George Daniels papers

A small collection of what appear to be the only surviving papers of the economist G W Daniels. These comprise: three notebooks which contain notes made by Daniels on the English textile industry from House of Commons Journals: /1 1702-1750, /2 1750-1764,/3 1764-1786. These were probably used for The early English cotton industry. Also present is a small bundle comprising a galley proof of "The organisation of a turn out of Bolton machine-makers in 1831", which was published in Economic History: a supplement to the Economic Journal Vol.2 1930, a letter from B Palin Dobson to Daniels, n.d. [1929] commenting on the article with regard to employers' groups, and a letter from Thomas Midgeley, curator of the Chadwick Museum, Bolton, 6 May 1929, commenting on Daniels' article on Crompton spindle survey, (published as "Samuel Crompton's Census of the Cotton Industry in 1811", Economic History: a supplement to the Economic Journal Vol.2 1930.

George William Daniels was born in Swinton, Lancashire in 1878. In his youth he worked in a coalmine and later became an electrician. In his mid twenties he was able to study at Ruskin College, Oxford, before enrolling as a mature student at the University of Manchester in 1908. Here he took a degree in economics in 1911, and a MA in 1912.

Daniels was then appointed assistant lecturer in economics at Manchester in 1912, and from 1914 to 1919 worked as a staff lecturer for tutorial classes. Thereafter his career advanced rapidly. Between 1919 and 1921, he was promoted successively to senior lecturer, reader, and finally professor of commerce and administration. In 1927 he was made Jevons professor of political economy, the senior economics chair at Manchester.

Daniels was an extremely active head of department. He introduced a new strand to the B.Com degree for public administration in 1927, and in 1932, he set up the Economics Research Section which undertook research in applied economics relating to the North West of England. Daniels was also Dean of the Faculty of Commerce for many years, and shortly before his death was appointed a pro vice-chancellor of the University. He had a high reputation as a negotiator both within and outside of the University. Daniels served a chairman of the National Conciliation Board, who investigated industrial disputes within the Co-operative movement.

Daniels' academic interest were mainly in the area of economic history, and he wrote widely on the English cotton industry, including The Early English Cotton Industry (1929). George Daniels died in December 1937.

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

No accession information. It is assumed that Daniels' papers were transferred to the University Library after his death.

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

None expected.

See also papers of George Unwin, a colleague and collaborator of Daniels, UNW. English Ms 1323 relating to the Bolton Mechanics dispute of 1831 was used by Daniels for the article "The organisation of a turn out of Bolton machine-makers in 1831", present in this collection.

There is an obituary of Daniels by John Jewkes, Economic Journal, 48, March 1938, pp.150-153.