John E. Smith (1862 or 1863 – 16 May 1912) 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 ...

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and political activist. Smith came to prominence as the

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

District Secretary of the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers. Under his leadership, membership in the city grew rapidly. He served on the Leeds Trades and Labour Council, including a period as its president, and on numerous local committees. He was considered to be on the right-wing of the union, suspicious of 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 ...

, and avoiding industrial action. Smith was a supporter of the Labour Party, and stood unsuccessfully for

Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds has had a council since 1626, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the ...

in the West ward. He came from an Irish Catholic background, and was also a member of the Irish Nationalist League. At the

1906 UK general election The 1906 United Kingdom general election was held from 12 January to 8 February 1906. It is dubbed the "Liberal landslide": the opposition Liberals under Henry Campbell-Bannerman won a landslide victory against a bewildered Conservative Party, ...

, he was credited with gaining the backing of Irish immigrants for

James O'Grady Sir James O'Grady, (6 May 1866 – 10 December 1934) was a trade unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the first colonial governor appointed by the Labour Party from within its own ranks. Early life O'Grady was ...

Leeds East Leeds East is a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 2015 by Richard Burgon ...

. 1910 saw the death of

Pete Curran Peter Francis Curran (28 March 1860 – 14 February 1910) was a British trade unionist and politician. Born Patrick Francis Curran in Glasgow, to a Catholic family of Irish origin, Curran became known as "Pete" at an early age. He left school ...

, president of the Gasworkers' Union, and Smith was elected as his replacement. He also replaced Curran on the Management Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions. In addition, he represented the union at the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

, and was elected for several years in a row to its standing orders committee. Smith became seriously ill early in 1912. He underwent two operations, but died in May.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, J. E. 1860s births 1912 deaths Trade unionists from Leeds Presidents of British trade unions