Jesse Clement Gray (12 July 1854 – 24 February 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 ...

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

activist. Born in

Ripley, Derbyshire Ripley is a market town and civil parish in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. It is northeast of Derby, northwest of Heanor, southwest of Alfreton and northeast of Belper. The town is continuous with Heanor, Eastwood, Nottingham ...

, Gray's father was the local Baptist minister. In 1860, the family moved to

Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Upper Calder Valley, west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden W ...

, and Gray was educated at the town's grammar school.Joyce Bellamy, "Gray, Jesse Clement", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.I, pp.134-136 Gray left school at the age of thirteen, and became a clerk for the

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

. He was interested in the co-operative movement, and so in 1874 became the assistant secretary of the Hebden Bridge Fustian Society, a full-time post. He proved successful in the role, and was promoted to become the organisation's general secretary before he had even spent six months in the post. Gray began making a national reputation for himself, championing co-operative production methods, in addition to the co-operative retail which was becoming widespread. In 1883, he was appointed as assistant secretary of the

Co-operative Union Co-operatives UK is a British co-operative federation described as "the central membership organisation for co-operative enterprise throughout the UK". It was founded in 1870 as the Co-operative Central Board, changing its name to the Co-opera ...

, and was promoted to become its secretary in 1891. He also became secretary of the International Co-operative Alliance, serving from 1902 until 1908. William P. Watkins, ''The International Co-operative Alliance, 1895-1970'', p.272 In 1906, Gray proposed that the various retail co-operatives in the UK amalgamate, to be run by an elected general council with 150 members. This proposal was not taken up. He retired in 1910, due to failing health, and died in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

two years later. He is buried in Hebden Bridge with a monument in the graveyard funded by the movement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Jesse Clement 1854 births 1912 deaths British cooperative organizers People from Ripley, Derbyshire