James Henry Hall
Encyclopedia
James Henry Hall known as J. H. Hall, was a British trade union
ist and Labour Party
politician who served as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Whitechapel and St Georges division
of Stepney
from 1930 to 1931 and from 1935 to 1942.
of Stepney Borough Council, and before his election to Parliament was employed as a foreman by the Port of London Authority
.
He was first elected to the House of Commons a by-election in December 1930, following the death of the Labour MP Harry Gosling
. His 39% share of the vote was well below the 63% achieved by Gosling at the 1929 general election
, the Liberal vote having increased significantly while Communist Party
contested the seat for the first time; their candidate was the party's General Secretary Harry Pollitt
, who won nearly 10% of the votes. Hall blamed the fall in the Labour vote on the economic difficulties faced by the Labour Government, and on a "flood of misrepresentation" from the government's opponents.
At the general election in October 1931
, the left-wing vote was again split. Pollitt polled over 10% of the votes and Hall lost the seat to Barnett Janner
, the Liberal who had been runner-up at the by-election. However, at the 1935 general election
Hall re-took the seat in a straight fight with Janner. In reporting his victory, The Times noted that he had "worked in the trade union movement for over 40 years".
Hall died in office in June 1942, aged 65, having been too ill to attend the House of Commons for the previous eight months. At the resulting by-election for his parliamentary seat, the Labour candidate Walter "Stoker" Edwards was returned unopposed.
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 who served 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 the Whitechapel and St Georges division
Whitechapel and St Georges (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitechapel and St George's was a parliamentary constituency in east London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
of Stepney
Metropolitan Borough of Stepney
The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Boundaries:...
from 1930 to 1931 and from 1935 to 1942.
Career
Hall became interested in trade unionism in his youth, and rose to become a member of the executive committee of the Transport and General Workers Union. He became an aldermanAlderman
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...
of Stepney Borough Council, and before his election to Parliament was employed as a foreman by the Port of London Authority
Port of London Authority
The Port of London Authority is a self-funding public trust established in 1908 by the Port of London Act to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and the authority is responsible for the public right of navigation and for conservancy of the...
.
He was first elected to the House of Commons a by-election in December 1930, following the death of the Labour MP Harry Gosling
Harry Gosling
Harry Gosling CH was a British Labour Party politician and trade union leader.-Early life:Gosling was born in 1861 at 57 York Street, Lambeth, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames. He was the second son of William Gosling, master lighterman, and his wife Sarah Louisa née Rowe, a...
. His 39% share of the vote was well below the 63% achieved by Gosling at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, the Liberal vote having increased significantly while Communist Party
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
contested the seat for the first time; their candidate was the party's General Secretary Harry Pollitt
Harry Pollitt
Harry Pollitt was the head of the trade union department of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the General Secretary of the party for more than 20 years.- Early life :...
, who won nearly 10% of the votes. Hall blamed the fall in the Labour vote on the economic difficulties faced by the Labour Government, and on a "flood of misrepresentation" from the government's opponents.
At the general election in October 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 left-wing vote was again split. Pollitt polled over 10% of the votes and Hall lost the seat to Barnett Janner
Barnett Janner, Baron Janner
Barnett Janner, Baron Janner was a Lithuanian-born British politician who was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament and later as a Labour MP. -Early life:...
, the Liberal who had been runner-up at the by-election. However, 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...
Hall re-took the seat in a straight fight with Janner. In reporting his victory, The Times noted that he had "worked in the trade union movement for over 40 years".
Hall died in office in June 1942, aged 65, having been too ill to attend the House of Commons for the previous eight months. At the resulting by-election for his parliamentary seat, the Labour candidate Walter "Stoker" Edwards was returned unopposed.