Seditionist Tom Mann was ahead of his times

1856 Tom Mann (d. March 13, 1941), noted British trade unionist. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a popular public speaker in the labor movement. He was acclaimed as the greatest labor agitator and orator of his time.

His political awareness began at public meetings addressed by Annie Besant and John Bright. He was an associate of Henry Hyde Champion (who. like Mann, emigrated to Australia). Mann formed an organisation, the Eight Hour League, which successfully pressured the Trades Union Congress to adopt the eight-hour day as a policy goal. In 1894 he helped found Britain’s Independent Labour Party and became its first Secretary. In 1901, Mann emigrated to Australia where was arrested twice and charged with sedition but in both cases was acquitted. In Melbourne he was active in Australian trade unionism and became an organizer for the Australian Labor Party ...

Mann was charged with sedition several times, including on two occasions in Australia. In England in 1911 he was found guilty of sedition and sentenced to six months imprisonment ...

Categories: uk, australia, labor, history, labor-history, biography