Henry Charles Charleton (1 March 1870 – 8 October 1959)[1] was a British train driver, trade unionist and Labour Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1922 to 1931 and from 1935 to 1945.
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Charleton was born in Kentish Town, in London. His father Henry Charleton was an engine-driver on the Midland Railway.
The younger Henry was educated at Mansfield Place Board School,[2] which he left at age 12.[3] He worked initially as an assistant to a blacksmith, before following his father into the Midland Railway. He rose through the grades and eventually became a driver.[3]
In 1897, Charleton married Louisa Jane Alcock from Kentish Town. They had one son.[3][2]
Whilst working on the railways, Charleton studied at the St Pancras Working Men's College, and became active in the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR).[3] In 1919 he compiled the Locomotive Men's Conditions of Service in 1919,[3] and later became a member of the NUR's executive committee.[4]
He was elected at the 1922 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South,[5] and held the seat until his defeat in 1931.[5] The formation of the National Government had undermined support for Labour, and in many constituencies the Liberal and Unionist parties fielded a single candidate in support of the National Government. However, Leeds South was contested by the Liberal and Unionists, so Charleton was expected to hold the seat.[6] However the Unionist candidate Noel Whiteside took the seat with a majority of 2.0% of the votes.[5]
Described by The Times as a "moderate",[7] he regained the seat at the 1935 general election,[5] and held it until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election.[5]
He was chairman of the Select Committee on Estimates in 1930, and from 1929 to 1931 he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to William Lunn, the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs.[3] He was a briefly a Junior Lord of the Treasury, in 1931.[8]
He also served as an alderman on London County Council.[3]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Middlebrook |
Member of Parliament for Leeds South 1922 – 1931 |
Succeeded by Noel Whiteside |
| Preceded by Noel Whiteside |
Member of Parliament for Leeds South 1935 – 1945 |
Succeeded by Hugh Gaitskell |