John Wadsworth (1850 – 10 July 1921) was a British trade unionist and Liberal or Lib-Lab politician.
Born in West Melton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Wadsworth worked as a coal miner and was elected checkweighman. He joined the Yorkshire Miners Association, a constituent part of the Miners Federation of Great Britain (MFGB), rising to become the Yorkshire Association's general secretary, then in 1904 its president.
Wadsworth was elected as the Lib-Lab Member of Parliament (MP) for Hallamshire at the 1906 general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Wadsworth | 8,375 | 55.2 | ||
| Conservative | Frederic Kelley | 6,807 | 44.8 | ||
| Majority | 1,568 | 10.4 | |||
| Turnout | 83.9 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
In 1909, with the other MFGB-sponsored MPs, he joined the Labour Party, retaining his seat in his new colours.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Wadsworth | 10,193 | 62.2 | ||
| Conservative | Thomas Sutton Timmis | 6,185 | 37.8 | ||
| Majority | 4,008 | 24.4 | |||
| Turnout | 82.2 | ||||
| Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Wadsworth | 8,708 | 59.9 | ||
| Conservative | David Thurston Smith | 5,837 | 40.1 | ||
| Majority | 2,871 | 19.8 | |||
| Turnout | 73.0 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
In 1915 he resigned the Labour whip and re-joined the Liberals.[1] He continued as MP until the seat's abolition for the 1918 general election.
References
- Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, Who's Who of British MPs: Volume II, 1886–1918