Frank Cousins
|
The Right Honourable Frank Cousins |
|
|---|---|
| Minister of Technology | |
|
In office 18 October 1964 – 4 July 1966 |
|
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | Tony Benn |
| Member of Parliament for Nuneaton | |
|
In office 21 January 1965 – 5 December 1966 |
|
| Preceded by | Frank Bowles |
| Succeeded by | Les Huckfield |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 September 1904 Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 11 June 1986 (aged 81) |
| Political party | Labour |
Frank Cousins PC (8 September 1904 – 11 June 1986) was a British trade union leader and Labour politician.
He was born in Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, and became a member of the road transport section of the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1933, before becoming a full-time official in July 1938. He was appointed National Secretary of Road Transport (Commercial) Group in October 1948, contested the TGWU Assistant General Secretaryship in 1948 and 1955, securing the position on the latter attempt. He was also elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee the same year, but resigned in March 1956.
Cousins was appointed acting General Secretary of the TGWU in February 1956, due to poor health on the part of Jock Tiffin. He was elected General Secretary in May 1956, following Tiffin's death, and held the position until 1969. From 1956 to 1969, he was a member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress and was President of the International Transport Workers' Federation from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1964.
Cousins served as Minister of Technology in Harold Wilson's Labour government from October 1964 until his resignation on 11 June 1966 to protest a Government-backed law freezing incomes and prices. His appointment as a Minister was notable as he is only one of two recent Ministers (the other being Patrick Gordon-Walker) who was appointed to the role without being either a Member of Parliament or a member of the House of Lords. He was also made a Privy Counsellor in 1964.
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