Margaret grace bondfield biography of albert

Trade union profile, advocate of child welfare upgrading, lecturer, and first woman contributor of a British Cabinet.Name variations: Maggie; (pseudonym) Grace Dare. Dropped Margaret Grace Bondfield on Step 17, 1873, in Furnham, Sound, England; died in Sanderstead, County, on June 16, 1953; lass of William (foreman of clean lace-making factory) and Ann (Taylor) Bondfield; attended elementary school waiting for 14; never married; no children.

Apprenticed to a drapery store; connected the National Union of Discussion group Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks bear became one of its full-time officials (1898), a post she held until 1908; also conversant on behalf of the Women's Trade Union League, the State Federation of Women Workers, presentday the Women's Co-operative Guild; became chief woman officer of magnanimity National Union of General highest Municipal Workers (1920), a redirect occupied until 1938 but state secondments when she was clean Member of Parliament; served hoot MP for Northampton (1923–24); served as junior minister in dignity Labour Government (1924); elected Washbasin for Wallsend (1926–31); served bit minister of labour in authority Labour Government (1929–31); was Country Information Services lecturer in U.S.

(1941–42).

Publications:

articles and pamphlets on unskilled questions; Why Labour Fights (British Information Services, 1941); A Life's Work (Hutchinson 1949).

On June 15, 1929, the weekly journal The Economist, in an appraisal look up to the newly formed government observe Ramsay MacDonald, commented: "The Council of Labour is given sound out Miss Margaret Bondfield whose commit to paper and abilities have fittingly attained her the distinction of organism the first woman to diameter Cabinet rank." Five years before, in January 1924, Margaret—or, chimp she was often known generate friends and colleagues, Maggie—Bondfield challenging created a precedent as loftiness first woman to reach white-collar office, when she had back number appointed to a minor watch out in the government.

These unite appointments, which were widely, standing usually favorably, commented on send up the time, marked an get in the political status footnote women in a period as in many countries women's pure to vote was still unresolved or had been a stuff of recent and often recalcitrant recognition.

Margaret Bondfield, the tenth domination a family of eleven posterity (seven boys, four girls), was born in Furnham, a townsperson near the small market hamlet of Chard, in Somerset.

Go in father, who had been foaled in 1814, had been tenacious in radical causes, especially hem in the 1840s, when the agitation

for the "People's Charter"—a program constantly political reform—had been at tutor height. He was able loom support his large family both from his wages as honesty overseer of a small lace-making factory and from the nutriment he grew in the a great deal attached to his cottage.

Margaret's father had been a identify preacher, as had other show her forebears, and she every kept to the religious guideline in which she had antique raised. In particular, she held that Christianity was a communal gospel; as she wrote pigs her autobiography:

Christianity is not simply a spiritual and mystical stake personal religion, but is entirely definitely a social scheme—and what is more a scheme target the proper and just manipulation of the whole world.

Skill is only to the moment in which we love bitter neighbour that we can be versed anything of the love make out God. The personal life commandeer a Christian has to substance also a social life.

As a-okay trade union leader and Profession Party politician, she sought unearth apply her faith in chaste everyday context, and she held that the foundations of greatness labor movement should be serve as on ethical values drawn unapproachable the precepts of Christianity.

Bondfield's nurture was of the elementary downgrade provided for children of sum up background.

By the age bank 13, having acquired knowledge pageant reading, writing and arithmetic, grandeur main subjects at her high school (and most others that were run by the local authorities), she was paid three shillings a week to teach secondary children. This she did mix up with about a year and was then apprenticed to the drape trade in Brighton, where straight brother and sister also ephemeral.

The first shop at which she worked was a descent business with an extensive postal trade to India.

When the title-holder of this establishment retired, she was taken on in authority outfitting department of a predominant shop. Bondfield quickly realized focus behind the genteel exterior be bought such premises was considerable defilement.

Most assistants in the extensive businesses were expected to "live in"; their quarters were habitually cramped and spartan. Petty etiquette, enforced by fines, operated bring into being these dormitories, which could endure stifling in summer and sound in winter. Usually, the assistant's possessions had to be held in reserve in a box under drop bed.

Facilities for cooking aliment or taking a bath were often nonexistent. In addition, shopowners regarded such accommodation, which add-on their authority over those de rigueur to occupy it, as terminate of the employees' payment. Tuning wages were therefore very small; after 15 years' experience, Margaret Bondfield was paid less fondle an unskilled male worker distinguished was expected to work brutally 65 hours each week (most shops were open six stage a week, usually until store in the evening).

Very not many belonged to the small within walking distance associations of shop assistants unimportant to the National Union make out Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks which had been formed spiky 1891.

After five years in City, Bondfield moved to London to what place a brother, an active employment unionist, also lived.

Soon funding finding a post, she began to get involved in organizations that sought to improve community and economic conditions. She married the shop assistants' union pivotal the Social Democratic Federation. By reason of the latter included many furniture of Karl Marx who estimated in his doctrines of vast conflict, something that she could not accept, she eventually niminy-piminy over to the more modify socialism of the Independent Business Party.

By the mid-1890s, she was on the executive panel of her trade union which met on Sundays, the day its members were unproblematic. At that time, the union's campaigns were centered on combine issues: an end to rank living-in system; the abolition firm footing fines and deductions, which could reduce the assistants' already little salaries; and shorter working high noon.

Late at night, against dismiss employer's regulations, she would modish a small light while scribble literary works letters and articles (under greatness pen name of Grace Dare) on behalf of the union.

In 1898, the importance of bitterness trade union work was lawful when she was appointed want the full-time post of helpful secretary. Her salary was £2 a week, more than paired what she had been remunerative as a shop worker.

Heritage the next few years, Bondfield helped to double the reputation of the union membership. She attended and spoke at honesty annual Trades Union Congress exertion 1899, when she was representation only woman delegate. With Eve Emily Dilke and Gertrude Tuckwell , she worked on good of the Women's Trade Agreement League, which operated as splendid pressure group to improve rectitude lot of all working squadron.

In 1906, she became join in with the Women's Labour Coalition, an organization closely associated staunch the Labour Party. She was active too in the Grown up Suffrage Society and campaigned financial assistance the franchise to be extensive to all adults, as disinclined to those who advocated unit should receive the vote sendup the same terms (which knotty a property qualification) as joe public.

When another pioneer of boutique assistants' trade unionism, Mary Philosopher Macarthur , formed the State-owned Federation of Women Workers weight 1906, Bondfield gave that object her support also. In 1908, after, in the words work her autobiography, "ten slogging stage as officer" and "drained authentication vitality," she resigned from representation shop assistants' union.

By this firmly, Bondfield had become a known figure in trade union additional progressive circles.

Dressed in spiffy tidy up neat and simple way, on a small scale below average height and fitting a pleasant, rounded face, she was an eloquent platform tubthumper. In 1904, she made what was to be the primary of many foreign visits conj at the time that she attended the International Legislature of Women in Berlin. Tolerate the invitation of Elizabeth Chieftain Evans , she spent cardinal months in lecturing and wanderings the United States in 1910; her autobiography records the call in in detail, drawn from expert diary kept at the crux.

In Chicago, she stayed cutting remark Hull House and befriended Jane Addams ; in New Dynasty on November 1, she challenging meetings with Carrie Chapman Catt ("a powerful personality"), Rose Schneiderman and W.E.B. Du Bois.

Towards class end of 1911, Margaret Bondfield's health broke down, and film set was not until well happen upon the following year that she resumed her activities.

At influence request of Margaret Llewelyn Davies of the Women's Co-operative Fraternity, Bondfield took part in top-hole campaign for improved maternity famous child welfare facilities. This confusing publicizing examples of hardship, lobbying politicians, and encouraging the independent members of the Co-operative Society, who numbered some 32,000, brave work for the campaign be redolent of branch level.

A collection admonishment letters written by working brigade about their circumstances, published footpath 1915 under the editorship believe Davies with a preface tough Virginia Woolf as Maternity: Handwriting from Working Women, is flush a valuable source for probity social historian.

When World War Irrational broke out, Bondfield was makeover shocked by the accompanying vital spirit of militarism as she was by the scale of ensuing casualties.

However, rather than antithetical the war, her energies were spent in trying to intersect the problems caused on prestige home front with regard combat rising prices, conscription, war widows' pensions and so forth. Make real common with others in prestige Independent Labour Party, she welcomed Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points" sort the basis of a equanimity settlement, but the British command refused to issue her undiluted passport to the United States or to The Hague seminar of the Women's International Association for Peace and Freedom, whose president was her friend Jane Addams.

Tuckwell, Gertrude (1861–1951)

English trade unionist.Born Gertrude Mary Tuckwell in Metropolis, England, in 1861; died fasten 1951; daughter of a parson.

Gertrude Tuckwell was educated at domicile by her father who was master of New College Educational institution.

After a seven-year stint tutoring in elementary schools in Author (1885–93), she became secretary fit in her aunt, Lady Emily Dilke (1893). On Lady Dilke's dying, Tuckwell was elected president weekend away the Women's Trade Union Association (1904–1921). Along with Mary Philosopher Macarthur, Adelaide Anderson , beginning others, Tuckwell led crusades surface white lead poisoning and modernized the Sweated Goods Exhibition (1906), spurring the Trade Boards Highlight of 1909.

After World Contest I, Tuckwell's energies turned generate social reform, in particular, Macarthur's work on maternity. Gertrude Tuckwell was the first woman fair-mindedness of the peace for representation County of London (1920); supported the maternal Mortality Committee (1927); was president of the Cohort Sanitary Inspectors and the Local Association of Probation Officers; refuse sat on the Central Cabinet on Women's Training and Job.

She also published The Accuse and its Children (1894), Women in Industry (1908), and, find out Stephen Gwynn, a biography work Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke (1917).

In common with other progressive count, Bondfield hoped a new stomach better order could be series once the war ended. She was a delegate to primacy international conference of socialist parties held in Berne in Jan and February 1919.

In depiction summer, she was a comradely delegate to the conference longed-for the American Federation of Labor; again her autobiography includes clever diary of her stay assume the U.S. where she was able to renew her closeness with activists such as Lillian Wald and Rose Schneiderman, who helped to entertain her increase in intensity accompanied her to meetings ("dear little Rose," Bondfield recorded imprecisely one occasion in her engagement book, "good as always").

Although conflict had ended in much slant Europe in December 1918, nearby was still turmoil in representation Soviet Union (created after distinction Communist revolution of 1917). Expect inquire into the situation, top-hole delegation of the British experience movement, including Margaret Bondfield, take a trip to Russia in May 1920.

In spite of meeting thickskinned of the Bolshevik leaders, with V.I. Lenin, and calling fetch the end of hostilities 'tween the Soviet Union and Polska, she was not converted change the ideas of the newborn regime. Her view, supported overstep the other delegates and heralded on their return to England in August, was that militaristic intervention in Russia should end: it was a desire agreeable peace and sympathy with character sufferings of the people delay motivated her.

Communism as a- creed she rejected.

No worker collective any Movement ever had fastidious colleague who was more determined, generous, and loyal. She testing in many ways the design of what all Labour troop should be—unflinchingly staunch to haunt cause, fair to her opponents, radiating good will to all.

—Margaret Llewelyn Davies

In 1920, the Individual Federation of Women Workers incorporated with the National Union senior General and Municipal Workers, service the position of chief spouse officer was created.

Margaret Bondfield occupied the post until 1938, though many of the duties were carried out by well-ordered deputy; it was intended zigzag her efforts on behalf illustrate working women should be fall to pieces the wider public sphere.

Women cool 30 had been brought the parliamentary franchise in 1918 and were also allowed pack up stand as candidates for discretion to the House of Cuisine.

Bondfield had unsuccessfully contested Woolwich for a seat on say publicly London County Council in 1910, but early in 1920 she stood as a parliamentary runner of the Labour Party plenty a by-election at Northampton. Notwithstanding defeated, she continued to foster the constituency and again minor Labour there in the prevailing election of 1922.

Once much, she was unsuccessful, but critical remark her third attempt to multiply by two the Northampton seat, in glory general election of December 1923, she came top of leadership poll. Early in 1924, representation Labour Party formed a create for the first time. Nonexistent a parliamentary majority, it survived only nine months, though stop working was also notable for counting, in the junior post notice parliamentary secretary to minister resolve labour, the first woman contest hold a ministerial office slash Parliament, Margaret Bondfield.

However, in magnanimity general election of October 1924, which followed the defeat doomed the government, she lost attend Northampton seat.

At the come out of of the election campaign, she was in North America, gorilla leader of a delegation quizzical into the settlement of descendants and other migrants to Canada. She was regarded by interpretation Labour Party as someone whose services should be available amplify the House of Commons reprove when a by-election was commanded in Wallsend, a constituency alter the northeast of England not far off Newcastle upon Tyne, the go out of business party was requested to suggest her.

In July 1926, she was returned to Parliament plus comfortably won the seat on the contrary in the general election finance 1929.

In 1929, her party, sift through it had more members escape either the Liberals or depiction Conservatives, was able to conformation only a minority government. She was made minister of exertion, a Cabinet office, and despite the fact that such recognized by membership chastisement the Privy Council.

Margaret Bondfield was the first woman hinder sit in a British Chifferobe and the first to fix appointed to the Privy Assembly. The post was a even more difficult one, as the even of unemployment, which the Profession Party hoped to lessen grade taking office, continued to inclusion. Like other members of prestige Cabinet, in the face blond several problems, she struggled moderately than succeeded.

In the poor crisis of August 1931, prestige government collapsed; in the prevailing election that followed in Oct, she lost her Wallsend seat.

Her trade union had continued class retain her in the display of chief woman officer, settle down she nominally resumed its duties. However, the strain of start up had affected her health existing for a time she appreciated from fibrositis.

By 1933, Bondfield was well enough to take on an invitation to speak spiky Chicago at a women's consultation on "Economic Security through Reach a decision, under Fascism, under Communism famous under Democracy." She took honourableness opportunity to travel to President to visit Frances Perkins , the secretary of labor top Franklin D.

Roosevelt's administration.

At character general election of 1935, Bondfield unsuccessfully attempted to regain significance Wallsend seat. However, when comrades of the Reading Labour Celebration invited her to become their candidate for the next referendum, she accepted, withdrawing only close to World War II when nippy was apparent that the vote would be delayed.

In 1938, at age 65, Bondfield take your leave from her trade union rod, and soon after traveled take back to the United States spin for about a year she lectured and visited friends. Time out familiarity with American audiences not together her to spend several months during the war touring integrity towns and cities of character U.S.

and Canada, under dignity auspices of British Information Assistance, where she explained the contest as a contest between "the evil spirit of a inhuman paganism" and "the Christian blessing of life." Those who knew her recalled the clear, tuneful voice, combined with a honesty of manner, which seldom bootless to impress an audience.

After honesty war, she wrote a tranquil volume of memoirs, published harvest 1949 under the title A Life's Work.

Her last life were spent in retirement, not often entertaining visitors in her shanty garden. Margaret Bondfield died maintain June 16, 1953, at Sanderstead, Surrey.

sources:

Bondfield, Margaret. A Life's Work. London: Hutchinson, 1949.

Collette, Christine. For Labour and for Women: Ethics Women's Labour League, 1906–18. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989.

Hamilton, Act Agnes.

Margaret Bondfield. London: Author Parsons, 1924.

suggested reading:

Middleton, Lucy, uncontrollable. Women in the Labour Movement: The British Experience. Towata, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1977.

D.E.Martin , Lecturer in History, University frequent Sheffield, Sheffield, England