Benjamin Pickard

Benjamin Pickard

Benjamin Pickard, usually Ben Pickard (26 or 28 February 1842 – 3 February 1904) was a British coal miner, trade unionist and Lib–Lab politician.

Early life and family

Pickard was born in Kippax near Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire the son of a collier. He started work as a pit-boy at the age of twelve years.^[1] He earned a reputation as a studious boy and attended Kippax School. He also received religious training as a Wesleyan, becoming a local preacher and was connected with the Lord's Rest Day Association throughout his life. He was associated from an early age with the trade union movement becoming lodge secretary at the age of sixteen. In 1864 he married Hannah Elizabeth Freeman of Kippax and they had four sons and four daughters. His wife died in 1901.

Trade union official

In 1873 Pickard was appointed assistant secretary of the West Yorkshire Miners' Association and in 1876 he became secretary. He was responsible for uniting the West and South Yorkshire Miners' Associations into one body in 1881 and became the first secretary of the Yorkshire Miners' Association. In 1877 he was assistant secretary of the Miners' National Union and was a leading player in the foundation of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, of which he was elected the first president.^[1]

In 1893 Pickard led the miners in the biggest industrial dispute the country had hitherto seen. The result of the combined strike and lockout was the establishment of a Board of Conciliation to address problems arising in the industry and most disputes over the coming years were settled using this machinery. He played an active part in obtaining legislation in the mining industry including the Eight Hours Bill, restricting the hours miners could work underground, although it did not become law until after his death.

International work

Pickard was active in establishing the International Federation of Mineworkers in 1890. He organised six international congresses of miners from Britain, Germany, Austria, France and Belgium which were held in Paris, Jolimont in Switzerland, Brussels, Berlin, Aix-la-Chapelle and London. He also attended about eighteen Trade Union Congresses. In 1897 his interest in arbitration and the work of the Peace Society led to his inclusion in a peace deputation to Grover Cleveland, President of the United States.

Politics

In addition to his commitment to the interests of organised labour, Pickard was known as an 'ardent liberal'. He served as a member of the Wakefield School Board from 1881 until 1885 and in 1889 was appointed an alderman of the West Riding County Council on which he was a co-opted member. He was re-elected alderman in 1895 and 1901.

In 1885 the Yorkshire Miners Association came to an agreement with the Liberal Party allowing the association to nominate the candidate for elections to Parliament for the Normanton division of Yorkshire, a constituency in which more than 60% of the electorate were coal miners. Pickard was selected and won the seat at each election under this arrangement from 1885 until his death in 1904. In return he generally supported the Liberals in Parliament.

Death

Pickard died of heart failure in Westminster in 1904, having been ill for some time.^[1]

References

1 2 3 Benson, John, "Pickard, Benjamin(1842–1904)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press), retrieved 4 October 2014, (subscription required (help))

Obituary in The Times, 4 February 1904
Who was Who, OUP 2007

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Benjamin Pickard

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Normanton 1885–1904	Succeeded by William Parrott
Trade union offices
Preceded by John Dixon	General Secretary of the West Yorkshire Miners' Association 1876–1881	Succeeded by Position abolished
Preceded by New position	General Secretary of the Yorkshire Miners' Association 1881–1904	Succeeded by William Parrott
Preceded by New position	President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1889–1904	Succeeded by Enoch Edwards

Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)

Presidents	1889 Pickard 1904 Enoch Edwards 1912 Smillie 1922 Smith 1929 Richards 1931 Ebby Edwards 1932 Lee 1934 J. Jones 1939 Lawther 1954 Ernest Jones 1960 Machen 1960 Ford 1971 Gormley 1982 Scargill 2002 Lavery 2012 Wilson

Vice-Presidents	1889 Woods 1909 Smillie 1912 Harvey 1914 House 1917 Smith 1922 Walsh 1924 Richards 1929 Ebby Edwards 1931 Lee 1932 J. Jones 1933 Davies 1934 Lawther 1939 Bowman 1950 Ernest Jones 1954 Edward Jones 1960 Collindridge 1963 Bullough 1969 Schofield 1973 McGahey 1987 Thompson 1989 Vacant 1992 Cave 2002 Stanley 2010 Wilson 2012 Thomas

General Secretaries	1889 Ashton 1919 Hodges 1924 Cook 1932 Ebby Edwards 1946 Horner 1959 Paynter 1968 Daly 1984 Heathfield 1992 Scargill 1992 Vacant? 2002 Kemp 2007 Kitchen

Treasurers	1889 Enoch Edwards 1904 Abraham 1918 Robson 1921 Richardson

MFGB affiliates	Bristol Cleveland Cumberland Derbyshire Durham Forest of Dean Kent Lancashire and Cheshire Leicestershire Midland Counties Northumberland North Wales Nottinghamshire Scotland (Ayrshire Fife and Kinross Lanarkshire) Somerset South Derbyshire South Wales Yorkshire

Strikes	1893 1912 1926 1969 1972 1974 1984–1985

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