Sir Benjamin Smith (29 January 1879 – 5 May 1964) was a Labour Party politician in England.
A driver of one of London's first taxicabs, Smith became the first organiser for the London Cab Drivers' Union. He was national organiser of the Transport and General Workers' Union from its formation in 1922 until he was elected to Parliament in 1923. He was sworn in as a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council in 1943. This gave him the honorific title "The Right Honourable" for life.
Smith was member of Parliament (MP) for Rotherhithe from 1923 until 1931 and from 1935 until 1946. He served as Minister of Food in the 1945 Attlee ministry until his resignation in May 1946 to become chairman of West Midlands Coal Board.
References
- "The Taxi-Driver M.P.— Labour's New M.P.", Daily Herald (London), March 14, 1924, p.4
- Marsh, Arthur; Ryan, Victoria (1987). Historical Directory of Trade Unions. Vol. 3. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Company. pp. 230–240. ISBN 0566021625.
External links
- "The New Cabinet". Time. 13 August 1945.
- "Sir Ben's Battle". Time. 18 February 1946.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Ben Smith
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJohn Lort-Williams | Member of Parliament for Rotherhithe 1923 – 1931 |
Succeeded byNorah Runge |
| Preceded byNorah Runge | Member of Parliament for Rotherhithe 1935 – 1946 |
Succeeded byBob Mellish |
| Trade union offices | ||
| Preceded byA. B. Hall and Charles Hobson | Auditor of the Trades Union Congress 1919 With: John Robertson |
Succeeded byWalter Smith and William Straker |
| Preceded byCharlie Cramp and Alonzo Swales | Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour 1925 With: A. A. Purcell |
Succeeded byJohn Bromley and George Hicks |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byGeorge Hennessy | Treasurer of the Household 1929–1931 |
Succeeded byGeorge Hennessy |
| Preceded byJohn Llewellin | Minister of Food 1945–1946 |
Succeeded byJohn Strachey |
- 1879 births
- 1964 deaths
- English trade unionists
- Knights Bachelor
- Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Ministers in the Attlee governments, 1945–1951
- Ministers in the Churchill wartime government, 1940–1945
- Politics of the London Borough of Southwark
- Transport and General Workers' Union-sponsored MPs
- Treasurers of the Household
- UK MPs 1923–1924
- UK MPs 1924–1929
- UK MPs 1929–1931
- UK MPs 1935–1945
- UK MPs 1945–1950
- Food ministers of the United Kingdom