. In 1915 he was elected President of the TUC
.
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.
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, and therefore did not face opposition from either the Conservative
or Liberal Parties
. He was vice-chairman of the party in the Commons from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920. he was made a Companion of Honour 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"
.
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
of 1926.
J. A. Seddon died of a heart attack at his home in New Barnet
, Middlesex
on 31 May 1939, aged 71.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trades unionist and politician. Originally a member of the 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...
, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party
National Democratic and Labour Party
The National Democratic and Labour Party, usually abbreviated to National Democratic Party , was a political party in the United Kingdom....
.
Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire
Prescot
Prescot is a town and civil parish, within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is 8 miles to the east of Liverpool city centre and lies within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. At the 2001 Census, the population was 11,184 .Prescot marks the beginning of the...
in 1868. Having served an apprenticeship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller. He subsequently became the delegate of the St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
branch of the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Consisting of over 405,000 members, USDAW is the UK's fourth largest and fastest growing trade union. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade...
. He was elected as vice-president and then president of the union in 1901 and 1902.
In 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he was elected Labour MP
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,...
for Newton
Newton (UK Parliament constituency)
Newton was a parliamentary borough in the county of Lancashire, in England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1559 to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, Lancashire. He held the seat at the subsequent general election in January, 1910, but was defeated by 144 votes in the December 1910 poll. 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
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
in 1911. In 1915 he was elected President of the TUC
President of the Trades Union Congress
The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...
.
In 1915 Seddon became a founding member of the Socialist National Defence Committee
Socialist National Defence Committee
The Socialist National Defence Committee also known as the Socialist National Defence League was a pro First World War socialist faction....
. The SNDC was short-lived, becoming part of the British Workers League
British Workers League
The British Workers League was a 'patriotic labour' group which was anti-socialist and pro-war.The league's origins lay in the 1915 split by the right-wing of the British Socialist Party, primarily over issues raised by the First World War...
in 1916. In 1917 he resigned from the Labour Party, citing a "change of view" caused by the First World War.
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
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
Seddon successfully contested the Hanley constituency
Hanley (UK Parliament constituency)
Hanley was a borough constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1885 and 1950. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
for the NDP, becoming one of the new party's nine MPs. He had the support of the coalition government, and therefore did not face opposition from either the Conservative
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...
or Liberal Parties
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...
. He was vice-chairman of the party in the Commons from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920.
James Andrew Seddon (7 May 1868 – 31 May 1939) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trades unionist and politician.Obituary: Mr J. A. Seddon, The Times, June 1, 1939 Originally a member of the 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...
, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party
National Democratic and Labour Party
The National Democratic and Labour Party, usually abbreviated to National Democratic Party , was a political party in the United Kingdom....
.
Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire
Prescot
Prescot is a town and civil parish, within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is 8 miles to the east of Liverpool city centre and lies within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. At the 2001 Census, the population was 11,184 .Prescot marks the beginning of the...
in 1868. Having served an apprenticeship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller.Biographies of New Members, The Times, February 17, 1906, p.14 He subsequently became the delegate of the St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
branch of the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Consisting of over 405,000 members, USDAW is the UK's fourth largest and fastest growing trade union. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade...
. He was elected as vice-president and then president of the union in 1901 and 1902.
In 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he was elected Labour MP
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,...
for Newton
Newton (UK Parliament constituency)
Newton was a parliamentary borough in the county of Lancashire, in England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1559 to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, 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, December 8, 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
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
in 1911. In 1915 he was elected President of the TUC
President of the Trades Union Congress
The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...
.
In 1915 Seddon became a founding member of the Socialist National Defence Committee
Socialist National Defence Committee
The Socialist National Defence Committee also known as the Socialist National Defence League was a pro First World War socialist faction....
. The SNDC was short-lived, becoming part of the British Workers League
British Workers League
The British Workers League was a 'patriotic labour' group which was anti-socialist and pro-war.The league's origins lay in the 1915 split by the right-wing of the British Socialist Party, primarily over issues raised by the First World War...
in 1916. In 1917 he resigned from the Labour Party, citing a "change of view" caused by the First World War.
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
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
Seddon successfully contested the Hanley constituency
Hanley (UK Parliament constituency)
Hanley was a borough constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1885 and 1950. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
for the NDP, becoming one of the new party's nine MPs. He had the support of the coalition government, and therefore did not face opposition from either the Conservative
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...
or Liberal Parties
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...
. He was vice-chairman of the party in the Commons from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920.
James Andrew Seddon (7 May 1868 – 31 May 1939) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trades unionist and politician.Obituary: Mr J. A. Seddon, The Times, June 1, 1939 Originally a member of the 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...
, he subsequently moved to the National Democratic and Labour Party
National Democratic and Labour Party
The National Democratic and Labour Party, usually abbreviated to National Democratic Party , was a political party in the United Kingdom....
.
Seddon was born in Prescot, Lancashire
Prescot
Prescot is a town and civil parish, within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is 8 miles to the east of Liverpool city centre and lies within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. At the 2001 Census, the population was 11,184 .Prescot marks the beginning of the...
in 1868. Having served an apprenticeship as a grocer, he spent ten years working as a commercial traveller.Biographies of New Members, The Times, February 17, 1906, p.14 He subsequently became the delegate of the St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
branch of the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Consisting of over 405,000 members, USDAW is the UK's fourth largest and fastest growing trade union. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade...
. He was elected as vice-president and then president of the union in 1901 and 1902.
In 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he was elected Labour MP
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,...
for Newton
Newton (UK Parliament constituency)
Newton was a parliamentary borough in the county of Lancashire, in England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1559 to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, 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, December 8, 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
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
in 1911. In 1915 he was elected President of the TUC
President of the Trades Union Congress
The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...
.
In 1915 Seddon became a founding member of the Socialist National Defence Committee
Socialist National Defence Committee
The Socialist National Defence Committee also known as the Socialist National Defence League was a pro First World War socialist faction....
. The SNDC was short-lived, becoming part of the British Workers League
British Workers League
The British Workers League was a 'patriotic labour' group which was anti-socialist and pro-war.The league's origins lay in the 1915 split by the right-wing of the British Socialist Party, primarily over issues raised by the First World War...
in 1916. In 1917 he resigned from the Labour Party, citing a "change of view" caused by the First World War.
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
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
Seddon successfully contested the Hanley constituency
Hanley (UK Parliament constituency)
Hanley was a borough constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1885 and 1950. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
for the NDP, becoming one of the new party's nine MPs. He had the support of the coalition government, and therefore did not face opposition from either the Conservative
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...
or Liberal Parties
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...
. He was vice-chairman of the party in the Commons from 1918, before becoming chairman in 1920. he was made a Companion of Honour 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
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...
, despite campaigning as a "National Liberal"
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
.
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
UK General Strike of 1926
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
of 1926.
J. A. Seddon died of a heart attack at his home in New Barnet
New Barnet
New Barnet is an area within the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb, close to the M25, A1 and M1.-History:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
on 31 May 1939, aged 71.