Sir James Sexton

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(13 April 1856 – 27 December 1938) was a British

trade union 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 ...

ist and politician.

Early life

Sexton was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

on 13 April 1856 to an Irish-born family of market traders, who shortly afterwards moved to a slum area of St Helens,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. He grew up in poverty and began work in the local glass-making industry at the age of nine after briefly attending school. His father and grandfather were active members of the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

and he accompanied his grandfather during his recruitment work for the organisation. The family home was once visited by

Michael Davitt Michael Davitt (25 March 1846 – 30 May 1906) was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican activist for a variety of causes, especially Home Rule (Ireland), Home Rule and land reform. Following an eviction when he was four years old, Davitt's ...

. Sexton eventually wandered to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, where he worked as a sailor, then arrived in London after deserting the ship he was sailing on and took a job at a chemical factory. After three years onshore, he again became a sailor for a while, eventually returning to Liverpool as a docker on

Liverpool Docks The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed Dock (maritime), dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, Merseyside, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Great Float, Birkenhead Docks betwee ...

due to the death of his father. In 1884, he set up his own business as a

coal merchant A coal merchant is the term used in the UK and other countries for a trader who sells coal and often delivers it to households. Coal merchants were once a major class of local business, but have declined in importance in many parts of the developed ...

Trade union activity

While working as a dock labourer he was extremely distraught by the living conditions of himself and his colleagues which were brought upon them by their wealthy bosses. He would often express this sentiment openly, which lead to him becoming

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

by most dock employers. Sexton then spent a year organising a local union that was shortly thereafter amalgamated into the

Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...

. His local union workers held their first strike in 1885, which Sexton described as a "total failure", nonetheless the strike turned him, in his own words, into "an agitator and nothing but an agitator". During this time, Sexton also became active in the

Irish Home Rule movement The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to ...

, however he ceased participating in it shortly after the Parnell split. In 1889 he joined the new

National Union of Dock Labourers The National Union of Dock Labourers (NUDL) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1889 and 1922. History It was formed in Glasgow in 1889 but moved its headquarters to Liverpool within a few years and was thereafter ...

(later National Union of Dock, Riverside and General Workers) and was elected

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

in 1893. While in this position, he successfully lobbied for dock labourers and employers to be subject to the Factory and Workshop Act 1901, when previous Factory Acts had not included them. He engaged in much union, cross-union and political organising both in this position and thereafter. He was elected as general secretary of 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 ...

in 1905.

Political activity

Sexton was one of the founding members of the Independent Labour Party, one of the seven founders of the Liverpool branch. After unsuccessfully standing for

Ashton-Under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

in the 1895 general election, he later joined the Labour Party. During his time campaigning for the ILP, he became acquainted with figures such as

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

James Larkin James Larkin (28 January 1874 – 30 January 1947), sometimes known as Jim Larkin or Big Jim, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. He was one of the founders of the Irish Labour Party (Ireland), Labou ...

. He stood unsuccessfully for Liverpool West Toxteth in the

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting e ...

and then served as Labour Member of Parliament for St Helens from 1918 to 1931. He also sat on

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. Liverpool has had a local authority since 1207, which has been reformed on numerous ...

from 1905 until his death. Up to 1930 Sexton was elected for the St Anne's ward then was replaced by Bessie Braddock before becoming an alderman. He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1917 and

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1931. In 1934, he was granted the freedom of the City of

. His autobiography, ''Sir James Sexton, Agitator: The Life of the Dockers' M.P.'', focusing mainly on his life in the trade union movement and politics in general, was published by Faber and Faber in 1936, with a preface by

David 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 ...

. Sexton died on 27 December 1938 at Liverpool, aged 82 years.

References

External links

* Politicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Trade unionists from Newcastle upon Tyne Trade unionists from Merseyside People from St Helens, Merseyside English people of Irish descent British trade union leaders Independent Labour Party politicians Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 1856 births 1938 deaths Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the Trades Union Congress Labour Party (UK) councillors in Liverpool Transport and General Workers' Union-sponsored MPs {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub

Early life

Trade union activity

Political activity

See also

References

External links