Tillett, Benjamin (1860-1943) Also known as: Ben Tillett

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Samuel Gompers to Jane Addams, October 17, 1901

British Labour and Irish Policy, January 17, 1921

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Birth Date

1860-9-11

Death Date

1943-01-27

Birthplace

Bristol, England

Biographical Text

Benjamin Tillett was an English politician and activist. In 1887 he formed the Tea Operatives and General Labourers Union, which later became the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union. He also formed the National Transport Workers' Federation, which was the largest union to join the Transport and General Workers' Union when it was formed in 1922. Tillett was the union's International and Political Secretary until 1931, and he remained a member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress until 1932. He was also a founding member of the Independent Labour Party and a member of the Bristol Socialist Society. From 1892 to 1898 he was an alderman on the London County Council, and from 1917 to 1924 and again from 1929 to 1931 he was a Labor Party Member of Parliament for Salford North. During World War I, he was involved in the controversy, as he supported Britain's involvement in the war. He published some works on the labor movement, including A Brief History of the Dockers' Union (1910), A History of the London Transport Workers' Strike (1911), Some Russian Impressions (1925), and his autobiography, Memories and Reflections (1931).

Tillett died in 1943.