Ernest Bevin (1881-1951) was born in Somerset and became an agricultural labourer. He moved to Bristol at 13 and worked in various jobs. He became active in socialist politics and was secretary of the Bristol Right-to-Work Committee in 1910. He organised carters into the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers' Union and became a paid official of the Union in 1911 and national organiser by 1913.

In 1921, 32 unions amalgamated into the Transport and General Workers Union with Bevin as its first General Secretary. He was also a member of the TUC General Council 1925-1940. In 1940, Winston Churchill invited him to become Minister of Labour in his wartime coalition Government and he won a by-election at Wandsworth the same year. He successfully mobilised Britain's workforce and became one of the most significant members of the war cabinet.

In the post-war Labour Government, Attlee appointed Bevin as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, where he played a key role in the Marshall plan, the creation of NATO and the decision to develop nuclear weapons.

Title	Ernest Bevin (1881- 1951)
Maker	--
Production Date	1939-1945
Format	Photograph
Copyright	--
Holding Institution	TUC Library Collections, London Metropolitan University
Related Objects	TUC Congress, Nottingham, 1930 - Ernest Bevin
If you would like to contact us in relation to either the objects you see here, or the site itself, please use our Feedback Form