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Lord Castlereagh
Born Robert Stewart. Represented Tregony in the House of Commons. As leader, he introduced the bill for the suspension of Habeas Corpus. Represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna. (1769-1822)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRcastlereagh.htm
Lord Althorp
Leader of the Whigs in Parliament and the House of Commons. Opposed the idea of a ten-hour day for children factory workers and led the opposition to Michael Sadler and his supporters in the debates on this issue in 1832. Includes excerpts from speeches and letters. (1782-1845)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRalthorp.htm
Henry Brougham
Served in the House of Commons and became the leading spokesmen for the radicals. Played a role in persuading the House of Lords to pass the 1832 Reform Act. He was also responsible for the passing of the 1833 Anti-Slavery Act. (1778-1868)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbrougham.htm
Sir Francis Burdett
Supported the idea of parliamentary reform in the House of Commons. Was a strong advocate of religious toleration and several times attempted to persuade Parliament to grant Catholics equal rights with Protestants. (1770-1844)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRburdett.htm
John Burns
Elected to represent Battersea in the House of Commons. Responsible for the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1909 during his time in government. (1858-1943)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/REburns.htm
Thomas Burt
Elected to the House of Commons and campaigned for reform of the 1871 Trade Union Act, land reforms, the disestablishment of the Church of England, Irish Home Rule and adult male suffrage. Includes excerpts from writings of various authors. (1837-1922)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUburt.htm
Charles Corbett
Elected to House of Commons. Supported women's suffrage and opposed the 1902 Education Act.(1853-1935)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUcorbett.htm
Will Crooks
Chairman of the Public Control Committee and promoted fair wages. Became the first working-class member of the Poplar Board of Guardians. Elected to the House of Commons where he concentrated on the issue of unemployment. (1852-1921)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUcrooks.htm
James Keir Hardie
Elected to House of Commons and campaigned for the reform of Parliament. He was a supporter of the women's suffrage movement, the payment of MPs and the abolition of the House of Lords. (1856-1915)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRhardie.htm
Henry Fawcett
Elected Liberal MP for Brighton. Campaigned for equal rights for women in the House of Commons. Appointed as Postmaster General and introduced the parcel post, postal orders and the sixpenny telegram. (1833-1884)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRfawcett.htm
Harry Gosling
Instrumental in establishing the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). Was a member of the House of Commons. In 1927 published his autobiography, Up and Down Stream. (1861-1930)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUgosling.htm
Robert Cunninghame Graham
Elected to the House of Commons and was concerned about the plight of the unemployed and the preservation of civil liberties. Supported the eight-hour work day. Elected President of the National Party of Scotland. (1852-1936)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUcunninghame.htm
Jennie Lee
Elected to the House of Commons. Worked as a journalist for the Daily Mirror and married Aneurin Bevan. (1904-1988)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUlee.htm
Henry Orator Hunt
Radical reformer who advocated annual parliaments, universal suffrage, the secret ballot and the repeal of the Corn Laws. In the House of Commons he opposed the 1832 Reform Act as it did not grant the vote to working class males. (1773-1835)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRhunt.htm
Arthur Henderson
Elected as a paid organizer of the Iron Founders Union. Main person responsible for Labour and the Nation, a pamphlet that attempted to clarify the political aims of the Labour Party. MP for Widnes in the House of Commons. (1863-1935)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUhenderson.htm
John Hodge
Labour Party member of the House of Commons. Mainly concerned with trade union issues. Was president of the Iron & Steel Trades Confederation. (1855-1937)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUhodge.htm
George Howell
Campaigned for universal suffrage and published several books on trade unionism. Elected to House of Commons where he worked to pass the Merchant Shipping Bill that improved the working conditions of merchant seamen. (1833-1910)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUhowell.htm
George Lansbury
Labour member of Parliament. Reformer who campaigned against poverty and for woman suffrage. A lifelong pacifist, he defended conscientious objectors during World War I. (1859-1940)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRlansbury.htm
Alexander Macdonald
President of the Miners' National Association. Member of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions. Elected to the House of Commons. Strong supporter of Irish Home Rule. Includes excerpts from various writers. (1821-1881)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUmacdonald.htm
Joseph Chamberlain
Leader of the Liberal Unionists. Member of the House of Commons and appointed President of the Board of Trade. Favored tariff reform. (1836-1914)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRchamberlainJ.htm
Joseph Clynes
Was leader of the Labour Party in the House of Commons. Became a regular contributor to socialist newspapers. Includes excerpts from his Memoirs. (1869-1949)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUclynes.htm
Thomas Creevey
Represented Thetford in the House of Commons where he led the fight against the railways. Appointed by Lord Grey to the post of Treasurer of the Ordnance. (1768-1838)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRcreevey.htm
Thomas Cochrane
Represented Honiton in the House of Commons where he campaigned for parliamentary reform. Favored universal suffrage and spoke against the Gagging Acts. (1775-1860)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRcochrane.htm
Charles Fox
Represented Midhurst in the House of Commons when he was only nineteen. Promoted Catholic emancipation and opposed the slave trade. Favored Abolition of the Slave Trade bill in speech made in the House of Commons on June 10, 1806. (1749-1806)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRfox.htm
John Cam Hobhouse
Became the leading advocate of parliamentary reform and factory legislation in the House of Commons. Includes excerpt from his speech made on May 15, 1821. (1786-1869)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRhobhouse.htm
John Horne Tooke
Leader of the Bill of Rights Society and later formed the Constitutional Society, to campaign for parliamentary reform. (1736-1812)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRtooke.htm
Joseph Hume
Represented Tory party in House of Commons and later became a Whig. Considered the leader of the movement for universal suffrage. Advocated the setting up of savings banks, the abolition of flogging in the army and an end to imprisonment for debt. (1777-1855)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRhume.htm
Richard Potter
Represented Manchester in the House of Commons where he campaigned for parliamentary reform. (1778-1842)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRpotterR.htm
John Morley
Elected to the House of Commons in 1883. Staunch supporter of Irish Home Rule and parliamentary reform. Was opposed to Britain's involvement in the First World War and resigned from the government. (1838-1923)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jmorley.htm
Charles Masterman
Writer and politician. He wrote books such as From the Abyss and The Condition of England and served terms in both local and national governments. Includes brief history and accomplishments. (1873-1927)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PHmasterman.htm
Henry Snell
Member of the Labour Party and represented Woolwich in London in the 1922 General Election. Converted to socialism and joined the Fabian Society. Became leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords. (1865-1944)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUsnell.htm
John Wheatley
Represented the Labour Party in the House of Commons. Socialist who was opposed to Britain's involvement in the First World War and played an important role in the fight against conscription. (1869-1930)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUwheatley.htm
Ellen Wilkinson
Represented Middlesbrough East in the House of Commons. Active in women's suffrage movement and trade unions. Appointed Minister of Education, the first woman in British history to hold the post. (1891-1947)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUwilkinson.htm
Lord Ashley
Leader of the factory reform movement in the House of Commons. Helped set up the Children's Employment Commission and piloted the Coal Mines Act, which prohibited women and children from working underground. Includes excerpts from speeches.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRashley.htm
Thomas Attwood
Represented Birmingham in the House of Commons. Advocated currency reform, household suffrage, triennial parliaments, payment of MPs, and abolition of the property qualification. 1783-1859)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CHattwood.htm
Edward Baines
Represented Leeds in the House of Commons. Wrote History of the Cotton Manufacture in Great Britain in which he attacked those who had campaigned against child labour. (1800-1890)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbaines.htm
Joseph Brotherton
Elected to the House of Commons. Campaigned for many causes, such as against child labour in the textile industry, argued against the death penalty, for the improvement in working class education and for the establishment of public walks and open spaces in 1835. (1783-1837)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbrotherton.htm
William Cobbett
Journalist and publisher of the Political Register, the main newspaper read by the working class. Represented Oldham in the House of Commons where he concentrated his energies on attacking corruption in government and the 1834 Poor Law. (1763-1835)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRcobbett.htm
Richard Cobden
Advocate of free trade. Instrumental in establishing a new centralized Anti-Corn Law League. Elected Stockport's MP in 1841 and carried on the campaign in Parliament which led to eventual repeal of the Corn laws in 1846. (1804-1865)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRcobden.htm
Thomas Cooper
Journalist and the leading Chartist in Leicester. Found guilty of organizing the Plug Plot Riots and spent two years in prison. Became Baptist preacher and wrote his autobiography, The Life of Thomas Cooper. (1805-1892)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CHcooper.htm
15th Earl of Derby
Born Edward Stanley. Elected as the Conservative MP for King's Lynn. Later joined the new Liberal Unionist Party and became its leader in the House of Lords. Supported parliamentary reform and opposed the acquisition of Cyprus and the Afghan War in 1879. (1826-1893)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRderby.htm
Thomas Duncombe
Represented Hertford in the House of Commons. Strong supporter of parliamentary reform and argued the case for universal suffrage. (1796-1861)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CHduncombe.htm
Herbert Samuel
Member of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons. Issued report about the problems of the mining industry. Granted the title Viscount Samuel and later became leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords. (1870-1963)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRsamuel.htm
Frederick Smith
Member of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons. Became Attorney General and Secretary of State for India. After retiring from politics he was Rector of Aberdeen University. (1872-1930)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbirkenhead.htm
Jimmy Thomas
Active member of the Associated Society of Railway Servants Union. Elected to the House of Commons in 1910. He retained his position in the union and helped organize the railway strike of 1911. (1874-1949)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUthomas.htm
Will Thorne
Helped to establish the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers. Led successful negotiations for an eight-hour day. Represented West Ham in the House of Commons in the 1906 General Election. (1857-1946)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUthorne.htm
Josiah Wedgwood
Joined the Independent Labour Party where he found considerable support for his single tax proposals. Became Chairman of the German Refugee Hospitality Committee. Was granted the title Baron Wedgwood of Barlaston and spent the last few months of his political life in the House of Lords. (1872-1943)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUwedgwood.htm
Aneurin Bevan
Long-time leader of the left-wing Labour Party and Minister of Health. Includes excerpts from the works of various writers. (1897-1960)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUbevan.htm
James Maxton
Leading figure in the Independent Labour Party in Scotland. Was elected as MP for Bridgeton, Glasgow. A pacifist, he was opposed to Britain's involvement in the World War I. (1885-1946)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUmaxton.htm
Oswald Mosley
Represented Harrow in the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative and Labour parties. Became leader of the British Union of Fascists. Includes excerpts from writings of various authors. (1896-19890)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRmosley.htm
John Fielden
Founder member of the Todmorden Unitarian Society, a religious group active in the social reform movement. Leader of the reform movement in the House of Commons and campaigned for a ten-hour work day. Includes excerpts from his writings.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRfielden.htm
George Hudson
Formed the Midland Railway Company. Leader of the Conservative Party in York and held a series of political positions in the city. (1800-1871)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RAhudson.htm
Thomas Wakley
Spent seventeen years in the House of Commons. Campaigned for an extension of the vote, removal of property qualifications for parliamentary candidates, repeal of the Corn Laws, abolition of slavery and suspension of the Newspaper Stamp Act. (1796-1862)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRwakely.htm
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Served in various parliament positions and became leader of the House of Commons. Opposed the Boer War and advocated comprehensive social reforms. (1836-1908)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbannerman.htm
Herbert Asquith
Liberal MP and served as prime minister from 1908-16. Introduced series of reforms including the Old Age Pensions Act and the People's Budget that resulted in a conflict with the House of Lords. Granted the title, the Earl of Oxford, in 1925. (1852-1928)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRasquith.htm
William Jolliffe
Represented Petersfield as a Tory candidate and served in the House of Commons from 1837 through 1866 when he was granted the title Baron Hylton. (1800-1876)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRjolliffe.htm
Thomas Macaulay
Represented Edinburgh in the House of Commons where he played an active role in support of John Fielden and his campaign for the Ten Hour Act. Wrote four-volume History of England, a work which was translated into many languages. (1800-1859)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRmacaulay.htm
Lord Morpeth
Member of the Whig party and supporter of parliamentary reform. Appointed chief secretary for Ireland for six years and carried through Parliament several reforms including the Irish Tithe Bill, the Irish Municipal Reform Bill and the Irish Poor Law Bill. (1802-1864)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRhoward.htm
Daniel O'Connell
Barrister in Ireland and politician. Acknowledged as the leader of the Catholic Emancipation movement. In the House of Commons was active in the campaigns for prison and law reform, free trade, the abolition of slavery and Jewish emancipation. (1775-1847)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRoconnell.htm
Feargus O'Connor
Elected MP for County Cork in the General Election of 1832 after advocating the repeal of the Act of Union, abolition of tithes, universal suffrage and the secret ballot. Became active in the Chartist movement and formed the East London Democratic Association. (1796-1855)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CHoconnor.htm
John Roebuck
Led the campaign in the House of Commons to free the Tolpuddle Martyrs and called for the repeal of the Corn Laws. Spoke in favor of the Chartist movement and helped present their petition to Parliament in 1842. (1802-1879)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRroebuck.htm
Michael Sadler
Served in the House of Commons and advocated decrease in children's working hours. Interviewed doctors experienced in treating people who worked in textile factories and published his report in 1833. (1780-1835)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRsadler.htm
Robert Stephenson
Founder of the first company in the world that built locomotives. Elected as the Conservative MP for Whitby. He did not take an active role in the House of Commons and usually only contributed to debates on engineering issues.(1803-1859)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RAstephensonR.htm
Robert Smillie
Was president of the Scottish Miners' Federation and president of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. Advocated the nationalization of mines. Served as a Labour member of Parliament from 1923 to 1929. (1857-1940)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUsmillie.htm
Richard Sheridan
Playwright who produced his most popular comedy, The School for Scandal. Abandoned writing to represent Stafford in the House of Commons. Strong supporter of an uncensored press and argued strenuously against attempts to use the libel laws to prevent criticism of the government. (1751-1816)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRsheridan.htm
Horace Twiss
Tory Party member who was considered to be one of the best orators in the House of Commons and a leading opponent of Earl Grey's proposals for parliamentary reform. Later became a journalist and wrote accounts of parliamentary debates and editorials for The Times. (1787-1849)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRtwiss.htm
William Wilberforce
Founded the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Also led the campaign in the House of Commons, which tried to persuade the House of Lords to stop slavery. (1759-1833)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/REwilberforce.htm
John Wilkes
Elected MP for Aylesbury. Established The North Briton, a newspaper that severely attacked the king and his Prime Minister. Campaigned for religious toleration and introduced the first motion for parliamentary reform. (1725-1797)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRwilkes.htm
Lord Beaverbrook
Born William Maxwell Aitken. Became the Conservative member for Ashton-under-Lyne in the House of Commons. In 1918 David Lloyd George granted him the title, Lord Beaverbrook, and appointed him as Minister of Information in his wartime coalition government. (1879-1964)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/BUbeaverbrook.htm
Joseph Arch
President of the National Agricultural Labourers' Union. Elected as the Liberal Party MP and the first agricultural labourer to be a member of the House of Commons. (1826-1922)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUarch.htm
William Arrol
Railway contractor, whose company secured a contract for the Caledonian Railway Bridge, Forth Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge in London. His company also built bridges in Australia and Egypt. Served as the Liberal MP for South Ayrshire. (1839-1913)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RAarrol.htm
George Barnes
Elected as General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. Formed the National Committee of Organised Labour for Old Age Pensions. Became leader of the Labour Party in 1910. (1859-1940)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUbarnes.htm
Michael Bass
Liberal Party member in the House of Commons. Worked behind the scenes for legislation that would improve the standard of living of the working classes. Supporter of trade unions. (1799-1884)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbass.htm
Richard Bell
Active in the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and became organizing secretary of the union. Selected as the Labour Representation Committee candidate from Derby in the House of Commons. (1859-1930)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUbell.htm
John Benn
Liberal Party representative for Wapping in the House of Commons. As Chairman of the Highways Committee, he pioneered the idea of a cheap, efficient and integrated municipal transport system and was responsible for the introduction of London's electric tramway. (1850-1922)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUbennJ.htm
William Wedgwood Benn
Elected to represent Liberal party in the House of Commons in 1906 and was a strong supporter of the trade union movement. Later trained as a pilot and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the French Croix de Guerre and the Italian Military Cross in World War I. (1877-1960)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUbenn.htm
Charles Bradlaugh
Recognized as one of the leading freethinkers in Britain. In 1866 he helped to establish the National Secular Society, an organization opposed to Christian dogma. (1833-1891)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbradlaugh.htm
John Bright
Quaker who was elected to represent Durham in the House of Commons and campaigned for the repeal of the Corn Laws. Became one of the leading advocates for universal suffrage. (1811-1889)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbright.htm
Henry Broadhurst
Campaigned to reduce the working week and increase wages in the building industry. In the House of Commons he led the campaign for a government commission to investigate working-class housing. (1840-1911)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUbroadhurst.htm
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