Tom Williamson, Baron Williamson
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Williamson, Baron Williamson CBE
(2 September 1897 – 27 February 1983) was a trade union
ist and Labour Party
politician in the United Kingdom
.
He was General Secretary of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers from 1946 to 1961, and President of the Trades Union Congress
from 1957 to 1958.
At the 1945 general election
, he was elected as Member of Parliament
for the Brigg constituency
in Lincolnshire
. He resigned his seat
in 1948, and the resulting by-election
was won by Labour's Lance Mallalieu
.
Williamson was made a life peer
on 15 May 1962, as Baron Williamson, of Eccleston in the Borough of St. Helens in the County Palatine of Lancaster. He died in 1983, aged 85.
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...
(2 September 1897 – 27 February 1983) was a 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 in the United Kingdom
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...
.
He was General Secretary of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers from 1946 to 1961, and President of the Trades Union Congress
President of the Trades Union Congress
The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...
from 1957 to 1958.
At the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, he was elected as 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,...
for the Brigg constituency
Brigg (UK Parliament constituency)
Brigg was a county constituency centred on the town of Brigg in North Lincolnshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
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...
. He resigned his seat
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
in 1948, and the resulting by-election
Brigg by-election, 1948
The Brigg by-election, 1948 was a by-election held on 24th March 1948 for the British House of Commons constituency of Brigg in Lincolnshire.The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the constituency's Labour Party Member of Parliament Tom Williamson, a trade union leader who had held...
was won by Labour's Lance Mallalieu
Lance Mallalieu
Sir Edward Lancelot Mallalieu , known as Lance Mallalieu, was a British politician.Lancelot Mallalieu attended the Dragon School in Oxford....
.
Williamson was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
on 15 May 1962, as Baron Williamson, of Eccleston in the Borough of St. Helens in the County Palatine of Lancaster. He died in 1983, aged 85.