Aitken Ferguson

Aitken Ferguson (1891 – 1975) was a Scottish communist activist and political candidate.

Born in Glasgow, Ferguson was named after his father. He worked as a boilermaker, He co-founded the Clyde Workers Committee during World War I, and soon after joined his local Labour Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). He stood in Glasgow Kelvingrove at the 1923 general election as a communist candidate, with the support of the Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers and the local Labour Party, but not the national body. Despite the lack of national support, he performed strongly, finishing 1,000 votes behind the successful Conservative Party candidate. Although he was well behind the victor on both occasions, his result was considered respectable by the CPGB leadership, as the Aberdeen branch of the party had only ten members.

Perhaps because of his experiences with the Labour Party, Ferguson was an enthusiastic supporter of the "New Line", in which the CPGB distanced itself from Labour; Ferguson only complaining that the line was not being enforced strongly enough. As a result, he was appointed to the CPGB's central committee in 1929. He stood in Greenock at the 1931 general election, placing third but not far behind the Labour Party candidate. In 1932, he was sent to Cumbria to try to strengthen the party there, and he stood for Carlisle City Council. Following this stint, he was a key figure in the Scottish CPGB for many years, and led calls for Scottish devolution within the party.