A real political heavyweight, Teesdale Mercury

A real political heavyweight

May 7, 2008

In the latest of our occasional series looking at famous figures who have played their part in Teesdale's history, ANDREW DOWSON looks at the life of Arthur Henderson, one of the Labour Party's founding fathers, who was recently honoured at a ceremony in Cockfield

FORMER Teesdale MP Arthur Henderson was one of the most significant British political figures of the first half of the 20th century. He rose from poverty by the Clyde and the Tyne to become an internationally respected statesman.

He became the fifth Labour MP when he was elected as member for Barnard Castle in 1903. In 1915, he became Labour's first cabinet minister and went on to serve as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. He was a key Labour party organiser and led the party on three occasions.

As Foreign Secretary, and later, as chairman of the Geneva Disarmament Conference, Arthur Henderson worked hard in the interests of peace. For his efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934. 

He was born in Glasgow in September 1863, the son of a manual worker, and a domestic servant. Following his father's death, the family moved to Newcastle, where his mother remarried in May 1874.

Two features of the early part of Henderson's life were to have a lasting influence: his involvement in trade unionism and his religion.

Henderson converted to Methodism from Congregationalism after hearing the evangelist Rodney ‘Gipsy' Smith preaching at a street meeting. He became active in the Wesleyan Chapel, on Elswick Road, as a lay preacher, Sunday school teacher and welfare worker. Henderson would later comment that his Methodism was his "equivalent of going to university". 

It was at the chapel that he met his wife, Eleanor Watson, with whom he was to have four children. He became prominent in national Methodist organisations and travelled throughout the region to speak on behalf of the Temperance League.

It was while living in Newcastle that Henderson also became a committed trade unionist. He had left school at the age of 12 to become an apprentice iron moulder. He worked first at Clarke's Foundry, and then, between 1881 and 1893, he worked for Robert Stephenson and Son at Forth Banks Foundry, during which time he experienced spells of unemployment. Henderson became active in his trade union, the Friendly Society of Iron Founders, acting as branch secretary and then as district delegate. 

He rose to national prominence during a dispute in 1894, displaying, as his biographer, Chris Wrigley, noted, a "lifelong preference for conciliation, not conflict in industrial relations". In 1902, Henderson won a national vote within his union to become its parliamentary candidate, and from 1911, he became its president.

Supported by the Tyneside National Labour Association, Henderson was elected to Newcastle Council as a radical Liberal. He also worked for the Newcastle Evening News, established to represent the working class.

In December 1895, Arthur Henderson's association with Teesdale began, when he became the agent for Sir Joseph Pease, then Liberal MP for Barnard Castle. Henderson and his family moved from Newcastle to Darlington, living in Hurworth Terrace, and later in Windsor Terrace. In March 1898 he became a county councillor for Darlington and, in November 1898, he was elected to the town council.

Henderson was one of 129 delegates from trade unions and socialist groups who met in London on February 27, 1900, to establish the Labour Representation Committee. In 1903, he was elected as Darlington's first Labour mayor. 

In the same year, he won the by-election called in Barnard Castle following the death of Joseph Pease. Henderson's historic victory saw him become only the fifth Labour MP and the first to have won in a three-way contest. 

The Mercury at the time observed: "Mr Henderson had very little support in Barnard Castle. Indeed, he has said that he left the ground for the aristocratic candidates".

Henderson's support came largely from the colliery districts and was strengthened by his standing in the church. 

Methodism was strong in Teesdale and Henderson spent his weekends preaching throughout the dale. Joseph Pease's son, Jack, also an MP, commented that: "Arthur Henderson is a power in the chapels and the chapel counts for a great deal in the constituency".

On Saturday, July 26, a crowd of 3,000 had gathered in Barnard Castle Market Place to hear that Henderson had beaten the Conservative candidate, Col The Hon W Vane, into second place by just 47 votes.

The Mercury commented: "The result of the contest in the Barnard Castle Parliamentary Division was certainly a great surprise to the inhabitants at the head of the constituency, but it was no source of wonderment whatever to those who had personally and very carefully watched the campaign in the colliery districts."

When Henderson addressed the crowd, he was frequently interrupted both by cheers of support and by cries of derision. 

Speaking from the window of The Witham Hall, Arthur Henderson said: "It has been a workers fight and to the workers be the credit for a great and glorious victory. This election goes to prove that the workmen of this country are becoming alive to their own interests. They are determined to do their political work in their own way, believing themselves competent to do it equally as well as others who may propose to do it for them."

Henderson spent the rest of the day travelling through the constituency. Local historian, Eric Barnes, described the scenes: "In Cockfield, Henderson gave his first speech as an MP, but had to wait several minutes for the crowd to stop cheering and proclaiming a victory for the working class. 

"He then walked to Evenwood, and along the way, people came out from the farms and hamlets to shake his hand. When he arrived he was carried aloft through town. 

"When he spoke in Crook, people shouted: ‘What do they say about this in Barnard Castle?' to the response of loud cheers and laughter. Henderson's train back to Darlington was delayed, as cheering crowds stopped it along the way." 

Mr Barnes added: "Arthur Henderson's election victory was a remarkable achievement, and from there he went on to even greater things."

Now an elected Labour MP, Henderson became the party's foremost organiser. In 1906, he chaired the meeting at which the Labour Representation Committee became the Labour Party. He served as party secretary between 1912 and 1934, and as party leader three times, between 1908-10, 1914-17 and 1931-32. In 1918, Henderson took the lead in revising the party's constitution. 

Henderson's way of organising the party became known as ‘the Barnard Castle method'. Following his death, the Mercury commented: "The Labour party was largely his creation as an electoral force, and when he was doing his job he had no equal".

In May 1915, Henderson joined Herbert Asquith's coalition government, becoming the first Labour Party cabinet minister. He served first as President of the Board of Education and from October 1916, as Paymaster General. When David Lloyd George became Prime Minister, Henderson joined the five member war cabinet. 

He resigned in August 1917 when Lloyd George opposed his proposal that the Labour Party participate in an international socialist conference in Stockholm. 

Henderson decided to give up his Barnard Castle constituency in 1918 and he went on to win and lose a series of seats. He was MP for Widnes, Newcastle East, Burnley, and from 1931 until his death, for Clay Cross in Derbyshire.

His mixed electoral fortunes were more of a reflection of the political uncertainty of time than of Henderson's standing. That he was able to secure the nomination in so many constituencies was evidence of his popularity within the party, where he became known as ‘Uncle Arthur'.

After returning to parliament in 1924, he joined Ramsey McDonald's government as Home Secretary and, in 1929, he was appointed Foreign Secretary. In this position, Henderson became respected throughout the world for his support of the League of Nations and his efforts toward international co-operation.

He resigned from the government in 1931 in protest over the proposed cuts in unemployment benefit. When McDonald formed the National Coalition government, Henderson became the leader of the Labour party for a third time.

For the remainder of his life, Arthur Henderson dedicated himself to the cause of peace. He chaired the Geneva Disarmament Conference between 1932 and 1935 and worked tirelessly to secure its aims.

The conference ultimately failed and the world descended into war. However, as his contemporary biographer, Mary A Hamilton put it: "If any man is clear of responsibility, it is Arthur Henderson."

Helen Goodman MP, who now represents much of Henderson's former Barnard Castle constituency, praised his efforts on the global stage.

She said: "He had a modern view of the world which was ahead of his time. He was not a nationalist, but an internationalist. He was instrumental in the League of Nations and the Geneva Protocols." 

She added: "The challenge of disarmament is as relevant now as it was in the 1930s. Arthur Henderson isn't just an interesting person to be nostalgic about, but someone we can learn from as we try to solve problems today."

For his efforts, Henderson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, on December 10, 1934. During his acceptance speech, he said: "I can imagine no greater or more fruitful action in the world than that which leads the peoples into the golden age of Peace and Freedom and Security."

After a prolonged period of ill health, Arthur Henderson died in London on October 20, 1935. Following a simple Methodist funeral and cremation, a memorial service was held in Westminster Abbey, where there was representation of ‘every aspect of the life of the nation in such a crowd as rarely gathers in the Abbey'.

Tributes were sent by the King and Queen, and from around the world, including from President Roosevelt. Mary A. Hamilton wrote: "In these tributes, whether they came from on high or low, from fellow statesmen, old friends, or persons who hardly knew him and yet had set their hopes on his stand for peace, the note was that of affection and unqualified respect."

First published in the Mercury April 30, 2008