View source for James Mawdsley (trade unionist)

{{Short description|British trade unionist (1848–1902)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:James Mawdsley (trade unionist).jpg|thumb|Mawdsley {{circa}} 1899]]
'''James Mawdsley''' (9 January 1848 &ndash; 4 February 1902) was an English [[trade unionist]]. Alongside [[Winston Churchill]], he stood as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] candidate in the double [[1899 Oldham by-election|Oldham by-election of 1899]].
He was born in [[Preston, Lancashire]], to cotton spinner James Mawdsley and his wife, Jane.<ref name=odnb />
From the age of 9, the young James worked in a [[cotton mill]] as a "half-timer" (he spent half the working day in the mill and half at school).<ref name="Lan">{{cite journal |title=Mr James Mawdsley |journal=Lancashire Faces & Places |date=May 1901 |volume=1 |issue=5 |pages=71–72}}</ref> By the age of 16, he was working full-time.
In 1871, Mawdsley married Ann Wright, and they had seven children together. In 1878, he became the General Secretary of the [[Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners]].<ref name=odnb /> At the time, cotton spinners were considered an elite group by other union factions.<ref name=Howell /> Shortly after his appointment he led the operatives in south east Lancashire in a strike against a 20% reduction in wages, securing 5% of this back in early 1880. In 1885 south east Lancashire employers sought a 10% reduction in wages. Again compromise was reached and a 5% reduction imposed.<ref name="Lan"/>
In 1886, the Association worked with the [[Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing Room Operatives]] and the [[Northern Counties Weavers Amalgamation]] to form the [[United Textile Factory Workers Association]]; the collaboration was brought about because the unions desired to promote legislation. Mawdsley became General Secretary. Under his leadership, the UTFWA was regarded as a sober and moderate union, which was opposed to [[socialism]].<ref>[[Frank Bealey]] and Henry Pelling, "Labour and Politics 1900–1906", Macmillan, 1958, p. 99.</ref>
Through much of the 1880s and 1890s, Mawdsley sat on the [[Trades Union Congress]] (TUC)'s [[parliamentary committee]] and was chairman of the TUC in 1885.<ref name=odnb /> Mawdsley was politically active; in line with most other cotton workers but against the majority of trade unionists, Mawdsley was a supporter of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].
In 1895 there was a nascent plan for Mawdsley to stand for Parliament as a Conservative, in conjunction with [[David Holmes (trade unionist)|David Holmes]] of the Weavers' union as a Liberal, both being regarded as Labour representatives.<ref>Bealey and Pelling (1958), p. 17.</ref>
In 1899, a double [[Oldham by-election, 1899|by-election was held]] in [[Oldham]]. Mawdsley was chosen as a candidate, alongside future British Prime Minister, [[Winston Churchill]]. Mawdsley was unusual as a Conservative Party candidate, who was also heavily involved in trade unions.<ref name=Wrigley /> He was also one of the first trade unionists to be associated with.<ref name=Wrigley />
Mawdsley died in 1902 at Taunton, [[Ashton-under-Lyne]] from complications following an accident. His injuries were sustained by sitting in a china bath and breaking it.<ref>{{cite book |title=Churchill |url=https://archive.org/details/churchillbiograp00jenk |url-access=registration |last=Jenkins |first=Roy |year=2001 |publisher=Pan |isbn=0-330-48805-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/churchillbiograp00jenk/page/47 47] }}</ref>
He was buried at Christ Church, Ashton-under-Lyne.<ref name=odnb />
==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=odnb>{{Cite news  | last = Bythell  | first = Duncan  | title = Mawdsley, James (1848–1902)  | newspaper = [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]  | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]]  | date = May 2006  | url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/34951  | doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/34951  | access-date =17 August 2010  }}</ref>
<ref name=Howell>[[#Howell|Howell (1984)]], p. 54.</ref>
<ref name=Wrigley>[[#Wrigley|Wrigley (2002)]], p. 257.</ref>
}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Howell
| first = David
| title = British Workers and the Independent Labour Party, 1888–1906
| publisher = [[Manchester University Press|Manchester University Press ND]]
| location = [[Manchester]]
| year = 1984
| isbn = 0-7190-1791-2
| ref = Howell}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Wrigley
| first = Chris
| title = Winston Churchill: A Biographical Companion
| publisher = [[ABC-CLIO]]
| location = [[Santa Barbara, California]]
| year = 2002
| isbn = 0-87436-990-8
| ref = Wrigley}}
{{refend}}
{{start box}}
{{s-npo|union}}
{{succession box
| title  = Chairman of the [[Parliamentary Committee of the TUC]]
| years  = 1886–1887
| before = [[J. S. Murchie]]
| after  = [[James Millar Jack]]
}}
{{succession box|title=Secretary of the [[United Textile Factory Workers' Association]]|years=c. 1892–1902|before=[[Thomas Birtwistle]]|after=[[Joseph Cross (trade unionist)|Joseph Cross]]}}
{{succession box|title=General Secretary of the [[International Federation of Textile Workers]]|years=1893&ndash;1895|before=''New position''|after=[[Ferdinand Hardijns]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Trades Union Congress]] representative to the [[American Federation of Labour]]|years=1895|with=[[Edward Cowey]]|before=[[John Burns]] and [[David Holmes (trade unionist)|David Holmes]]|after=[[John Mallinson (trade unionist)|John Mallinson]] and [[Sam Woods (politician)|Sam Woods]]}}
{{end box}}
{{UTFWA}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mawdsley, James}}
[[Category:1848 births]]
[[Category:1902 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in England]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates]]
[[Category:Trade unionists from Preston, Lancashire]]
[[Category:Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England]]
[[Category:General secretaries of the Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners]]
[[Category:General secretaries of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress]]
[[Category:Politicians from Preston, Lancashire]]