George Kerr (UK politician)

George Kerr (died 12 February 1942) was a Scottish politician and trade unionist.

Born in Glasgow, Kerr became involved in the Clarion socialist movement. He was secretary of the Glasgow Clarion Scouts for ten years, and in 1900 became an advance agent for the Clarion Van movement. He joined the Independent Labour Party in 1894, and in 1906 became the first full-time organiser of its Scottish Divisional Council. From 1910, he began solely organising the Glasgow district of the party.[1][2]

Kerr was also active in the Workers' Union, acting as a volunteer organiser. At the end of 1911, he was appointed as its first full-time organiser for Scotland. At the time, the union had only 250 members in Scotland, but by 1914, he had increased its membership to 9,000, mostly in Glasgow, and in 1915 it was made one of the first eight divisions of the union.[2][3]

Kerr was elected to Glasgow City Council, giving some support to the Red Clydeside movement, and served for a period as a bailie.[4] He represented the Workers' Union on the executive of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), and was chair of the STUC in 1929.[5] When the Workers' Union merged into the Transport and General Workers' Union, he continued working for that union, until his retirement.[6]

References
  1. The Labour Who's Who. London: Labour Publishing Company. 1927. p. 122.
  2. Hyman, Richard (1971). The Workers' Union. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 66, 104.
  3. McShane, Harry (1978). Harry McShane: No Mean Fighter. Pluto Press. pp. 4, 102–104. ISBN 0904383245.
  4. Gallacher, Willie (1936). Revolt on the Clyde.
  5. Tuckett, Angela (1986). The Scottish Trades Union Congress: the first 80 years, 1897-1977. Mainstream Publications. ISBN 1851580239.
  6. "Obituary: George Kerr". Annual Report of the Scottish Trades Union Congress: 106–107. 1942.
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