About George Davy Kelley
Lived 1848 – 1911 (aged 62–63). George Davy Kelley was a British politician and trade unionist.
George Davy Kelley (1848 – 18 December 1911) was a British trades unionist and Labour politician.
Kelley was born in Ruskington, Lincolnshire in 1848. He became apprenticed to the lithographic printing trade in York. Following his apprenticeship, he worked as a printer in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford. He moved to Manchester to become general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Lithographic Printers, formed in 1880.
Kelley was an early proponent of the Labour movement putting forward candidates for election. He became vice-president of the Labour Electoral Association in 1889, and presided at the Labour Electoral Congress held in Hanley in 1890. He was elected to the parliamentary committee of the Trades Union Congress in 1892.
He held the office of secretary of a number of bodies: the Manchester Trades and Labour Council, the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation of Trade Councils, the Manchester and District Board of Conciliation and the National Printing and Kindred Trades Federation. Two years later as vice-chairman of the National Committee of Organised Labour, he campaigned for the introduction of a universal old age pension.
At the 1906 general election he was selected as one of the Labour Representation Committee candidates, and was elected as member of parliament for Manchester South West, unseating the sitting Conservative MP. Due to ill-health he retired from parliament at the next general election in January 1910. He died in Manchester in December 1911, aged 63.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped George Davy Kelley's
Frequently asked questions
Who was George Davy Kelley?
British politician
When was George Davy Kelley born?
George Davy Kelley was born in 1848.
When did George Davy Kelley die?
George Davy Kelley died on 18 December 1911.
What was George Davy Kelley's occupation?
George Davy Kelley was a politician and trade unionist.
What nationality was George Davy Kelley?
George Davy Kelley was British.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: George Davy Kelley
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). George Davy Kelley. https://biography.guide/george-davy-kelley/
MLA: "George Davy Kelley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/george-davy-kelley/.
Chicago: "George Davy Kelley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/george-davy-kelley/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
Page generated 2026-09-27 04:58 UTC