George Francis Johnson (1872–1958) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

socialist politician who devoted much of his life to 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). Born in London, Johnson worked various jobs, including a period as an actor. He trained as a scientific instrument maker, then became a schoolteacher 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 ...

in about 1900, focusing on teaching practical skills. He joined the

National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...

, soon becoming president of its Norfolk association, and also served as president of the Norwich Class Teachers' Association. Around 1905, he joined the ILP and, through it, the Labour Party; by the mid-1920s, he was president of the Norwich ILP, and secretary of the Norwich Labour Party. Later in the decade, he became the chairman of the ILP's Eastern Division. At the

1922 United Kingdom general election The 1922 United Kingdom general election was held on Wednesday 15 November 1922. It was won by the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law, which gained an overall majority over the Labour Party, led by J. R. Clynes, and ...

, Johnson stood for the Labour Party in

. He took 15.7% and fourth place in the two-seat constituency. He next contested

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

at the

1929 United Kingdom general election The 1929 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 30 May 1929, with Parliament dissolved on 10 May. It resulted in a hung parliament: despite receiving fewer votes than the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwi ...

, taking third place with 17.8% of the vote. The ILP split from the Labour Party in 1932, and the East Anglian Division of the ILP became a stronghold of the

Revolutionary Policy Committee {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Revolutionary Policy Committee (RPC) was a faction within the former British political party, the Independent Labour Party (ILP). The RPC was formed in 1931 by members of the ILP who were especially unhappy wi ...

, which advocated that the ILP should instead join the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

. Johnson opposed this approach, instead working with

John Middleton Murry John Middleton Murry (6 August 1889 – 12 March 1957) was an English writer. He was a prolific author, producing more than 60 books and thousands of essays and reviews on literature, social issues, politics, and religion during his lifetime. ...

on a manifesto which proposed an independent trajectory for the party. They ultimately triumphed, and from 1934, Johnson served as the division's representative on the party's

National Administrative Council The National Administrative Council (NAC) was the executive council of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), a British socialist party which was active from 1893 until 1975. Creation The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was founded at a conference in ...

(NAC). He was also elected to

Norwich City Council Norwich City Council is the local authority for Norwich, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Norfolk, England. It consists of 39 councillors, elected to represent 13 wards, each with three councillors. It forms the lower tier of l ...

, on which he worked closely with the Labour Party, and by the end of the decade, he advocated the ILP reaffiliating to the Labour Party. Johnson was made an alderman on the city council in 1939, and was selected by the ILP as its

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate In British politics, a prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) is a candidate selected by political parties to contest under individual Westminster constituencies in advance of a general election. The term originally came into use because of ...

for Norwich at the next election, although due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, this was not held until 1945, by which time the party had decided not to stand in the seat. He stood down from the NAC in 1945, but remained active in the party until his death in 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, George 1872 births 1958 deaths Independent Labour Party councillors Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Councillors in Norfolk Politicians from London