BONDFIELD MARGARET GRACE 1873 - 1953 LABOUR POLITICIAN

Letter from Margaret Bondfield to Mrs Douglas, suggesting that she should contact the Women's Industrial Council or the Womens Cooperative Guild for advice on a plan [relating to domestic workers].

Margaret Bondfield 1873 - 1953

Margaret Bondfield was the first British woman Cabinet Minister. She began her career as an apprentice to the drapery trade and became Assistant Secretary of the Shop Assistants Union, 1898 - 1908. She helped Mary Macarthur found the National Federation of Women Workers in 1906, and became Assistant Secretary in 1915. When it amalgamated with the National Union of General and Municipal Workers she became Chief Woman Officer 1921 - 1938. She sat on the General Council of Trades Union Congress, 1918 - 1924 and 1926 - 1929. She was a delegate to Berne International Conference, 1918, the French Trades Union Congress, Paris, 1918, and the Congress of American Federation of Labour, Atlantic City. Bondfield was also part of the British TUC delegation to Russia, 1920, and served as Labour Adviser to International Labour Conference, Washington, 1919 and Geneva, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927, and Chairman, General Council of Trades Union Congress, 1923.

She also served as an MP (Labour) for Northampton, 1923 - 1924, and Wallsend 1926 - 1931. She was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, 1924, a member of the Oversea Settlement Committee, 1925 - 1929, and Chairman of Women's Group on Public Welfare, 1939 - 1949.

Her publications include:

• Socialism for shop assistants (1909)
• The national care of maternity (1914)
• The meaning of trade (1928)
• Why Labour fights (1941)
• Our towns: a close-up (1943)
• A life's work (1949)

One letter

OPEN

Purchased by the Library

No further list required

APPLY TO ARCHIVIST