John Gollan
British communist party leader (1911–1977)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Gollan (2 April 1911 – 5 September 1977) was a British political leader who was general secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) from 1956 to 1975.
John Gollan | |
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| 6th General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain | |
| In office 13 May 1956 – 11 March 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Pollitt |
| Succeeded by | Gordon McLennan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 April 1911 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 5 September 1977 (aged 66) |
| Party | Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) |
| Occupation | Painter, signwriter, newspaper editor |
Known for | British communist activism |
Biography
Gollan was born in Edinburgh, where he grew up and took his first job as a painter's apprentice. His first introduction to political activity was during the 1926 general strike when he helped distribute the papers of the strike committee. On International Workers' Day, 1 May, the following year, he joined the CPGB and its youth wing the Young Communist League (YCL). He became a signwriter, but his career was cut short in July 1931 when he was arrested for distributing anti-militarist leaflets. He had been organising soldiers to demand better rights and conditions, an activity for which he was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, which he served at HM Prison Edinburgh.[2] After a popular campaign calling for his release, he was freed in January 1932 and began working for the party.
Gollan became the editor of the YCL's newspaper The Young Worker and its successor publication Challenge. He did this for several years, until his election as General Secretary of the YCL in 1935.[3] He then held various regional posts, before becoming the party's national organiser in 1945. In 1949, he became assistant editor of the Daily Worker, and in 1954 he became the party's Assistant General Secretary.
In 1956, he became the party's General Secretary and immediately had to deal with the drop in membership following the Soviet crushing of the Hungarian Revolution. He held the post until 9 March 1975, when he resigned after being diagnosed with lung cancer,[4] and died in 1977. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.
