Alec Geddes

Alexander Geddes (29 May 1888 – 10 July 1964) was a Scottish communist and political candidate. In newspaper coverage of his political activities, his first name was often shortened to Alex or Alec.

Biography Geddes was born in Wick in 1888, and worked there as a fish smoker. He married Margaret Clark Kinloch in 1909. They moved to Greenock, where he was employed in a torpedo factory during World War I. His first political speech was in the run-up to the 1918 general election, when he spoke in support of Fred Shaw, unsuccessful British Socialist Party candidate for the Greenock constituency. Geddes co-founded the Scottish Communist Party and was appointed its treasurer. However, advocates for a separate Scottish CP were defeated at its first meeting; members voted instead to seek amalgamation with the new Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Geddes acceded to this plan, and became a member of the CPGB himself.

Geddes chaired the Greenock Unemployed Workers' Committee and was nominated to stand at the 1922 general election. He had the support of the CPGB, the local trades and labour council, and the Independent Labour Party (ILP). But he did not try to win the endorsement of the national Labour Party to stand as their official candidate. Nevertheless, Geddes improved his electoral result, collecting 10,335 votes, or 38% of the total. who he outperformed, taking second place with 29.0%. Geddes' final contest came in 1929 when he took 20%.

Geddes visited the Soviet Union in 1925. He viewed the Red Army on the Polish border, and received a banner from the Samara Cavalry Division as a gift, which he presented to the CPGB. After this loss, Geddes appears to have largely withdrawn from public life, with only occasional mention. In September 1943, he spoke at a rally in support of the war effort. In July 1945 he had a letter printed in the Greenock Telegraph in which he urged readers to back the communist candidate J. R. Campbell.

On 10 July 1964, Alexander Geddes died in a hospital in Ilford, Essex. He was 76.