William Whiteley (politician)
William Whiteley | |
|---|---|
Whiteley in 1946 | |
| Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Commons | |
| In office 26 October 1951 – 10 June 1955 | |
| Deputy | Herbert Bowden |
| Leader | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Bowden |
| In office 23 May 1945 – 26 July 1945 | |
| Deputy | George Mathers |
| Leader | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | Charles Edwards (1940) |
| Succeeded by | James Stuart |
| Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 3 August 1945 – 26 October 1951 | |
| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
| Deputy | George Mathers (1945–46) Arthur Pearson (1946–51) |
| Preceded by | James Stuart |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 12 March 1942 – 23 May 1945 Serving with James Stuart | |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Deputy | William John (1942–44) George Mathers (1944–45) |
| Preceded by | Charles Edwards |
| Succeeded by | James Stuart |
| Comptroller of the Household | |
| In office 17 May 1940 – 12 March 1942 | |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Charles Kerr |
| Succeeded by | William John |
| Member of Parliament for Blaydon | |
| In office 14 November 1935 – 3 November 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Waring |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Ballantyne Martin |
| In office 15 November 1922 – 27 October 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Woof |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Ballantyne Martin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 October 1882 |
| Died | 3 November 1955 (aged 73) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Occupation | Coal miner |
William Whiteley CH PC DL (3 October 1882 – 3 November 1955) was the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Blaydon in County Durham.
Early life
William Whiteley, not to be confused with the founder of the Department Store of the same name, was a Durham miner by background and a lodge official. He was an active trade unionist and member of the Labour Party.
Political career
He stood unsuccessfully in Blaydon for Labour in the 1918 general election, but was successful in the election four years later. He went on to be the MP for Blaydon from 1922 to 1931.
His defeat in the 1931 general election followed the events of that summer when Ramsay MacDonald quit the Labour Party to form a National Government and the election called in October that year reduced the Labour representation to a rump of 52 MPs. However Whiteley was re-elected at the 1935 general election and went on to represent the constituency for the next twenty years until his death in 1955 at the age of 74.
In the consequent by-election, the seat was held for Labour by Robert Woof.
President of the Durham Miners' Homes for the Aged 1927 – 1955, Whiteley became a Privy Councillor after 1943 and was Labour Chief Whip in the House of Commons for thirteen years. During the government of Clement Attlee of 1945 – 1951 was Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury.
References
- Howell, David. "Whiteley, William". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36871. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)