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Ben Smith (Labour politician)

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Rt Hon Sir Ben Smith as Minister for Food

Sir Benjamin Smith (29 January 1879 – 5 May 1964) was a Labour Party politician in England.

A driver of one of London's first taxicabs,[1] Smith became the first organiser for the London Cab Drivers' Union.[2] He was national organiser of the Transport and General Workers' Union from its formation in 1922 until he was elected to Parliament in 1923. He was sworn in as a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council in 1943. This gave him the honorific title "The Right Honourable" for life.

Smith was member of Parliament (MP) for Rotherhithe from 1923 until 1931 and from 1935 until 1946. He served as Minister of Food in the 1945 Attlee ministry until his resignation in May 1946 to become chairman of West Midlands Coal Board.

References

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  1. ^ "The Taxi-Driver M.P.— Labour's New M.P.", Daily Herald (London), March 14, 1924, p.4
  2. ^ Marsh, Arthur; Ryan, Victoria (1987). Historical Directory of Trade Unions. Vol. 3. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Company. pp. 230–240. ISBN 0566021625.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Rotherhithe
19231931
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Rotherhithe
19351946
Succeeded by
Trade union offices
Preceded by
A. B. Hall and Charles Hobson
Auditor of the Trades Union Congress
1919
With: John Robertson
Succeeded by
Preceded by Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour
1925
With: A. A. Purcell
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of the Household
1929–1931
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Food
1945–1946
Succeeded by