# Fred Bramley

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fred_Bramley
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fred_Bramley.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Bramley
> Source revision: 1350913452
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|British trade unionist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
thumb|Bramley, shortly before his death
'''Fred Bramley''' (27 September 1874 – 10 October 1925) was the second [General Secretary](/source/General_Secretary) of the British [Trades Union Congress](/source/Trades_Union_Congress) (TUC).

Born in [Pool](/source/Pool%2C_West_Yorkshire) near [Otley](/source/Otley) in the [West Riding of Yorkshire](/source/West_Riding_of_Yorkshire), Bramley completed an apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker, then became active in the [Alliance Cabinet Makers' Association](/source/Alliance_Cabinet_Makers'_Association) and a member of the [Independent Labour Party](/source/Independent_Labour_Party) (ILP).  During the 1890s, he was involved with the [Clarion](/source/Clarion_(magazine)) van movement, and also with the [Bradford Trades Council](/source/Bradford_Trades_Council).<ref name="dictionary" >Barbara Nield and John Saville, ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol. IX, pp. 16-20</ref>

Bramley moved to London around the turn of the century, and through his membership of the ILP, was adopted as the candidate of the "Aberdeen Labour Representation Committee" in the [1907 Aberdeen South by-election](/source/1907_Aberdeen_South_by-election).<ref>F. W. S. Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918'', p. xvi</ref>  In 1912 he became the national organiser of his union, which following a merger was known as the [National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association](/source/National_Amalgamated_Furnishing_Trades_Association).  In this role, he supported workers involved in a larger number of lock-outs and strikes.  He opposed British involvement in [World War I](/source/World_War_I), and from 1916 to 1919 he served as chairman of the [London Labour Party](/source/London_Labour_Party).<ref name="dictionary" />

In 1915, Bramley was elected to the [Trades Union Congress](/source/Trades_Union_Congress)' (TUC) Parliamentary Committee, and in 1917 he became its assistant general secretary, in which role he helped reorganize the congress, forming a new general council.  He stood again for Labour in [Plymouth Devonport](/source/Plymouth_Devonport_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) at the [1918](/source/1918_United_Kingdom_general_election) and [1922 general election](/source/1922_United_Kingdom_general_election)s.

In 1920 he was one of the joint secretaries of the [National Council of Action](/source/National_Council_of_Action) alongside [Jim Middleton](/source/James_Middleton_(political_organiser)) and [H. S. Lindsay](/source/H._S._Lindsay).<ref name="FCA">{{cite book |last1=Bramley |first1=F. |last2=Middleton |first2=J. S. |last3=Lindsay |first3=H. S. |title=Form your Councils of Action! |date=1920 |publisher=Nation Council of Action |location=London |url=https://cdm21047.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/russian/id/969}}</ref> In 1923 became general secretary of the TUC, although he achieved little in the role due to poor health.  He joined its delegation to the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) in 1924 and died, while attending an [International Federation of Trade Unions](/source/International_Federation_of_Trade_Unions) meeting, in [Amsterdam](/source/Amsterdam) in 1925.<ref name="dictionary" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*[http://www.unionhistory.info/Display.php?irn=3000104&QueryPage=AdvSearch.php TUC History Online]

{{s-start}}
{{s-npo|union}}
{{succession box
  | title  = Assistant General Secretary of the TUC
  | years  = 1917–1923
  | before = ''New position''
  | after  = [Alec Firth](/source/Alec_Firth)
}}
{{succession box
  | title  = [General Secretary of the TUC](/source/General_Secretary_of_the_TUC)
  | years  = 1923–1925
  | before = [C. W. Bowerman](/source/C._W._Bowerman)
  | after  = [Walter Citrine](/source/Walter_Citrine)
}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box|title=Chairman of the [London Labour Party](/source/London_Labour_Party)|years=1916 – 1919|before=[John Stokes](/source/John_Stokes_(trade_unionist))|after=[Thomas Naylor](/source/Thomas_Naylor_(British_politician))}}
{{s-aca}}
{{succession box|title=President of the [Workers' Educational Association](/source/Workers'_Educational_Association)|years=1924 – 1926|before=[William Temple](/source/William_Temple_(bishop))|after=[Arthur Pugh](/source/Arthur_Pugh)}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bramley, Fred}}
Category:General secretaries of the Trades Union Congress
Category:1874 births
Category:1925 deaths
Category:Independent Labour Party parliamentary candidates
Category:Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Category:Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress
Category:People from Otley

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fred Bramley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Bramley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Bramley?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.