Archibald Gossling
Encyclopedia
Archibald George Gossling (1878 – 19 May 1950) was a British
trade unionist
and Labour
politician.
Gossling was a joiner
by trade, and became a member of the executive of the National Federation of Building Trades Operatives
and the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers
. In 1924
he was chosen to contest the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Yardley for the Labour Party. He failed to unseat the sitting Coalition Conservative MP
, Alfred Jephcott
, who retained the seat with a majority of nearly 2,000 votes.
At the next general election
, five years later, Gossling was again chosen as Labour candidate. This time he faced two opponents, Edward Salt
of the Conservatives
and C A Beaumont of the Liberal Party
. Gossling benefited from a large rise in support for Labour and the presence of the third candidate. He was elected to the Commons with a majority of 4,366 votes over Salt, while Beaumont secured 5,500 votes.
Two years later another election was held
. This followed the collapse of the Labour administration and the formation of a National Government, and Labour's vote dropped sharply. Gossling's Conservative opponent was again Edward Salt, the only other candidate being E J Bartlett of the New Party. Gossling was heavily defeated, with Salt winning the seat for the government by a majority of more than 15,000 votes.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
trade unionist
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...
and 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...
politician.
Gossling was a joiner
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
by trade, and became a member of the executive of the National Federation of Building Trades Operatives
Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians
The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians is a British and Irish trade union which represents, as of December 2009, 127,433 workers in construction and allied trades, an increase of nearly 17,000 since 2003....
and the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers
Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers
The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers was a British trades union representing carpenters, joiners and allied trades. The ASW was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of two smaller unions...
. In 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
he was chosen to contest the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Yardley for the Labour Party. He failed to unseat the sitting Coalition Conservative 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,...
, Alfred Jephcott
Alfred Jephcott
Alfred Roger Jephcott JP was an English engineer, trade unionist and Conservative Party politician from Birmingham. He sat in the House of Commons from 1918 to 1929.- Early life and family :...
, who retained the seat with a majority of nearly 2,000 votes.
At the next general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, five years later, Gossling was again chosen as Labour candidate. This time he faced two opponents, Edward Salt
Edward William Salt
Sir Edward William Salt was a Conservative Member of Parliament for the Birmingham Yardley constituency from 1931 to 1945....
of the Conservatives
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...
and C A Beaumont of the Liberal Party
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...
. Gossling benefited from a large rise in support for Labour and the presence of the third candidate. He was elected to the Commons with a majority of 4,366 votes over Salt, while Beaumont secured 5,500 votes.
Two years later another election was held
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...
. This followed the collapse of the Labour administration and the formation of a National Government, and Labour's vote dropped sharply. Gossling's Conservative opponent was again Edward Salt, the only other candidate being E J Bartlett of the New Party. Gossling was heavily defeated, with Salt winning the seat for the government by a majority of more than 15,000 votes.