Henry Nixon (politician)
Encyclopedia
Henry Nixon was a British
steelworker, trade unionist and politician. He was General President of the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Cokeworkers, Ironstone Miners, and Kindred Trades
and served briefly in Parliament representing the Labour Party
.
, the son of William Nixon. He left school when young to work in the blast furnace
s of the local iron and steel industry, staying in the same industry after moving to Scunthorpe
. He joined the Blastfurnacemen and Coke Oven Workers Union, and became the East Midlands Secretary of the union. His involvement in politics began when he was elected to Eston
Urban District Council, on which he served for three years. In 1896 he married Naomi Would, of Coningsby
in Lincolnshire
.
, Nixon was the Labour Party candidate for the Newark
division of Nottinghamshire; he polled 8,378 votes in a straight fight with the Conservatives, who won with 15,423 votes.
, Nixon was adopted as Labour Party candidate for The Wrekin
division of Shropshire, which included Ironbridge
and Coalbrookdale
, towns known for their pioneering role in the Iron industry. The constituency was considered winnable. The sitting MP, Conservative Howard Button, was a supporter of free trade
and had decided to stand down when Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin
called the election on a policy of introducing protective tariffs
, and the new Conservative candidate was a colliery owner. The Liberal Party initially considered bringing forward a candidate, which prompted Labour to threaten to stand in neighbouring Shrewsbury
where the Liberals had hopes, but eventually both seats were straight fights. On election day Nixon won The Wrekin by 1,383 votes (and the Liberal candidate also won Shrewsbury). He was the first Labour MP to be elected from Shropshire
.
Bill.
by a working-class Conservative candidate. Despite Labour being thought to have a solid base, Nixon lost the seat by 2,878 votes. He returned to his union work, and attended the annual meeting of the British section of the International Metal Workers Federation at York in July 1925. Nixon was chosen to fight Gloucester
at the 1929 general election
, hoping that the Liberals would succeed in attracting the votes of people who had voted Conservative at the previous election so that Labour would win the seat. However Nixon was defeated by 493 votes. When the Metalliferous Mines committee was divided in two, Nixon was named to the iron ore sub-committee in October 1930.
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...
steelworker, trade unionist and politician. He was General President of the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Cokeworkers, Ironstone Miners, and Kindred Trades
Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of Community.- History :...
and served briefly in Parliament representing the 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...
.
Working life
Nixon was born in MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, the son of William Nixon. He left school when young to work in the blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s of the local iron and steel industry, staying in the same industry after moving to Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
. He joined the Blastfurnacemen and Coke Oven Workers Union, and became the East Midlands Secretary of the union. His involvement in politics began when he was elected to Eston
Eston
Eston is a town within the Unitary Authority of Redcar and Cleveland, England. Within the Middlesbrough agglomeration it falls inside the Greater Eston initiative...
Urban District Council, on which he served for three years. In 1896 he married Naomi Would, of Coningsby
Coningsby
Coningsby is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Taking its name from the Old Norse 'konungr' meaning 'King' with an Old Norse suffix 'by' meaning 'the settlement of' which gives Coningsby the meaning 'The Settlement of the King'...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
Lincolnshire politics
Nixon was elected to Scunthorpe Urban District Council on which he served for five years. He was also elected to Lindsey County Council for three years. Nixon was Vice-Chairman of Scunthorpe and District War Memorial Hospital. He also advanced in his union, being a permanent union agent (after 30 years working at the blast furnaces), and was also elected as President of the National Federation - a post in which he served for ten years. In November 1921 he was named by the government as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Metalliferous Mining Industry, representing his union, being reappointed in January 1924 when the committee was reconstituted. At the 1922 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, Nixon was the Labour Party candidate for the Newark
Newark (UK Parliament constituency)
Newark is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885, it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
division of Nottinghamshire; he polled 8,378 votes in a straight fight with the Conservatives, who won with 15,423 votes.
1923 election
At the general election in December 1923United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Nixon was adopted as Labour Party candidate for The Wrekin
The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)
The Wrekin is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
division of Shropshire, which included Ironbridge
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
and Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
, towns known for their pioneering role in the Iron industry. The constituency was considered winnable. The sitting MP, Conservative Howard Button, was a supporter of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and had decided to stand down when Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
called the election on a policy of introducing protective tariffs
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
, and the new Conservative candidate was a colliery owner. The Liberal Party initially considered bringing forward a candidate, which prompted Labour to threaten to stand in neighbouring Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury was a parliamentary constituency in England, centred on the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.It was founded in 1290 as parliamentary borough, returning two members to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the...
where the Liberals had hopes, but eventually both seats were straight fights. On election day Nixon won The Wrekin by 1,383 votes (and the Liberal candidate also won Shrewsbury). He was the first Labour MP to be elected from Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Parliament
Nixon's Parliamentary contributions were not extensive, consisting mostly of questions concerning his constituency; he made his only brief speech on 10 July, complaining of inequity in the compensation paid to victims of air raids. In early May, along with a majority of Labour MPs but on a free vote, he voted against the Proportional RepresentationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
Bill.
Later life
When the Labour government was defeated in October 1924 and dissolved Parliament, Nixon found himself opposed at the general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
by a working-class Conservative candidate. Despite Labour being thought to have a solid base, Nixon lost the seat by 2,878 votes. He returned to his union work, and attended the annual meeting of the British section of the International Metal Workers Federation at York in July 1925. Nixon was chosen to fight Gloucester
Gloucester (UK Parliament constituency)
Gloucester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was established in 1295 to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons but in 1885 representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885...
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, hoping that the Liberals would succeed in attracting the votes of people who had voted Conservative at the previous election so that Labour would win the seat. However Nixon was defeated by 493 votes. When the Metalliferous Mines committee was divided in two, Nixon was named to the iron ore sub-committee in October 1930.