Peter Curran

Peter Francis Curran (28 March 1860 – 14 February 1910) was a British trade unionist and politician.

Born Patrick Francis Curran in Glasgow, to a Catholic family of Irish origin, Curran became known as "Pete" at an early age. He left school at the age of eleven, training as a blacksmith and working at a steel plant. Always interested in politics, he joined the Irish Land League, but was impressed by Henry George's speeches, and transferred to the Scottish Land Restoration League in 1880. He married in 1881, and around this time also joined the Social Democratic Federation (SDF). The case Curran v. Treleaven became immediately famous and, with newfound fame, Curran moved back to London to take up the post of national organiser of the gasworkers' union.

Curran stood for the LRC in Jarrow at the 1906 general election. Although he was narrowly defeated in a contest against the sitting Liberal Party MP, he stood again at the 1907 Jarrow by-election. On this occasion, he also faced Unionist Party and Irish Nationalist opposition, and these candidates took enough of the Liberal vote that he won the seat.

By this time, Curran was in poor health, principally due to his drinking. He was arrested and fined in 1909 for being drunk and incapable, and he developed cirrhosis of the liver. He lost his seat in another close contest at the January 1910 general election, and died shortly afterwards, aged 49.