Thorley Smith

Standish, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

He fought the 1906 General Election in Wigan, Lancashire on a Women"s Suffrage platform, as the Lancashire and Cheshire Women"s Textile and Other workers Representation Committee"s candidate. In 1904 was the first working man to be elected to Wigan Council (Lindsay Ward). By 1906 he had been elected treasurer of the Wigan and District Trades and Labour Council, chaired the meeting that established the Wigan and District Labour Representation Committee, chaired several labour meetings including an outdoor meeting of the unemployed in Wigan. His election programme reflected his labour leanings he promised to campaign for Old Age Pension, good and cheap housing. 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. They provided the £500 to run the campaign. 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. 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: Sir Francis Sharp Powell, Conservative (and long serving Member of Parliament) with 3,573 votes Thorley Smith, Women"s Suffrage with 2.205 votes Colonel Will Woods, Liberal with 1,900 votes.

Thorley Smith

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Background

Thorley Smith was a local man, born in Standish in 1873, third son of a local monumental stonemason.

Career

He fought the 1906 General Election in Wigan, Lancashire on a Women"s Suffrage platform, as the Lancashire and Cheshire Women"s Textile and Other workers Representation Committee"s candidate. In 1904 was the first working man to be elected to Wigan Council (Lindsay Ward). By 1906 he had been elected treasurer of the Wigan and District Trades and Labour Council, chaired the meeting that established the Wigan and District Labour Representation Committee, chaired several labour meetings including an outdoor meeting of the unemployed in Wigan.

His election programme reflected his labour leanings he promised to campaign for Old Age Pension, good and cheap housing.

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. They provided the £500 to run the campaign.

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.

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:

Sir Francis Sharp Powell, Conservative (and long serving Member of Parliament) with 3,573 votes

Thorley Smith, Women"s Suffrage with 2.205 votes

Colonel Will Woods, Liberal with 1,900 votes.

Membership

He was a member of the Stonemasons Union.

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Thorley Smith

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