Herbert Henry Elvin was a British

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.

Born in Eckington, Derbyshire

Eckington, Derbyshire

Eckington is a town in North East Derbyshire, 7 miles north of Chesterfield and 8.5 miles south of Sheffield on the border with South Yorkshire.Eckington has a population of 11,152....

, Elvin left school at the age of 14, although he later studied with the People's Palace

Queen Mary, University of London

Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...

, Birkbeck College and the City of London College

London Guildhall University

London Guildhall University was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002. On 1 August 2002, it merged with the University of North London to form London Metropolitan University...

. He became a preacher at the age of fifteen, and spent seven years in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Elvin joined the National Union of Clerks in 1894, and became a prominent figure, holding the post of honorary secretary from 1906, then general secretary from 1909, serving until 1941. He was elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress

Trades Union Congress

The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...

 (TUC) in 1925, and served as President of the TUC in 1938. He also worked as British labour advisor to the International Labour Organisation, and on the executive of the League of Nations Union

League of Nations Union

The League of Nations Union was an organization formed in the United Kingdom to promote international justice, collective security and a permanent peace between nations based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was established by the Great Powers as part of the Paris...

. In his spare time, he organised Slum Children's Outings for the East End

East End of London

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

. He also stood unsuccessfully as a 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...

 candidate in Bath

Bath (UK Parliament constituency)

Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...

 at the 1922 UK general election, then Watford

Watford (UK Parliament constituency)

Watford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

 in 1924, Spen Valley

Spen Valley (UK Parliament constituency)

Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...

 in 1929, and on one further occasion. He was elected to Middlesex County Council

Middlesex County Council

Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...

.

Two of Elvin's children became prominent figures: Lionel

Lionel Elvin

Herbert Lionel Elvin was an eminent educationist .Elvin was the son of Herbert Henry Elvin, General Secretary of the National Union of Clerks, and brother of George, who became General Secretary of the Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians.He studied at Southend High...

 became Principal of Ruskin College, and George became General Secretary of the Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians

Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians

The Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded by technicians at the Gaumont British Studios in 1933 as the Association of Cinematograph Technicians...

.