John Henry Whitley - Family and early career, Political career, BBC

Politician, born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, N England, UK. He studied at Clifton and London University, and became Liberal MP for Halifax (1900–28). He was Speaker of the House (1921–8) during the difficult period which culminated in the General Strike. He also presided over the committee that proposed (1917) industrial councils for joint consultation between employers and employees, since named Whitley Councils.

John Henry Whitley (1866 – 1935) was a respected and successful British politician whose life and career spanned a period of significant social change, from roots in the heart of the Industrial Revolution through to the inter-war period.

Family and early career

John Henry Whitley was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, early in 1866.

After an early education borading at Clifton College, John Henry entered his uncle, Samuel Whitley's cotton spinning business, Whitley &

In 1892, John Henry married Margherita Virginia Marchetti, born in Putney in 1872.

John and Margherita had two daughters and two sons;

Political career

Pre-war

John Henry became Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax in 1900, a seat he held until he resigned in 1928.

Whitley Councils

During World War I, in 1917, Whitley was appointed to chair a committee to report on 'the Relations of Employers and Employees' in the wake of the establishment of the shop stewards movement and the widespread protest action against dilution.

He proposed a system of regular formal consultative meetings between workers and employers, known to this day as "Whitley Councils".

The intention was to establish Whitley councils in the private sector, in particular in those industries most affected by the strike wave - to offset the demand for 'Workers' control' - a demand which was rapidly gaining ground after the Russian revolution.

However, the councils failed to gain ground in coal, cotton, engineering and other heavy industries, but succeeded only in the sphere of government employment where they remain a feature of public sector industrial relations to this day.

Speaker

Whitley was appointed speaker of the House of Commons in 1921, a post he held until 1928 when he resigned due to ill health.

Post-Parliament

His political work continued however and he chaired the Royal Commission on Labour in India, which reported in 1931.

Whitley was offered a knighthood for his work on this report, but again, he, like a minority of others, declined.

BBC

His friendship with John Reith led to his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC in 1930.

He is buried in Plot 456, Lister Lane Cemetery, Halifax.