Robert C. Handley

Robert Crompton Handley (1881 – 4 February 1940) was a British politician and trade unionist.

Born in Bolton, Handley began working in a cotton mill as a half-timer at the age of ten. He eventually became a spinner, and joined the Preston Operative Cotton Spinners' Association, being elected as its treasurer, and then as its secretary.

Handley was also active in the Labour Party, and was elected to Preston Borough Council in 1923. In 1934/5, he served as Mayor of Preston, the third Labour mayor of the town.

Handley was also active internationally, attending the conferences of the International Labour Organization, at which he was particularly well known for his campaign for a maximum forty-hour working week.