Thomas Burlison, Baron Burlison
| The Lord Burlison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the House of Lords | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In office 21 October 1997 – 20 May 2008 |
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| Treasurer of the Labour Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In office 1992–1996 |
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| Leader |
John Smith Margaret Beckett (Acting) Tony Blair |
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| Preceded by | Sam McCluskie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Margaret Prosser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Thomas Henry Burlison 23 May 1936 Edmondsley, England |
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| Died | 20 May 2008 (aged 71) Gateshead, England |
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| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Association football career
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| Playing position | Wing-half | ||
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| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1957 | Lincoln City | 0 | (0) |
| 1957–1964 | Hartlepool United | 148 | (5) |
| 1964–1965 | Darlington | 26 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:48, 4 August 2008 (UTC). |
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Thomas Henry Burlison, Baron Burlison, DL (23 May 1936 – 18 May 2008) was a British footballer, GMB trade unionist and Treasurer of the Labour Party. He was the first professional footballer to take a seat in the House of Lords.
Burlison was born in Edmondsley, County Durham, the son of a miner, Robert Burlison, and his wife, Georgina. He was educated in Edmondsley and worked as panel beater from 1951 to 1957, joining the General and Municipal Workers' Union (GMWU, later merged to form the GMB).
He was a professional footballer from 1953 to 1965 (playing for Lincoln City, Hartlepool United and Darlington). Between 1959 and 1961, he did National Service in the Royal Air Force.
He became a regional officer of the GMB in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1965, and regional secretary in 1978. A polite and unassuming man with a low profile, he was an effective "fixer" behind the scenes, drawing from a base in the union's heartland in the northeast, and responsible for setting many on the path to power. His staff included former Labour ministers Nick Brown and Doug Henderson, and former MEP and Labour leader in the European parliament Alan Donnelly. He was also involved in the selection of many Labour MPs, including Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson.
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