John Wadsworth

For the British ceramicist, see John William Wadsworth.

John Wadsworth MP, circa 1906

John Wadsworth (1850 – 10 July 1921) was a British trade unionist and Liberal or Lib-Lab politician.

Born in West Melton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Wadsworth worked as a coal miner and was elected checkweighman. He joined the Yorkshire Miners Association, a constituent part of the Miners Federation of Great Britain (MFGB), rising to become the Yorkshire Association's general secretary, then in 1904 its president.

Wadsworth was elected as the Lib-Lab Member of Parliament (MP) for Hallamshire at the 1906 general election.

General election 1906: Hallamshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Wadsworth 8,375 55.2
Conservative Frederic Kelley 6,807 44.8
Majority 1,568 10.4
Turnout 83.9
Liberal hold Swing

In 1909, with the other MFGB-sponsored MPs, he joined the Labour Party, retaining his seat in his new colours.

General election January 1910: Hallamshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Wadsworth 10,193 62.2
Conservative Thomas Sutton Timmis 6,185 37.8
Majority 4,008 24.4
Turnout 82.2
Labour gain from Liberal Swing
General election December 1910: Hallamshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Wadsworth 8,708 59.9
Conservative David Thurston Smith 5,837 40.1
Majority 2,871 19.8
Turnout 73.0
Labour hold Swing

In 1915 he resigned the Labour whip and re-joined the Liberals.[1] He continued as MP until the seat's abolition for the 1918 general election.

References

  1. ^ The History of the Liberal Party, 1895–1970 by Roy Douglas (1971) p. 355
  • Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, Who's Who of British MPs: Volume II, 1886–1918
Trade union offices
Preceded by
George Cragg
 Vice-President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association
1889–1904 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association
1904–1906 		Succeeded by
Preceded by General Secretary of the Yorkshire Miners' Association
1906–1921 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Auditor of the Trades Union Congress
1903–1905
With: William Henry Wilkinson (1903–1904)
Joe Williams (1905) 		Succeeded by
Alfred Smalley and David Watts Morgan
Preceded by Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour
1908
With: Herbert Skinner 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Hallamshire
1906–1918 		Constituency abolished