George Howell
5678685
223615676
2008-07-04T22:11:03Z
Lightbot
7178666
Units/dates/other
{{Otherpersons}}
[[Image:GeorgeHowell.jpg|thumb|225px|George Howell]]
'''George Howell''' ([[5 October]] [[1833]] - [[16 September]] [[1911]]) was a prominent [[United Kingdom|British]] [[trade union]]ist and reform campaigner in the 19th century.
==Biography==
George Howell was born in [[Wrington]], [[Somerset]], the eldest of eight children. He was educated at a [[Church of England]] [[primary school]] in [[Bristol]] until the age of twelve, when he began work with his father, who owned a small builders. By the week he worked twelve hours a day as a mortar-boy, and later a [[bricklayer]], but dedicated Sundays to reading. Among his favourite books were [[John Foxe|John Foxe's]] ''[[Book of Martyrs]]'' and [[John Bunyan|John Bunyan's]] ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]''.
Howell grew to dislike his work as a builder so became an [[apprentice]] [[shoemaking|shoemaker]]. Some of the men he worked with were active [[chartists]] and introduced him to radical newspapers including the ''[[Northern Star (chartist newspaper)|Northern Star]]'' and the ''[[Red Republican (newspaper)|Red Republican]]''. As a result, he joined the chartist movement in 1848. Others of his colleagues were [[Methodists]], and Howell attended some of their meetings at Wrington Chapel, before becoming a [[lay preacher]]. He also became involved in the local [[temperance movement]].
Howell moved to [[London]] in 1854 where he resumed work as a bricklayer, unable to find employment as a shoemaker. He attended many radical political meetings and met prominent radical thinkers of the day, including [[Karl Marx]], [[George Holyoake]], [[Charles Bradlaugh]] and [[Frederic Harrison]]. He joined the [[Operative Bricklayers' Society]] (a [[New Model Trade Union]])in 1859, and played a part in leading [[strike action]] in support of a nine hour working day. Through his work with the union he became one of the foremost New Model unionists, along with [[Robert Applegarth]] and [[George Potter]], but was blacklisted by employers for five years.
He was elected, along with Potter and Applegarth, to the executive of the [[London Trades Council]] (LTC) in 1861 and became its secretary. He also became involved in the campaign for [[universal suffrage]], becoming full-time secretary of the [[Reform League]] in 1865. Howell organised demonstrations in London in 1866 and 1867, and played an important role in the campaign behind the [[1867 Reform Act]]. However, Howell was not satisfied with the scale of the reform and continued to campaign for universal suffrage.
In 1871 Howell was appointed secretary of the [[Trades Union Congress]] (TUC), and regularly contributed to the trade unionist journal [[The Bee-Hive (journal)|the Bee-Hive]] as well as publishing a number of books throughout the 1870s.
Howell attempted to be elected as a [[Member of Parliament]] in the [[United Kingdom general elections|general elections]] of [[United Kingdom general election, 1868|1868]], [[United Kingdom general election, 1874|1874]] and [[United Kingdom general election, 1880|1880]]. He finally succeeded in [[United Kingdom general election, 1885|1885]] as [[Lib-Lab]] candidate for [[Bethnal Green North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green North East]], London. In [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]], Howell helped to pass the [[Merchant Shipping Act 1894]] and successfully defended his seat in [[United Kingdom general election, 1886|1886]] and [[United Kingdom general election, 1892|1892]] but was defeated by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Mancherjee Bhownagree]] in [[United Kingdom general election, 1895|1895]].
In poor health, Howell retired from public life. His old friend Robert Applegarth and the TUC raised a £1650 testimonial to buy him an annuity before his death in 1911
==Notable works==
* ''A Handy Book of Labour Laws'' 1876
* ''Conflicts of Capital and Labour'' 1878
* ''Trade Unionism New and Old'' 1891
* ''Labour Legislation, Labour Movements and Labour Leaders'' 1902
==References==
*[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUhowell.htm Spartacus]
*[http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=1007 George Howell's archive and library at Bishopsgate Library]
{{start box}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Bethnal Green North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green North East]]
| years = [[1885 UK general election|1885]]–[[United Kingdom general election, 1895|1895]]
| before = ''New constituency''
| after = [[Mancherjee Bhownagree]]
}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
| title = Secretary of the [[London Trades Council]]
| years = 1861–1862
| before = [[Tom Jones (trade unionist)|Tom Jones]]
| after = [[George Odger]]
}}
{{succession box
| title = [[General Secretary of the TUC|Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC]]
| years = 1873–1876
| before = [[George Odger]]
| after = [[Henry Broadhurst]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, George}}
[[Category:Leaders of British trade unions]]
[[Category:Liberal MPs (UK)]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1885-1886]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1886-1892]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1892-1895]]
[[Category:Liberal-Labour politicians (UK)]]
[[Category:Bricklayers]]
[[Category:Chartists]]
[[Category:1833 births]]
[[Category:1911 deaths]]