Robert B. Russell
Encyclopedia
Robert Boyd Russell was a labour organizer and politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was a prominent figure in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, and was later the leader of Winnipeg's One Big Union
.
Born in Scotland
, Russell was raised in Glasgow and came to Canada in 1911. He moved to Winnipeg
, and worked as a machinist in the Canadian Pacific Railway
's Weston Shops. He also became a prominent member of the Socialist Party of Canada
, which at the time represented the left-wing of the labour movement in Manitoba.
In 1919, he attended the Western Labour Conference in Calgary, Alberta
, and called for the replacement of narrow craft unionism with an industrial union known as the One Big Union. During the Winnipeg General Strike, he became a prominent figure in the Strike Committee which managed most city affairs.
After the strike was suppressed, Russell and other strike leaders were arrested on charges of seditious conspiracy. He was the first of the strikers to go to trial, and was sentenced to a two-year term at Stony Mountain Federal Penitentiary. Many observators at the time, and many since, have regarded the charges against the strike leaders as unjust and politically motivated.
The strike and the resulting arrests created a temporary climate of labour unity in the city. The SPC had previously opposed "popular front" campaigns with centrist labour parties, and Russell himself had argued in 1918 that it was pointless to elect labour representatives to capitalist legislatures. Nevertheless, the SPC agreed to participate in a "united labour" slate for the 1920 provincial election
. Russell, still serving a prison sentence, ran as an SPC candidate in the constituency of Winnipeg, which elected ten members by a single transferable ballot. He came very close to being elected, finishing ninth on the first count and missing the tenth seat by only sixty-two votes on the final tally. Russell's fellow prisoner George Armstrong
was elected for the SPC, and so became the only representative of the party ever to serve in the provincial legislature.
Russell also ran for the Socialist Party of Canada in the 1921 federal election
, contesting the single-member riding of Winnipeg North
. He finished a close second, losing to Liberal
Edward James McMurray
by 715 votes.
Russell returned to labour activism following his release from prison in 1922. He was selected as the leader of the Winnipeg's One Big Union, and held this position into the 1950s.
He campaigned again for the Manitoba legislature in the 1927 provincial election
in the constituency of Assinboia, just west of Winnipeg. As the SPC had folded in 1925, Russell contested this election with support from Manitoba's Independent Labour Party
. He again lost by a narrow margin, falling sixty votes behind Conservative
candidate Joseph Cotter
.
There is currently an R.B. Russell Vocational High School in Winnipeg.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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...
. He was a prominent figure in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, and was later the leader of Winnipeg's One Big Union
One Big Union (Canada)
The One Big Union was a Canadian syndicalist trade union active primarily in the Western part of the country. It was formally founded in Calgary on June 4, 1919 but lost most members by 1922. It finally merged into the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.-Background:Towards the end of World War I, a...
.
Born in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Russell was raised in Glasgow and came to Canada in 1911. He moved to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, and worked as a machinist in the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
's Weston Shops. He also became a prominent member of the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada (in Manitoba)
The Socialist Party of Canada was a revolutionary Marxist organization, founded in 1904 as a merger of the Socialist Party of British Columbia and related groups in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada....
, which at the time represented the left-wing of the labour movement in Manitoba.
In 1919, he attended the Western Labour Conference in Calgary, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and called for the replacement of narrow craft unionism with an industrial union known as the One Big Union. During the Winnipeg General Strike, he became a prominent figure in the Strike Committee which managed most city affairs.
After the strike was suppressed, Russell and other strike leaders were arrested on charges of seditious conspiracy. He was the first of the strikers to go to trial, and was sentenced to a two-year term at Stony Mountain Federal Penitentiary. Many observators at the time, and many since, have regarded the charges against the strike leaders as unjust and politically motivated.
The strike and the resulting arrests created a temporary climate of labour unity in the city. The SPC had previously opposed "popular front" campaigns with centrist labour parties, and Russell himself had argued in 1918 that it was pointless to elect labour representatives to capitalist legislatures. Nevertheless, the SPC agreed to participate in a "united labour" slate for the 1920 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1920
Manitoba's general election of 29 June 1920 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.-Background:...
. Russell, still serving a prison sentence, ran as an SPC candidate in the constituency of Winnipeg, which elected ten members by a single transferable ballot. He came very close to being elected, finishing ninth on the first count and missing the tenth seat by only sixty-two votes on the final tally. Russell's fellow prisoner George Armstrong
George Armstrong (Manitoba politician)
George Armstrong was a politician and labour activist in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1922, and is notable as the only member of the Socialist Party of Canada ever to serve in that institution.Armstrong was born in East York, Ontario, and...
was elected for the SPC, and so became the only representative of the party ever to serve in the provincial legislature.
Russell also ran for the Socialist Party of Canada in the 1921 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
, contesting the single-member riding of Winnipeg North
Winnipeg North
For information on the historical provincial constituency, see Winnipeg North .Winnipeg North is a federal electoral district that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917...
. He finished a close second, losing to Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Edward James McMurray
Edward James McMurray
Edward James McMurray, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Thorndale, Ontario, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the Manitoba riding of Winnipeg North in the 1921 federal election. A Liberal, he was defeated in 1925. From 1923 to 1925, he was the Solicitor General of...
by 715 votes.
Russell returned to labour activism following his release from prison in 1922. He was selected as the leader of the Winnipeg's One Big Union, and held this position into the 1950s.
He campaigned again for the Manitoba legislature in the 1927 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1927
Manitoba's general election of 28 June 1927 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This was the first election in Manitoba history to elect members through a single transferable ballot in all constituencies...
in the constituency of Assinboia, just west of Winnipeg. As the SPC had folded in 1925, Russell contested this election with support from Manitoba's Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party (in Manitoba) (II)
Prior to 1920, there were a number of groups in Winnipeg which called themselves the "Independent Labour Party". For information on these groups, see Independent Labour Party ....
. He again lost by a narrow margin, falling sixty votes behind Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
candidate Joseph Cotter
Joseph Cotter
Joseph Henry Cotter was a Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1927 to 1932. He was a member of the Conservative Party....
.
There is currently an R.B. Russell Vocational High School in Winnipeg.