John Baker (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
John Baker was a British
trade unionist
and Labour Party
politician.
Born in Stockton-on-Tees
, Yorkshire
, he was the son of a bricklayer, also named John Baker. He held various jobs in iron foundries, steelworks, brickyards and engineering works prior to becoming a locomotive driver. In 1898 he became national organiser of the National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen and Cranemen, later rising to be general secretary in 1907. From 1906–1910 he was a member of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.
During the First World War
he served on munition tribunals and a number of government committees: the Ship Yard Labour Advisory Committee; the Labour Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Munitions and the Food Committee of the Ministry of Munitions.
An early member of the Labour Party, Baker was subsequently selected to contest parliamentary elections on behalf of the party. In 1918
he stood unsuccessfully at Kidderminster
, and also failed to be elected at Wolverhampton Bilston
in 1922
and 1923
. He was finally elected as Bilston's member of parliament at his third attempt the in the 1924 general election
. By this time he was an assistant secretary at the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
. He held the seat at the 1929 election
, but was unseated in 1931
following a split in the Labour Party and the formation of a National Government.
Baker was a writer on industrial economics and sat on Arthur Balfour
's Committee on Industry and Trade
.
By the time of his death in the North Middlesex Hospital
he was living in East Finchley
.
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 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.
Born in Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, he was the son of a bricklayer, also named John Baker. He held various jobs in iron foundries, steelworks, brickyards and engineering works prior to becoming a locomotive driver. In 1898 he became national organiser of the National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen and Cranemen, later rising to be general secretary in 1907. From 1906–1910 he was a member of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.
During the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served on munition tribunals and a number of government committees: the Ship Yard Labour Advisory Committee; the Labour Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Munitions and the Food Committee of the Ministry of Munitions.
An early member of the Labour Party, Baker was subsequently selected to contest parliamentary elections on behalf of the party. In 1918
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
he stood unsuccessfully at Kidderminster
Kidderminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Kidderminster was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
, and also failed to be elected at Wolverhampton Bilston
Bilston (UK Parliament constituency)
Bilston was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Bilston in what is now the southeast of the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands...
in 1922
United 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...
and 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. He was finally elected as Bilston's member of parliament at his third attempt the in the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
. By this time he was an assistant secretary at the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
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 :...
. He held the seat at the 1929 election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, but was unseated in 1931
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...
following a split in the Labour Party and the formation of a National Government.
Baker was a writer on industrial economics and sat on Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour, 1st Baron Riverdale
Arthur Balfour, 1st Baron Riverdale GBE , known as Sir Arthur Balfour, 1st Baronet, from 1929 to 1935, was a British steel manufacturer.Balfour was the son of Herbert Balfour...
's Committee on Industry and Trade
Committee on Industry and Trade
The Committee on Industry and Trade, also known as the Balfour Report because it was chaired by the industrialist Arthur Balfour, was a committee set up to discover the reasons for the United Kingdom's economic decline since the Great War...
.
By the time of his death in the North Middlesex Hospital
North Middlesex Hospital
The North Middlesex University Hospital, known locally as North Mid, is a District General Hospital in Edmonton, in the London Borough of Enfield, within the area served by the Enfield Primary Care NHS Trust.- History :...
he was living in East Finchley
East Finchley
East Finchley is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, in north London, and situated north-west of Charing Cross. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central to the west.- History :The land on which...
.