John Archer (British politician)
Encyclopedia
John Richard Archer was a British
race and political activist. In November 1906, he and Henry Sylvester-Williams became among the first people of Africa
n descent to be elected to public office in Britain, with Archer becoming a councillor and later Mayor
in Battersea
.
Archer was born to Richard Archer, from Barbados
, and Mary Teresa Burns, from Ireland
, in Liverpool. He travelled the world as a seaman, living in the USA and Canada
, then settled in Battersea with his wife, Bertha, a black Canadian. He ran a small photographic studio at a time when photography was in its infancy.
Archer became involved in local politics and friendly with London radicals. In 1906 he was elected as a Liberal
to Battersea Borough Council
for Latchmere ward; at the same time, Williams won in Marylebone
. He successfully campaigned for a minimum wage of 32 shillings a week for council workers and was re-elected in 1912. In 1913, he was nominated for the position of Mayor (at that time a position implying that he was the political leader of the Council, rather than the ceremonial role common in England from the 1920s). There were negative, even racist, aspects to the campaign, with allegations that he did not have British nationality. He won by 40 votes to 39 among his fellow councillors, and gave a notable victory speech:
Archer moved to the left during his years in Battersea and was re-elected to the Council as a Labour
representative in 1919. He stood without success for parliament the same year. In 1918 he became President of the African Progress Union
, working for black empowerment and equality.
In 1919 he was a British delegate to the Pan-African Congress
in Paris
. Two years later he chaired the Pan-African Congress in London
.
In 1922, Archer acted as Labour Party secretary election agent for Shapurji Saklatvala
, a Communist
activist standing for parliament in North Battersea. He convinced the Labour Party to endorse Saklatvala and he was duly elected one of the first black MPs
in Britain. He and Saklatvala continued to work together, winning again in 1924
until the Communist and Labour parties split fully. In 1929, Archer was agent for the official Labour candidate who won in the general election
, beating Saklatvala.
Archer served as a governor of Battersea Polytechnic
, President of the Nine Elms Swimming Club, Chair of the Whitley Council Staff Committee and a member of the Wandsworth
Board of Guardians
.
At the time of his death in 1932, he was deputy leader of Battersea council. He died on Thursday 14 July 1932, just a few weeks after his 69th birthday. His funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Carmel in Battersea Park Road on Tuesday 19 July, and was buried in the Council’s cemetery at Morden.
A secondary school was named in his honour during the 1980s. Archer House - part of the Battersea Village residential complex - was also named after John Archer upon completion of its construction in the 1930s.
In 2004, John Archer was chosen for the 100 Great Black Britons
list, coming 72nd in a public vote.
Until recently Archer was thought to be the first Black man to be elected Mayor in Britain. However the American Negro Year Book 1914 in reporting Archer's election, also recorded that "In 1904 Mr Allen Glaisyer Minns
, a col’d man from West Indies, was elected Mayor of borough of Thetford
, Norfolk".
In 2011 John Archer was commemorated with a Blue Plaque from Nubian Jak
. The event was filmed by www.ReggaeTV.biz TV Channel and will be aired internationally from July 2011.
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...
race and political activist. In November 1906, he and Henry Sylvester-Williams became among the first people of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n descent to be elected to public office in Britain, with Archer becoming a councillor and later Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
.
Archer was born to Richard Archer, from Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, and Mary Teresa Burns, from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in Liverpool. He travelled the world as a seaman, living in the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, then settled in Battersea with his wife, Bertha, a black Canadian. He ran a small photographic studio at a time when photography was in its infancy.
Archer became involved in local politics and friendly with London radicals. In 1906 he was elected as a 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...
to Battersea Borough Council
Metropolitan Borough of Battersea
Battersea was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in the County of London, England. In 1965 the borough was abolished and its area combined with parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth to form the London Borough of Wandsworth...
for Latchmere ward; at the same time, Williams won in Marylebone
Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone
The Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was based directly on the previously existing civil parish of St Marylebone, which was incorporated into the Metropolitan Board of Works area in 1855, retaining a parish vestry, and...
. He successfully campaigned for a minimum wage of 32 shillings a week for council workers and was re-elected in 1912. In 1913, he was nominated for the position of Mayor (at that time a position implying that he was the political leader of the Council, rather than the ceremonial role common in England from the 1920s). There were negative, even racist, aspects to the campaign, with allegations that he did not have British nationality. He won by 40 votes to 39 among his fellow councillors, and gave a notable victory speech:
- "My election tonight means a new era. You have made history tonight. For the first time in the history of the English nation a man of colour has been elected as mayor of an English borough.
- "That will go forth to the coloured nations of the world and they will look to Battersea and say Battersea has done many things in the past, but the greatest thing it has done has been to show that it has no racial prejudice and that it recognises a man for the work he has done."
Archer moved to the left during his years in Battersea and was re-elected to the Council as a Labour
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...
representative in 1919. He stood without success for parliament the same year. In 1918 he became President of the African Progress Union
African Progress Union
The African Progress Union was founded in London in 1918 as "an Association of Africans from various parts of Africa, the West Indies, British Guiana, Honduras and America, representing advanced African ideas in liberal education". The first president was John Archer.-References:*Killingray, David...
, working for black empowerment and equality.
In 1919 he was a British delegate to the Pan-African Congress
Pan-African Congress
The Pan-African Congress was a series of five meetings in 1919, 1921, 1923, 1927, and 1945 that were intended to address the issues facing Africa due to European colonization of much of the continent....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Two years later he chaired the Pan-African Congress in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1922, Archer acted as Labour Party secretary election agent for Shapurji Saklatvala
Shapurji Saklatvala
Shapurji Saklatvala was a British politician of Indian Parsi heritage. He was the third Indian Member of Parliament in the Parliament of the United Kingdom after fellow Parsis Dadabhai Naoroji and Mancherjee Bhownagree....
, a Communist
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:...
activist standing for parliament in North Battersea. He convinced the Labour Party to endorse Saklatvala and he was duly elected one of the first black MPs
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,...
in Britain. He and Saklatvala continued to work together, winning again in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
until the Communist and Labour parties split fully. In 1929, Archer was agent for the official Labour candidate who won in the general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, beating Saklatvala.
Archer served as a governor of Battersea Polytechnic
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, President of the Nine Elms Swimming Club, Chair of the Whitley Council Staff Committee and a member of the Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
Board of Guardians
Board of Guardians
Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...
.
At the time of his death in 1932, he was deputy leader of Battersea council. He died on Thursday 14 July 1932, just a few weeks after his 69th birthday. His funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Carmel in Battersea Park Road on Tuesday 19 July, and was buried in the Council’s cemetery at Morden.
A secondary school was named in his honour during the 1980s. Archer House - part of the Battersea Village residential complex - was also named after John Archer upon completion of its construction in the 1930s.
In 2004, John Archer was chosen for the 100 Great Black Britons
100 Great Black Britons
The 100 Great Black Britons list was compiled as a response to the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons debate of .Patrick Vernon, founder of black heritage website Every Generation, pointed out that no black people had made it to the top 100, saying that this was due in part to many people being unaware of...
list, coming 72nd in a public vote.
Until recently Archer was thought to be the first Black man to be elected Mayor in Britain. However the American Negro Year Book 1914 in reporting Archer's election, also recorded that "In 1904 Mr Allen Glaisyer Minns
Allan Glaisyer Minns
Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns was the first Black man to become a mayor in Britain. He was elected Mayor of Thetford, Norfolk in 1904.John Archer, elected Mayor of Battersea in 1913, had been thought to be the first Black man to hold this title...
, a col’d man from West Indies, was elected Mayor of borough of Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, Norfolk".
In 2011 John Archer was commemorated with a Blue Plaque from Nubian Jak
Nubian Jak
This article is about the board game Nubian Jak. For information on its founder, see Jak Beula. For the Nubian Jak UK game show that ran from 2004–2005, see Who Knows Jak...
. The event was filmed by www.ReggaeTV.biz TV Channel and will be aired internationally from July 2011.
External links
- Profile for 100 Great Black Britons
- Download complete text of Wandsworth Museum's recent exhibition about John Archer, plus some pictures
- About John Archer
Other sources
- Peter Fryer, entry John Archer (1863-1932) in Dictionary of National Biography,OUP 2004-08