Frederick Gould
Encyclopedia
Frederick Gould OBE
(28 June 1879 – 23 February 1971) was an English
trade union
ist and Labour Party
politician who was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Frome
from 1923 to 1924 and from 1929 to 1931. He was also the father of Sir Ronald Gould
, teacher and trade unionist.
.
He married Emma Gay (born 1880, Radstock
), at 24, and his first child Ronald was born ten months later. Emma was descended from the playwright John Gay
. She had been a servant to the Monckton family at Clevedon
, her duties including looking after their children including the young Sir Walter Monckton
.
. In 1908 he became an unpaid organiser for the Independent Labour Party
and started several branches. In 1910 he won a seat on Radstock
Urban District Council.
He successfully stood as Labour MP at the General Election on 6 December 1923. He lost the seat in the election of 1924, but regained it in 1929. He become a parliamentary private secretary in 1930, but lost the seat in Labour’s electoral defeat in 1931. At that point his union decided that it wanted him to fight a seat with a larger proportion of footwear workers, and he was to be defeated at the 1935 election in Leicester East. He received the OBE in 1945.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(28 June 1879 – 23 February 1971) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
trade union
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 was 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 Frome
Frome (UK Parliament constituency)
Frome was a constituency centred on the town of Frome in Somerset. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832, until it was abolished for the 1950 general election...
from 1923 to 1924 and from 1929 to 1931. He was also the father of Sir Ronald Gould
Ronald Gould
Sir Ronald Gould was General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers from 1947–1970. He was the son of the Labour MP Frederick Gould.-Early life:He was born in Midsomer Norton, Somerset...
, teacher and trade unionist.
Early life
Gould was born in Midsomer Norton. He came from a mining family with a strong Methodist background. His father had been one of the founders of the Somerset Miners' Federation. Frederick attended his local Church of England school. He left school at 12 and began work as a stable boy. A few years later he took a job as a 'rounder' Ollie Edwards's Boot Factory in Midsomer NortonMidsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
.
He married Emma Gay (born 1880, Radstock
Radstock
Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...
), at 24, and his first child Ronald was born ten months later. Emma was descended from the playwright John Gay
John Gay
John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
. She had been a servant to the Monckton family at Clevedon
Clevedon
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...
, her duties including looking after their children including the young Sir Walter Monckton
Walter Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Walter Turner Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, GCVO, KCMG, MC, PC was a British politician.-Early years:...
.
Political career
He became local secretary of the National Union of Boot and Shoe OperativesNational Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives
The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded in 1873, when many riveters and finishers left the Amalgamated Association of Boot and Shoemakers . They were dissatisfied by their low status within the old union, and instead formed the...
. In 1908 he became an unpaid organiser for the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
and started several branches. In 1910 he won a seat on Radstock
Radstock
Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...
Urban District Council.
He successfully stood as Labour MP at the General Election on 6 December 1923. He lost the seat in the election of 1924, but regained it in 1929. He become a parliamentary private secretary in 1930, but lost the seat in Labour’s electoral defeat in 1931. At that point his union decided that it wanted him to fight a seat with a larger proportion of footwear workers, and he was to be defeated at the 1935 election in Leicester East. He received the OBE in 1945.