Annie Maxton

Annie Maxton was a Scottish socialist and trade unionist.

Born in Glasgow, Maxton was convinced to join the Independent Labour Party (ILP) by her elder brother, James Maxton. She trained as a teacher and became active in the Educational Institute of Scotland. [Pamela Anderson Lee and R. D. Anderson, "Education and the Scottish People, 1750-1918"]

When internal disputes rocked the ILP in Glasgow, Maxton did not get involved. As a result, in 1937, she was elected Chairman of the Scottish Divisional Council of the ILP - an important position, given that all the ILP's Members of Parliament were based in Glasgow. [Matthew Worley, "Labour's Grass Roots"]

With her newfound prominence, Maxton stood in several elections for the ILP, including the East Renfrewshire by-election, 1940. She stood in the important Glasgow Camlachie by-election, 1948, but took only 6.4% of the votes cast. [ [http://www.geocities.com/by_elections/48.html 1948 By Elections] ] By this point, the ILP was in sharp decline, no longer retaining any Parliamentary representation. Although many members left to join the Labour Party, Maxton remained loyal to the ILP, and in 1953 was elected its Chair, a position she held until 1958. [ [http://library-2.lse.ac.uk/archives/handlists/ILP/ILP.html British Library of Political and Economic Science: ILP] ]

References

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title = Chair of the Independent Labour Party
years = 1953–1958
before = Fred Barton
after = Fred Morel