Chartist silk weaver, the General Council's Corresponding Secretary for Denmark and a founder of the Labour Representation League
Born in Macclesfield in 1826, a silk weaver, he was a well-known Chartist. Prominent in the Reform League in the 1860s, he agreed with Cremer and Howell to use the league to gather information for the Liberal Party, and in 1869 he was a leading founder of the Labour Representation League. Elected to the General Council of the International the same year, he served as Corresponding Secretary for Denmark and was long known as an ally of Marx, but he fell out with Marx over his refusal to consider Irish independence and lost influence after attending the Hague Congress of 1872 drunk. He sat on the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress in 1874–1875 and stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal-Labour candidate at Preston in the general election of 1874. He died in 1884 after suffering a fit while crossing Westminster Bridge.
Also known as: Thomas G. Mottershead
Activities and affiliations
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1869–1872
International Workingmen's Association (First International)Main
Social movements and organizing -
1869–
Labour Representation League (LRL)
Social movements and organizing -
1874–1875
Social movements and organizing
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Social movements and organizing
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Social movements and organizing
Career Timeline
- 1869Leading founder of the Labour Representation League
- 1869–1872General Council member and Corresponding Secretary for Denmark
- 1874–1875Member of the TUC Parliamentary Committee