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J. S. Woodsworth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | |
| In office August 1, 1932 – March 21, 1942 | |
| Preceded by | new party |
| Succeeded by | Major James Coldwell |
| 1st National Chairman of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | |
| In office 1932–1938 | |
| Preceded by | new party |
| Succeeded by | Major James Coldwell |
| Member of the House of Commons of Canada | |
| In office October 29, 1925 – March 21, 1942 | |
| Preceded by | new constituency |
| Succeeded by | Stanley Knowles |
| Constituency | Winnipeg North Centre |
| In office December 6, 1921 – October 29, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | George William Andrews |
| Succeeded by | constituency abolished |
| Constituency | Winnipeg Centre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Shaver Charleston Woodsworth July 29, 1874 Etobicoke, Ontario |
| Died | March 21, 1942 (aged 67) Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse |
Lucy Staples (m. 1903) |
| Children | Grace MacInnis |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Author, lecturer, minister, secretary, social activist, teacher |
James Shaver Charleston Woodsworth (July 29, 1874 – March 21, 1942) was a Canadian Methodist minister, politician, and labour activist. He was a pioneer of the Canadian Social Gospel, a Christian religious movement with social democratic values and links to organized labour. A long-time leader and publicist in the movement, Woodsworth served as an elected member of the federal parliament from 1921 until his death in 1942. In 1932, he helped to found the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), a socialist political party which was the predecessor to the New Democratic Party (NDP).[1]
While studying at Oxford, he became interested in social welfare, and upon his return to Canada as a minister of the Methodist Church he preached the Social Gospel to the poor and the working classes of Manitoba. As the superintendent of the All People's Mission in Winnipeg and the secretary of the Canadian Welfare League he focused on investigating social conditions, worked with immigrants, and campaigned for social welfare.
Woodsworth's focus on social issues and inequality led him to become active in the political labour movement in Canada. He led the protest campaign following the brutal police action which caused one person to be killed during the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919 and helped to organize the Manitoba Independent Labour Party (ILP). He ran and was elected to the House of Commons as a member of the ILP in 1921. In 1932 during the Great Depression, Woodsworth and the ILP along with other socialist and labour groups founded the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), with Woodsworth as its leader. The CCF, Canada's first widely successful socialist party, evolved into today's New Democratic Party.[2] Woodsworth influenced many of Canada's contemporary social programs including social assistance, pensions and medicare.
- ^ McNaught, Kenneth (2008-02-14). "James Shaver Woodsworth". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ Quinlan, Don; et al. (10 September 2008). The Canadian Challenge (1st ed.). Oxford University Press Canada. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-19-543156-8.