Charles Dukes, 1st Baron Dukeston

For the American astronaut, see Charles Duke.

Charles Dukes, 1st Baron Dukeston (28 October 1881 – 14 May 1948)^[1] was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician.

Parliamentary career

At the 1923 general election, Dukes was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Warrington in Lancashire, narrowly defeating the sitting Conservative MP Alec Cunningham-Reid.^[2] When the First Labour Government fell in 1924, Dukes lost his seat in the resulting 1924 general election, unseated by his predecessor Cunningham-Reid.^[2]

However, at the 1929 general election, when Cunningham-Reid abandoned Warrington and stood unsuccessfully in Southampton,^[3] and Dukes was returned again to the House of Commons. When Labour split in 1931 over the handling of budgetary response to the Great Depression, Dukes was defeated in the subsequent general election, and did not stand for Parliament again.^[2]

From 1934 to 1946, Dukes was General Secretary of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers. From 1946 to 1947 he was President of the Trades Union Congress.

He was ennobled in 1947 as Baron Dukeston, of Warrington in the County Palatine of Lancaster,^[4] but the title became extinct when he died the following year, aged 66.

References

1. ^ "Historical list of MPs: House of Commons constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Ccommons2.htm. Retrieved 21 November 2009. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 267. ISBN 0-900178-06-X. 
3. ^ Craig, op. cit, page 243
4. ^ London Gazette: no. 37921. p. 1497. 1 April 1947.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Dukes

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Alec Cunningham-Reid	Member of Parliament for Warrington 1923 – 1924	Succeeded by Alec Cunningham-Reid
Preceded by Alec Cunningham-Reid	Member of Parliament for Warrington 1929 – 1931	Succeeded by Noel Goldie
Other offices
Preceded by Will Thorne	General Secretary of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1934 – 1946	Succeeded by Tom Williamson
Preceded by Ebby Edwards	President of the Trades Union Congress 1946 – 1947	Succeeded by George W. Thompson
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Dukeston 1947 – 1948	Extinct