Thorley Smith

Thorley Smith
Born 1873
Standish, Wigan

Thorley Smith is most notable as being the first British Women's Suffrage candidate.[1] He fought the 1906 General Election in Wigan, Lancashire on a Women's Suffrage platform,[1][2] as the Lancashire and Cheshire Women's Textile and Other workers Representation Committee's candidate.[3]

Thorley Smith was a local man, born in Standish in 1873, third son of a local monumental stonemason.[4] He married in 1894 at Christ Church, Ince, Lancashire, Mrs A L Smith, a woman involved in local politics herself.[4] He was a member of the Stonemasons Union.[4] In 1904 was the first working man to be elected to Wigan Council (Lindsay Ward).[4] By 1906 he had been elected treasurer of the Wigan and District Trades and Labour Council,[5] chaired the meeting that established the Wigan and District Labour Representation Committee,[6] chaired several labour meetings including an outdoor meeting of the unemployed in Wigan.[7] His election programme reflected his labour leanings he promised to campaign for Old Age Pension, good and cheap housing.[8]

His campaign was run under the auspices of the Lancashire and Cheshire Women Textile and Other Workers Representation Committee and the Manchester and Salford Women's Trades and Labour Council.[3] They provided the £500 to run the campaign.[3] He was supported by women involved in those Committees namely Mrs Pankhurst of the Women's Social and Political Union; Eva Gore Booth and Esther Roper secretaries of the Lancashire and Cheshire Women textile and Other Workers Representation Committee and the Manchester and Salford Women's Trade and Labour Council; Selina Cooper Burnley Guardian, Nelson and Colne Suffrage Committee and trade unionist.[3]

Thorley Smith was particularly fortunate in that the Wigan Weavers Association's President Mrs Helen Fairhurst (nee Silcock), a politically active, trade unionist who also served on the Wigan and District Trade and Labour Council, headed a string union where unusually the officials were women.

The Results of the Election were:

  1. Sir Francis Sharp Powell, Conservative (and long serving MP) with 3,573 votes
  2. Thorley Smith, Women's Suffrage with 2.205 votes
  3. Col. Will Woods, Liberal with 1,900 votes.

References

  1. 1 2 Liddlton and Norris, Jill and Jill (1985). One Hand Tied Behind Us: The Rise of the Women's Suffrage Movement. Virago Press. p. 198. ISBN -0-86068-008-8.
  2. ↑ Smith, Thorley (2 January 1906). "Thorley Smith Women's Suffrage Candidate for Wigan 1906 General Election". Wigan Observer.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Manchester Archives. Reel 3 M50/1/4/27-40. 1889-1918 Annual Reports if the North of England Society for Women's Suffrage 1899-1911, 24/11/1905 (33) 7/12/1906
  4. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Thorley (February 1940). "Wigan Observer". Thorley Smith Women's Suffrage for Wigan 1906 General Election.
  5. ↑ Smith, Thorley. "Wigan Observer". Thorley Smith Women's Suffrage Candidate for Wigan 1906 General Election.
  6. ↑ Smith, Thorley (7 January 1906). "Wigan Examiner". Thorley Smith Women's Suffrage Candidate for Wigan General Election 1906.
  7. ↑ Smith, Thorley (15 February 1905). "Wigan Examiner". Thorley Smith Women's Suffrage candidate for Wigan 1906 General Election.
  8. ↑ Smith, Thorley (6 January 1905). "Wigan Observer". Thorley Smith Women's candidate for Wigan 1906 General Election.
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