George Oliver (politician) facts for kids

George Harold Oliver (born November 24, 1888 – died September 22, 1984) was a British engineer and lawyer. He was also a politician who served for a long time as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilkeston. An MP is someone elected to represent people in the UK's Parliament. He also worked briefly as a government minister. He was known as a QC, which is a special title for experienced lawyers.

Early Life and Career

Oliver was born in Bolton, England. He went to Holy Trinity School in his hometown. After school, he became an engineer. He worked as a gear cutter for a famous company called Rolls-Royce. When the company moved its factories to Derby, he moved with them.

Joining the Union and Politics

While working, Oliver joined a group called the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. This was a union that helped workers. He became a "shop steward," which means he was a leader for the union in his workplace. His work with the union led him to join the Labour Party. He was then elected to the Derby Town Council, representing the Labour Party. Because he was an important engineering worker, he was not asked to fight in the First World War.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Oliver decided to try and become a Member of Parliament.

First Election Attempt

In the 1918 general election, Oliver ran for the Ilkeston area. This area was not far from Derby. He ran against J. E. B. Seely, a Liberal Party candidate. Oliver lost this election by 1,698 votes.

Second Election Success

Even though he lost, Oliver stayed involved in the Ilkeston area. From 1921, he worked as an organizer for the Workers' Union. He ran again in the 1922 general election. This time, he won by 1,084 votes and became an MP.

Working as an MP and a Lawyer

Oliver was re-elected as an MP in 1923. During this time, the Labour Party was in government. He supported an idea to create a national minimum wage for all workers. He also wanted to remove taxes on entertainment events that were held for charity.

Becoming a Lawyer

After the Labour government lost power, Oliver was re-elected again in the 1924 general election. He decided to study to become a lawyer, specifically a trade union lawyer. In 1927, he became a "barrister" after studying at the Middle Temple. Soon after, he helped one of his constituents (people from his area) who had been found guilty of murder. He convinced the Home Secretary to stop the planned hanging.

Important Debates in Parliament

In March 1930, Oliver led a discussion about how to improve civilian air travel. He also supported allowing cinemas to open on Sundays. He wanted to limit the use of cars during elections. He believed this would make elections fairer for everyone, not just the rich. However, in the 1931 general election, Oliver lost his seat. He lost by only two votes, which was one of the closest election results ever.

Time Out of Parliament

When he was not an MP, Oliver worked as a barrister for the Transport and General Workers Union. He helped the union in a case about three workers who died from poisoning at a factory in 1934. In the 1935 general election, he ran again for his old seat. This time, he won by a large number of votes: 10,601.

New Laws and Party Work

In February 1936, Oliver was chosen to introduce a new law. He chose to propose a law that would expand the power of County Courts. He was also involved in the Labour Party conference in 1939. He supported removing some members from the party who were trying to form an alliance with the Liberal Party. In 1943, he was the chairman of the Labour Party Conference Arrangements Committee.

Serving as a Government Minister

In August 1945, Oliver was given an important job in the government led by Clement Attlee. He became the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office.

Electoral Registration Committee

From 1945 to 1947, he was the chairman of a committee that looked at how people registered to vote. The committee suggested going back to a system where people would go door-to-door to help everyone register. Oliver left the government in October 1947. In 1949, he was given the special title of King's Counsel.

Later Parliamentary Years

Changes to the election boundaries made his seat very safe. In the 1951 general election, his majority was 30,398 votes. This was the fourth largest majority in the whole country. In February 1952, he was chosen to be one of the MPs to visit the Queen Mother. They went to offer Parliament's sadness after the death of King George VI.

Later Years and Retirement

As he got older, Oliver sometimes voted differently from his party. In July 1960, he supported a Conservative government's idea for political and economic unity in Europe. In 1963, he was part of a committee that looked into how much MPs should be paid. Oliver decided not to run for election in the 1964 general election. He lived to be 95 years old.