Joseph Pointer
Encyclopedia
Joseph Pointer was a British
Labour Party
Member of Parliament
.
Born in the Attercliffe
district of Sheffield
, Pointer became a convinced socialist early in his life, and joined the Independent Labour Party
. He attended Ruskin College in Oxford
for six months to study Constitutional History and Sociology
.
On his return to Sheffield, Pointer took part in a strike
, and was thereafter unable to gain regular employment. He was nonetheless elected Chair of the Sheffield Trades Council, and stood unsuccessfully for Sheffield City Council
in 1906 and 1907. In 1908, he was finally elected for the Brightside
ward.
In 1909, J. Batty Langley
, Liberal Party
MP for Sheffield Attercliffe died, and Pointer stood for the Labour Party
in the ensuing by-election
. With the right-wing vote divided between the Liberal candidate, and both official and unofficial Conservative Party
candidates, Pointer achieved a narrow victory, becoming Sheffield's first Labour MP. He held the seat in both the January and December 1910 general elections, which the Liberal Party did not contest.
In the House of Commons
, Pointer was appointed as a junior whip
, but died in Sheffield in 1914 aged 39.
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...
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...
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,...
.
Born in the Attercliffe
Attercliffe
Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don.-History:The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry in the Domesday book -Ateclive- meaning at the cliffe, a small escarpment that lay alongside the River Don...
district of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Pointer became a convinced socialist early in his life, and joined 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...
. He attended Ruskin College in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
for six months to study Constitutional History and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
On his return to Sheffield, Pointer took part in a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, and was thereafter unable to gain regular employment. He was nonetheless elected Chair of the Sheffield Trades Council, and stood unsuccessfully for Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
in 1906 and 1907. In 1908, he was finally elected for the Brightside
Brightside
Brightside can refer to:Places:*Brightside, South Yorkshire, district of Sheffield*Shiregreen and Brightside, ward in Sheffield*Sheffield Brightside *Brightside, California, in Alameda County...
ward.
In 1909, J. Batty Langley
J. Batty Langley
J. Batty Langley was a British Liberal Party politician.Born in Uppingham, Langley became a wealthy timber merchant in Sheffield, and one of the city's most prominent non-conformists. He was elected to Sheffield Town Council, serving many years and becoming an alderman.In 1892, Langley became...
, 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...
MP for Sheffield Attercliffe died, and Pointer stood for 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...
in the ensuing by-election
Sheffield Attercliffe by-election, 1909
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Sheffield Attercliffe on 4 May 1909.-Background:The election was caused by the resignation of J. Batty Langley, due to long-term ill health. He had been the Liberal Party Member of Parliament for the seat since an 1894...
. With the right-wing vote divided between the Liberal candidate, and both official and unofficial Conservative Party
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...
candidates, Pointer achieved a narrow victory, becoming Sheffield's first Labour MP. He held the seat in both the January and December 1910 general elections, which the Liberal Party did not contest.
In the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, Pointer was appointed as a junior whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
, but died in Sheffield in 1914 aged 39.
External links
- Sources for the Study of the Attercliffe By-election, 1909 Produced by Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives