John Hodge

John Hodge (29 October 1855 – 10 August 1937) was a Labour Party and later Coalition Labour politician in the United Kingdom. He was the UK's first Minister of Labour, and the second Minister of Pensions.

Early life Hodge was born in Linkeyburn, Ayrshire and attended Ironworks School and Hutchesons' Grammar School. When he was thirteen Hodge left school to become a solicitor's clerk and then worked a grocer's shop before joining the local iron works as a puddler—the same job as his father.

Hodge first became involved with trade unionism while at the local iron works. Hodge helped form the British Steel Smelters' Association in 1885, of which he would be elected secretary, after bosses at Colville in Motherwell informed workers that their wages would be twenty per cent lower than before. The BSSA was a success and by the summer of 1886 practically every smelter in Scotland had become a member and by 1888 the BSSA had members joining from England and Wales and become affiliated with the TUC. The BSSA rarely organised strikes, but Hodge was successful at negotiating increases in wages.

Hodge also helped form the Associated Society of Millmen, acting as its secretary and treasurer for a year before its members could hold an election.

Political career

Hodge was a member of the Manchester City Council from 1897 to 1901.

At the 1900 general election, Hodge unsuccessfully contested Gower. He was unsuccessful again in Preston at the by-election in May 1903.

From December 1916 to August 1917, Hodge was the first Minister of Labour and had a seat in the Cabinet. At this job Hodge claimed that all strikes during war-time were acts of treason and Hodge successfully made striking boilermakers go back to work by threatening to charge them under the Defence of the Realm Act. Hodge supported the Empire Resources Department Committee, signing its manifesto. From August 1917 to January 1919, Hodge was Minister of Pensions in the Lloyd George Coalition Government. In 1919 he appeared in the film Broken in the Wars directed by Cecil Hepworth to advertise a fund set up for ex-servicemen.

Hodge kept his seat in both the general election of 1918 and the general election of 1922 but retired from Parliament at the general election of 1923. Hodge continued to argue against strikes during the General Strike of 1926 and retired from the presidency of the British Iron, Steel & Kindred Trades Association in 1931.

Hodge was turned down for military service because he was too old. Arthur Griffith-Boscawen, who served under Hodge, called him a "fat, rampaging and most patriotic Tory working man".