Fred Henderson (actor)
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James Frederick Henderson (February 1867 – 18 July 1957) was an English
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
writer and journalist, and a Labour Party politician.


Early life

Born in
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
, he was the son of James Alexander Henderson, a clothier. He was educated at the city's Old Presbyterian School, the Belfast Mercantile Academy and
Owens College, Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...
. He first worked as a journalist for '' The Star'' newspaper in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, where he met T. P. O'Connor,
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
and
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...
, and became a committed
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
. He corresponded with Morris from
Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
. In Norwich, Henderson was involved in a local branch of the Socialist League in 1886. In the following year, he was arrested on 14 January with
Charles Mowbray Charles Wilfred Mowbray (1857 – December 1910) was an English Anarcho-communism, anarcho-communist agitator, tailor, trade unionist and public speaker. Mowbray was an active orator and agitator in the Labour Emancipation League, and then the S ...
, and sentenced to four months imprisonment for incitement to riot after groups of unemployed workers looted food shops. He was detained in
Norwich Gaol Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
where he was one of the last prisoners in England to be put to work on the
penal treadmill A penal treadmill (penal treadwheel or everlasting staircase) was a treadwheel or treadmill with steps set into two cast iron wheels. These drove a shaft that could be used to mill corn, pump water, or connect to a large fan for resistance. ...
. In August 1887, Michael McCartan put a question in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
about Henderson's July arrest by a mounted police constable, replied to by Henry Matthews.
Cunninghame Graham Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham (24 May 1852 – 20 March 1936) was a Scottish politician, writer, journalist and adventurer. He was a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP); the first ever socialist member of the Parliam ...
also involved himself in the question. In 1887, Henderson annoyed Mowbray by claiming a leadership role of the "Anarchist Group." By 1888, matters were different, when Henderson joined forces with John Lincoln Mahon to organise a "Labour Party." His name was linked in 1889 to Mahon's as labour agitators in hostile comment from ''St Stephen's Review''. It referred to the
1889 London dock strike The 1889 London dock strike was an industrial dispute involving dock workers in the Port of London. It broke out on 14 August 1889, and resulted in victory for the 100,000 strikers when they won their pay claim of sixpence per hour, the so-calle ...
, and
Henry Cecil Raikes Henry Cecil Raikes PC (18 November 1838 – 24 August 1891) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was Chairman of Ways and Means between 1874 and 1880 and served as Postmaster General between 1886 and 1891. Background and educati ...
as Postmaster-General resisting unionisation of postal workers. A damning unsigned newspaper article from the time of the 1893 scandal conceded that Henderson "had a glib tongue and took a useful part in the work of administration at the time of the great dock strike." He entered local politics in 1890 when he was elected to the Norwich
Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...
.


London politics

By 1892, Henderson was back in London, where he founded the Clapham Labour League. He was one of six candidates supported by the
Labour Representation League The Labour Representation League (LRL), organised in November 1869, was a forerunner of the British Labour Party. Its original purpose was to register the working class to vote, and get workers into Parliament. It had limited power, described ...
who were elected to the
London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...
, representing
Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...
. These "
Lib-Lab The Liberal–Labour movement was the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions. These candidates stood for the British Parliament with the aim of representing the ...
" councilors formed part of the majority Liberal-backed Progressive Party that controlled the council. In 1893, he showed an interest in the National Free Labour Association of William Collison, which was not reciprocated. His membership of the council was to last only a year, however: on 9 March 1893 he was found guilty of stealing three
shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...
s from a prostitute, and he was sentenced to four months imprisonment with hard labour. Although he protested his innocence, his resignation from the council was accepted on 28 March.


Later life

Returning to Norwich, Henderson worked as a journalist. He acted as editor for ''
Labour Leader The ''Labour Leader'' was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later renamed ''New Leader'' and ''Socialist Leader'', before finally taking the name ''Labour Leader'' again. 19th century The origins of th ...
'', a London weekly under the control of
Keir Hardie James Keir Hardie (15 August 185626 September 1915) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, and was its first Leader of the Labour Party (UK), parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. ...
and the
Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...
(ILP) by the mid-1890s. At this period he was a member of the
Fabian Society The Fabian Society () is a History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom, British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in ...
. He was involved in the Norwich Labour Church, arguing in an address published as ''Politics in the Pulpit'' that "individual sin" was "only a knot in the vast network and entanglement of social and industrial conditions". In 1902 Henderson was the first socialist to be elected to the city council, for the Fye Bridge ward; he failed to be re-elected, however, in 1905. He was not reconciled to the economic views of
Louis Tillett Louis Rohan Tillett (13 March 1959 – 6 August 2023) was an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, keyboardist and saxophonist. Tillett was the front man in Australian bands The Wet Taxis, Paris Green and The Aspersion Caste. He also worked ...
, the Liberal leader: while in 1903 he could define liberalism in terms of people being able to run their own affairs, by 1906 the Liberals appeared to him inflexible on economic doctrine. His wife Lucy was a Poor Law Guardian, and served on the council from 1920. Henderson returned to the council for the rest of his life, from 1923 as an
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
. With Keir Hardie, Henderson attempted to adapt the ideas of
Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...
's ''
The Servile State ''The Servile State'' is a 1912 economic and political treatise by Hilaire Belloc. It serves primarily as a history of capitalism, a critique of both capitalism and socialism, and a rebuke of developments Belloc believed would bring about a fo ...
'' (1912) to socialist thinking, not though with Belloc's approval. In late 1913 and early 1914 he intervened in the debate over
guild socialism Guild socialism is an ideology and a political movement advocating workers' control of industry through the medium of trade-related guilds "in an implied contractual relationship with the public". It originated in the United Kingdom and was at ...
. Henderson was chosen as the Liberal Party candidate for East Norfolk, for the December 1918 general election. At that time he was working for the ''
Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to ...
'', where he was a leader writer. The Conservative Michael Falcon won the seat. Supporting Falcon, an election letter signed
Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
and
Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...
stated that Henderson "had done good work at home", but rated Falcon's service in the
Sinai and Palestine campaign The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revol ...
more highly. Peter Clarke, biographer of
Stafford Cripps Sir Richard Stafford Cripps (24 April 1889 – 21 April 1952) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician, barrister, and diplomat. A wealthy lawyer by background, Cripps first entered Parliament at a 1931 Bristol East by-election ...
, suggests that Henderson, a veteran of the Socialist League of the 1880s and a "provincial ILP leader", was one of those consulted in the formation of its namesake the Socialist League of 1932, along with
J. T. Murphy John Thomas Murphy (9 December 1888 – 13 May 1965) was a British trade union organiser and Communist functionary. Murphy is best remembered as a leader of the communist labour movement in the United Kingdom from the middle 1920s until his resig ...
. Its formation was a response to the split of the ILP from its Labour Party affiliation. Henderson wrote to
G. D. H. Cole George Douglas Howard Cole (25 September 1889 – 14 January 1959) was an English political theorist, economist, historian, and novelist. As a believer in common ownership of the means of production, he theorised guild socialism (production ...
that the ILP should simply be allowed to go its way: but he did come to see a role for the League. Henderson served as
Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
of the city in 1939–1940. He was granted the freedom of the city in 1947. He made arrangements for a memorial to
Robert Kett Robert Kett () was the leader of Kett's Rebellion. Kett was the fourth son of Thomas Kett, of Forncett, Norfolk and his wife Margery. He is thought to have been a tanner, but he certainly held the manor of Wymondham in Norfolk. With his bro ...
for the 400th anniversary of
Kett's Rebellion Kett's Rebellion was a revolt in the English county of Norfolk during the reign of Edward VI, largely in response to the enclosure of land. It began at Wymondham on 8 July 1549 with a group of rebels destroying fences that had been put up by wealt ...
in 1949.


The Henderson School and legacy

Henderson lived in Earlham Rise, Norwich. The Henderson School in Norwich was named after him, and was a World War II foundation in 1943, for boys; the Gurney School on the same site on Bowthorpe Road was for girls. It became a
secondary modern A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupils ...
school, from which a running track remains. The Gurney Henderson school was formed by amalgamation, from 1970 being known as the Bowthorpe Comprehensive School, closing in 1991. The Henderson Cinder Track is now part of the Henderson Park business area.


Works


Poetry

Henderson began publishing poetry at the age of 16, with ''Alice and Other Poems'' (1884): he may have sent it to William Morris (there is some uncertainty in identifying the recipient of one of Morris's letters). Following his release from prison in 1887 he wrote ''Echoes of the Coming Day: Socialist Songs and Rhymes''. In his '' Pilgrims of Hope'' period from 1885, Morris freely gave Henderson advice in letters, in particular on writing "in a time of rising hope for the people." He pointed to the need for elevated language, but also of his respect for "campaigning poetry" rooted in activism. In 1888 Henderson published sonnets ''Love Triumphant''. A review in ''To-day: Monthly Magazine of Scientific Socialism'', edited by
Belfort Bax Ernest Belfort Bax (; 23 July 1854 – 26 November 1926) was an English barrister, journalist, philosopher, men's rights advocate, socialist, and historian. Biography Ernest Belfort Bax was born on 23 July 1854, in Leamington Spa, son of Dani ...
and others, found these derivative. Socialist fly-bills for the 1887
Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a National service of thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Serv ...
had on one side ''Socialists and the Jubilee'' by
Frank Kitz Frank Kitz (1849 – 8 January 1923) was an English people, English anarchist. Life Born in the Kentish Town area of London as Francis Platt, he was illegitimate and grew up in poverty.E. P. Thompson and Peter Linebaugh, ''William Morris: ...
and a poem by Henderson about the occasion on the other. His work was included in the song collection ''Chants of Labour'' (1888) by
Edward Carpenter Edward Carpenter (29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English utopian socialist, poet, philosopher, anthologist, an early activist for gay rights and prison reform whilst advocating vegetarianism and taking a stance against vivise ...
: "The Workers' Song of the Springtide" appeared in ''The Commonweal'', the Socialist League newspaper, in 1886, and as "Song of the Springtide" became an anthology piece. ''An Ode'' (1886) was reprinted in 1913 from the ''Manchester University Magazine''. Henderson published also ''By the Sea: And Other Poems'' (1891). A review in ''Igdrasil'' stated "This unpretentious little volume contains some well-written verses, directed for the most part against the conditions which hamper life in most large towns." In ''The Christian Socialist'', E.D.G. (Edgar Deacon Girdlestone) wrote "The staple of our poet's muse is indignation at mammon-worship, and the frank acknowledgment that there would be room for nothing but despair, if he did not wage battle against the lies and shams of our social life." A review of the second edition noted the dedication to Frederic Charles, a Socialist League member of the Norwich branch, imprisoned in the Walsall case of 1891. When
Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...
died in 1892,
W. E. Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...
had a shortlist of possible replacements as Poet Laureate, which included Henderson. Others considered were
Alfred Austin Alfred Austin (30 May 1835 – 2 June 1913) was an English poet who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1896, after an interval following the death of Tennyson, when the other candidates had either caused controversy or refused the honour. It was c ...
,
Robert Bridges Robert Seymour Bridges (23 October 1844 – 21 April 1930) was a British poet who was Poet Laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life. His poems reflect a deep Christian faith, and he is ...
,
Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Conti ...
and
William Watson William, Willie, Bill or Billy Watson may refer to: Arts * William Watson (songwriter) (1794–1840), English concert hall singer and songwriter * William Watson (poet) (1858–1935), English poet * William J. Watson (author) (1865-1948), Scott ...
. Gladstone reportedly took Henderson to be a "strong young poet", but held the prison term against him. The position was left vacant, only being filled in 1895.


Political writings

Henderson was an active public speaker and lecturer, who wrote books and pamphlets. His major work was a book based on a series of Norwich Labour Church sermons, and published by the Independent Labour Party (ILP) as ''The Case for Socialism'' in 1911. It built on ''The ABC of Socialism'', a pamphlet which was its first chapter, and an agreed ILP definition of socialism. It was influential and was translated into several languages.
Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...
read ''The Case for Socialism'' in 1931, alongside
Walter Rauschenbusch Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) was an American theologian and Baptist pastor who taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary. Rauschenbusch was a key figure in the Social Gospel and single tax movements that flourished in the United States ...
and
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...
. Within the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social democracy, social-democ ...
, also in Canada, the book was widely circulated in the 1930s.
Edgar Hardcastle Edgar Richard "Hardy" Hardcastle (1899 – June 1995) was a theoretician of Marxist economics. The son of a founder member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, Hardcastle went to prison as a socialist conscientious objector in the First Worl ...
writing in the ''
Socialist Standard ''Socialist Standard'' is a monthly socialist magazine published without interruption since September 1904 by the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB). The magazine is written in a simple, direct style and focuses mainly on socialist advocacy a ...
'' in 1946 commented on the past popularity of ''The Case for Socialism'', and contrasted its approach based on
dispossession Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortgage ...
to deal with
capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
with that of
Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...
in ''The Labour Party in Perspective'' (1937). Other works were: * ''The Labour Unrest, what it is and what it portends'' (1911) * ''The New Faith: A Study of Party Politics and the War'' (1915); * ''The Economic Consequences of Power Production'' (1931), which was read by
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...
in 1932 at the time when he was writing the play ''Now More Than Ever''; * ''Money Power and Human Life'' (1932); * ''Foundations For The World's New Age of Plenty'' (1933) * ''Planning or Chaos?'' (3rd edn, 1935) * ''Capitalism and the Consumer'' (1935).
George Catlin George Catlin ( ; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the American frontier. Traveling to the Wes ...
in the ''
American Political Science Review The ''American Political Science Review'' (''APSR'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all areas of political science. It is an official journal of the American Political Science Association and is published on their behalf ...
'' commended the answer given in ''A Planned Society'' (1932) by George Henry Soule Jr. to the issue raised by ''The Economic Consequences of Power Production''. Pamphlets included: *''Socialism and Liberty'' (1907) *''Socialism and Tariff Reform'' *''Socialism of the I.L.P.'' (1922) *''The Socialist Goal'' (1931) *''The Social Credit Illusion'' (1934, Vancouver), based on a speech there in November of that year.


References


External links


Henderson at the 1945 unveiling of a Norwich memorial to the crash of a plane of the 753nd Bombardment Squadron''Labour and the New Society'', 1951 Labour Party film, in which Alderman Henderson appears
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Fred 1867 births 1957 deaths Members of London County Council Writers from Norwich Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester English male journalists English socialists Mayors of Norwich Socialist League (UK, 1885) members