Alexander Gordon Cameron
Alexander Gordon Cameron (1876 – 30 May 1944) was a British trades unionist and Labour Party politician.
Cameron was born in Oban, Argyll, and served his apprenticeship as a joiner in Glasgow.[1] On becoming a journeyman he moved to London, where he became an active member of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, becoming the union's shipping delegate in 1912, and assistant general secretary in 1915, and general secretary in 1919. When the ASC&J became part of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers in 1921, Cameron was its first general secretary.[2]
He was nominated by his union as a parliamentary candidate for the Independent Labour Party. After failing to become the prospective candidate for Glasgow Camlachie in 1908, and the ASC&J declined an invitation to sponsor him as candidate for Coventry in the following year.[3] He stood unsuccessfully at Liverpool Kirkdale at the January 1910 general election and again at a by-election later in the year. In the December 1910 general election he was defeated at Jarrow, where Labour lost to the Liberals.[4]
In 1914 Cameron was elected to the executive of the Labour Party, a position he was to retain for many years.[1][5] In 1917 he was appointed by the Coalition Government to be one of the Scottish members of the Commission on Industrial Unrest.[6] In 1918 he again failed to be elected to parliament, this time at Woolwich West.[7]
In 1920 Cameron was part of the Labour Party delegation to the Second International in Geneva.[8] He was elected chair of the Labour Party for 1920/21.[2] In 1925 ill health led to his resigning from his posts as representative to the Socialist International and general secretary of the woodworkers' union.[2][9]
At the 1929 general election Cameron finally succeeded in being elected, becoming MP for Widnes. He was however defeated at the next election in 1931 when there was a large swing against Labour.
Cameron retired from politics, and at the time of his death in a London hospital aged 67 in 1944, was described as a building contractor.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Obituary: Mr A. G. Cameron The Times, 31 May 1944 p.8
- 1 2 3 "Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers including the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners". Trade Union Ancestors. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ↑ Election Intelligence, The Times, 10 December 1908, p.11, 8 May 1909, p.12
- ↑ County Constituencies, The Times, 21 November 1910, p.9
- ↑ The Times, 30 January 1914, p.8
- ↑ Labour Unrest Commissioners, The Times, 16 June 1917, p.3
- ↑ The Election, The Times, 25 November 1918, p.9
- ↑ The Second International, The Times, 20 July 1920, p.9
- ↑ News in Brief, The Times, 26 February 1925, p.9
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Alexander Gordon Cameron
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Christopher Clayton |
Member of Parliament for Widnes 1929–1931 |
Succeeded by Roland Robinson |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by William Harold Hutchinson |
Chair of the Labour Party 1920–1921 |
Succeeded by Fred Jowett |
| Preceded by Francis Chandler |
General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners 1919–1921 |
Succeeded by Post abolished |
| Preceded by New post |
General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers 1921–1925 |
Succeeded by Frank Wolstencroft |