C. W. Bowerman

The Right Honourable C. W. Bowerman
File:Charles William Bowerman in 1917 looking at camera.jpg Bowerman in 1917
Member of Parliament
In office 8 February 1906 – 27 October 1931
Preceded by	Arthur Henry Aylmer Morton
Succeeded by	Denis Augustine Hanley
Constituency	Deptford
1st General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress
In office 1921–1923
Assistant	Fred Bramley
Preceded by	new office
Succeeded by	Fred Bramley
11th Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress
In office 1911–1921
Preceded by	W. C. Steadman
Succeeded by	office abolished
Alderman of the London County Council
In office 1901–1907
President of the Trades Union Congress
In office 1901
Secretary	Sam Woods
Preceded by	William Pickles
Succeeded by	W. C. Steadman
General Secretary of the London Society of Compositors
In office 1892–1906
Preceded by	C. J. Drummond
Succeeded by	Thomas Naylor
Personal details
Born	(1851-01-22)22 January 1851 Honiton, Devon, England
Died	Highbury, London, England
Political party	Labour Progressive
Occupation	Trade unionist, compositor, jeweller

Charles William Bowerman (22 January 1851 – 11 June 1947), often known as C. W. Bowerman, was a prominent British trade unionist and politician.

Life

Born in Honiton, Bowerman moved to Clerkenwell in London at an early age. On leaving education, he worked as a jeweller and then a compositor. In 1872 he briefly worked for Hour newspaper before moving to the Daily Telegraph. He joined the London Society of Compositors in 1873 and became its General Secretary in 1892, a post he held until 1906.

In 1893, Bowerman joined the Fabian Society, and in 1897, he was elected to the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress, the body which later became the General Council. In 1901, was elected as a Progressive Party alderman on London County Council, a position he held until 1907.

Bowerman was the President of the TUC in 1901, and the Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee from 1911 until 1921, when he became the organisation's first General Secretary. He retired from the post in 1923.

In 1906, Bowerman was elected as the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Deptford, a post he retained until the 1931 UK general election, becoming a privy councillor in 1916.

In the years following his defeat, Bowerman joined the Next Five Years Group, the council of Ruskin College and the board of directors of the Co-operative Printing Society.

He died on 11 June 1947.

Legacy

There is a plaque commemorating Bowerman on 4 Battledean Road, a house in London N5.

References

• Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of People
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

External links

• 1903 photo
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Bowerman

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Arthur Henry Aylmer Morton	Member of Parliament for Deptford 1906–1931	Succeeded by Denis Augustine Hanley
Preceded by T. P. O'Connor	Oldest Member of Parliament (not Father of the House) 1929–1931	Succeeded by Samuel Samuel
Trade union offices
Preceded by C. J. Drummond	General Secretary of the London Society of Compositors 1892–1906	Succeeded by Thomas Naylor
Preceded by William Inskip	Treasurer of the Trades Union Congress 1899–1901	Succeeded by W. C. Steadman
Preceded by William Pickles	President of the Trades Union Congress 1901	Succeeded by W. C. Steadman
Preceded by W. C. Steadman	Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress 1911–1921	Office abolished
New office	General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress 1921–1923	Succeeded by Fred Bramley