Joseph Hayhurst (1864 – 13 June 1919) 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 ...

politician and

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 ...

leader. Born in

Lancaster, Lancashire Lancaster (, ) is a city in Lancashire, England, and the main cultural hub, economic and commercial centre of City of Lancaster district. The city is on the River Lune, directly inland from Morecambe Bay. Lancaster is the county town, although ...

, Hayhurst worked at the Manningham Mills in

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 ...

, where he joined the Bradford and District Amalgamated Society of Dyers, Crabbers, Singers and Finishers. He took part in the major strike at the mills in 1890 and 1891, and, inspired by the labour movement, he was a founder member of the Bradford Labour Union. From 1893, Hayhurst was a delegate to the Bradford Trades Council, and later in the year, he was elected as general secretary of his union, by now renamed as the Amalgamated Society of Dyers. Under his leadership, membership of the union grew from about 3,000 to well over 10,000. He favoured the amalgamation of all the dyers' unions in the country, but little progress to this end was made under his leadership.Arthur Marsh, Victoria Ryan and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.4, pp.400-401 Hayhurst stood for Bradford Town Council as a joint trades council-Labour Union candidate, and was the first to win election against both Conservative Party and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

opponents. He followed the Labour Union into 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 ...

, which in 1900 became a founding affiliate of the Labour Party. Hayhurst became an alderman, and the chair of the Labour Party group on the council. In 1918, he was elected as the first Labour Lord Mayor of Bradford, but he died in office, in June 1919.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayhurst, Joseph 1864 births 1919 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions Labour Party (UK) councillors Mayors of Bradford Trade unionists from Bradford Politicians from Lancaster, Lancashire