Alfred Henry Gill
English Labour Member of Parliament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alfred Henry Gill (3 December 1856 – 27 August 1914)[1] was an English Labour Member of Parliament for Bolton.
Alfred Henry Gill | |
|---|---|
Gill in the mid 1900s | |
| Deputy Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 9 February 1914 – 27 August 1914 | |
| Leader | Ramsay MacDonald Arthur Henderson |
| Preceded by | James Parker |
| Succeeded by | John Hodge |
| Member of Parliament for Bolton | |
| In office 8 February 1906 – 27 August 1914 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Shepherd-Cross |
| Succeeded by | Robert Tootill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfred Henry Gill 3 December 1856 Rochdale, Lancashire, UK |
| Died | 27 August 1914 (aged 57) |
| Party | Labour |
| Spouse | Sarah Ellen Greenwood |
| Children | 5 |
| Parents |
|
| Education | St. Mary's Elementary School |
Early life and career
He was born in Rochdale, the son of John and Mary (née Stott) Gill, and educated at St. Mary's Elementary School, Balderstone. He started work in a cotton mill at the age of 10, became an active campaigner for workers' rights and rose to be General Secretary of the Bolton Operative Spinners Association, a locally important trade union. He also served as a Justice of the Peace (JP) for Bolton from 1899.
Political career
In 1906 he entered Parliament as the junior MP for Bolton, one of the 29 original members of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Their victories in the polls were made possible by a deal with the Liberal Party, whereby the Liberals would give up selected seats and support the Labour candidate instead. He subsequently held the seat, latterly as the senior MP, until his death from anaemia in 1914. Throughout his time in Parliament he fought for better health and safety in the workplace. At the time of his death he was vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party.[2]
Personal life and death
He married Sarah Ellen Greenwood in Rochdale and had a son and four daughters.
He died in 1914 and is buried in Heaton Cemetery, Bolton.
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