William Bland (politician)

Last updated
Bland in 1913 William Bland - Keighley.png
Bland in 1913

William Bland (died 1945) was a British politician and trade unionist.

Bland worked as a joiner in Keighley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and was active in the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners. He was an early member of the Independent Labour Party (ILP) and, through it, became active in the Labour Party, serving as the secretary of the town's Labour Representation Committee. [1]

Two weeks before the 1913 Keighley by-election was held, the ILP proposed that Bland should stand in it. While the Labour Party had not been planning to stand a candidate, it found that support for Bland among the local party was very high, and so agreed to endorse his candidature, despite concerns about poor organisation in the local party. The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies also agreed to back Bland, as he was the only candidate committed to women's suffrage, although it decided against giving him financial backing. They were concerned that he would fail to match the 28.9% of the vote which William Crawford Anderson had received as the Labour candidate in the 1911 Keighley by-election, and that this would discredit their cause. Ultimately, Bland performed well, taking 29.8% of the vote, but third place. [2]

Another by-election arose in Keighley, in 1918. As World War I was underway, the main political parties had a national pact not to stand against each other, but the ILP opposed the war and decided to stand Bland in the election. Aware that he would not receive the endorsement of the Labour Party, he did not seek it, but he received the full backing of the ILP, which financially sponsored his candidacy, and was also backed by the local trades council. His campaign focused on ending the war by negotiation. [3] [4] Standing against a single opponent, the Liberal William Somervell, Bland received 32.5% of the votes cast. He declared that this total was in line with his expectations. [5]

Bland stood again in Keighley at the 1918 United Kingdom general election. Facing both Somervell and a new Conservative Party opponent, he took third place with 27.7% of the vote. [6] He subsequently focused on local politics, and served as Mayor of Keighley in 1928/28, [7] the first Labour Party politician to hold the post. He died in 1945. [8]

Related Research Articles

Independent Labour Party UK political party

The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893, when the Liberals appeared reluctant to endorse working-class candidates, representing the interests of the majority. A sitting independent MP and prominent union organiser, Keir Hardie, became its first chairman.

Fred Jowett

Frederick William Jowett was a British Labour politician.

Richard Collingham Wallhead, known as R. C. Wallhead, was a British Member of Parliament.

William Byles

Sir William Pollard Byles was a British newspaper owner and radical Liberal politician.

The Cleveland by-election, 1902 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Cleveland in the North Riding of Yorkshire on 5 November 1902.

William Somervell

William Henry Somervell was an English businessman, philanthropist and Liberal politician.

The Leeds South by-election, 1908 was a parliamentary by-election for the House of Commons constituency of Leeds South in the West Riding of Yorkshire held on 13 February 1908.

The Barnsley by-election, 1897, was a by-election held on 28 October 1897 for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was notable for its role in the development of the Independent Labour Party.

This article lists the Independent Labour Party's election results in UK parliamentary elections.

Edward Hartley British politician

Edward Robertshaw Hartley was a British socialist politician.

A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Sheffield Attercliffe on 4 May 1909.

The Keighley by-election, 1918 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire on 26 April 1918.

1914 North West Durham by-election

The North West Durham by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 30 January 1914. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

The Keighley by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

The Lancaster by-election, 1941 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Lancaster, Lancashire on 15 October 1941.

The Skipton by-election, 1944 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Skipton, Yorkshire held on 7 January 1944.

The Popular Front in the United Kingdom attempted an alliance between political parties and individuals of the left and centre-left in the late 1930s to come together to challenge the appeasement policies of the National Government led by Neville Chamberlain.

Robert Dunstan

Robert Dunstan was a British doctor and political activist.

S. M. Holden British journalist and political activist

Servetus Mortimer Holden was a British journalist and political activist. The only Parliamentary candidate ever put forward by the National Prohibition Party, he was associated with the labour movement and campaigned on old age pensions throughout his career.

The Colne Valley Labour Union (CVLU) was a political party based in the Colne Valley, in Yorkshire, in England. The first labour party organised on the basis of a Parliamentary constituency, it successfully backed Tom Mann as secretary of the Independent Labour Party, and Victor Grayson as the local Member of Parliament. Its successor is the Colne Valley Constituency Labour Party.

References

  1. ↑ James, David (1995). Class and Politics in a Northern Industrial Town. Ryburn Publications. p. 94.
  2. ↑ Velacott, Jo. From Liberal to Labour with Women's Suffrage (2nd ed.). pp. 304–305.
  3. ↑ "Keighley election: peace by negotiation". Manchester Guardian. 18 April 1918.
  4. ↑ "ILP to fight Keighley". Merthyr Pioneer. 20 April 1918.
  5. ↑ "Keighley Election". Manchester Guardian. 29 April 1918.
  6. ↑ F. W. S. Craig, British parliamentary election results 1918–1949
  7. ↑ "Mayors of Bradford" (PDF). City of Bradford MDC.
  8. ↑ Report of the 45th Annual Conference. London: Labour Party. 1945. p. 38.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.