James Bell

Who was James Bell?

James Bell was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician.

The son of John Bell, a coalminer, and his wife Margaret née Guy, Bell initially worked as a weaver in Nelson, Lancashire, in one of the town's mills. He became involved in trade union activities, leading to his sacking on three occasions. He subsequently moved to the town of Oldham, becoming secretary of the Oldham Weavers' Association in 1905, a post he held for 41 years. He was the first president of the Oldham Labour Party, and attempted to gain election to the Borough Council without success.

In 1918 he was elected as member of parliament for Ormskirk, the first non Conservative to be elected for this seat since its creation in 1885. This was principally due to a divided Conservative vote between the Coalition Conservatives and the candidate of the National Farmers Union. Bell served only one term in parliament, losing his seat at the next election in 1922.

He continued his union activities: in 1924 he was appointed secretary of the International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations, and was subsequently secretary of the United Textile Factory Workers Association, and in 1930 took part in a trade mission to China.