Keir Hardie

James Keir Hardie (15 August 1856 – 26 September 1915) was a British socialist and labour leader, and was the first independent labour Member of Parliament (MPs) in the UK Parliament, seven years before the start of the Labour Party.

He was born in Newhouse, Lanarkshire. He worked as a coal miner, but his bosses stopped him from working when he made a union.  He became a politician, and was elected to (chosen for) parliament in 1892.  At first he was a Liberal, but he was interested in making a working class party.  He started the Independent Labour Party in 1893, and what became the modern Labour party in 1900. He died in Glasgow following a series of strokes.

Further reading
Benn, Caroline (1992) Keir Hardie London: Hutchinson 
 Kevin Jefferys (ed), Leading Labour: From Keir Hardie to Tony Blair  IB Taurus, 1999. 
 Kenneth O. Morgan, Keir Hardie, Radical and Socialist Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1975
 Kenneth O. Morgan, Labour People: Leaders and Lieutenants, Hardie to Kinnock OUP, 1987.
 Greg Rosen (ed), Dictionary of Labour Biography. Politicos Publishing, 2001. 
 Greg Rosen, Old Labour to New, Politicos Publishing, 2005. 

Other websites
Biography of Hardie with quotes 
Rhondda Cynon Taff Online : Unveiling the Keir Hardie Bust 
BBC News: Memorial to Labour founder Hardie

Category:1856 births
Category:1915 deaths
Category:Deaths from stroke
Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs
Category:Politicians from North Lanarkshire
Category:UK MPs 1892–1895
Category:UK MPs 1900–1906
Category:UK MPs 1906–1910
Category:UK MPs 1910–1918
Category:UK MPs 1910