Wright Robinson

Wright Robinson (1876 – 1961) was a British trade unionist and politician and former Lord Mayor of Manchester. Two educational buildings in Manchester are named after him, Wright Robinson College and Wright Robinson Hall.

Early life Robinson was born in Burnley in 1876, and the family moved to Blackburn in 1887.

In 1911, Robinson was elected to Blackburn council. He moved to Liverpool in 1913 and became the local organiser for the ILP and editor of the Liverpool Forward. During World War I, Robinson was a conscientious objector, and he successfully campaigned for release of Charles Dukes, George Beardsworth and George Benson from prison.

Despite his pacifism in WWI, by the 1930s Robinson had come to the conclusion that Hitler could only be defeated by war, and during World War II, he promoted co-operation with the Soviet Union. He was rumoured to have rejected a seat in the House of Lords in 1945.