Primitive MethodistPrimitive Methodism local preacherLocal Preachers, coal miner, and Lib-Lab politician. Born at Haslan, Derbyshire, on 5 September 1852, the son of a shoemaker. His Sunday school teacher was Dr. George Booth Booth, Dr. George. From the age of ten he worked at a coal pit and joined the South Yorkshire Miners' Association in 1869, but was dismissed from the pit for his trade union activities. He subsequently found employment at Sheepbridge and then at Morton.

When in 1880 the Derbyshire Miners' Association separated from South Yorkshire, Harvey was a founder member. He was its first treasurer, but resigned in 1882 as meetings clashed with the employer’s cricket matches. However, in 1891 he became the union’s Assistant Secretary and in 1892 was elected to the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. He was President of the Chesterfield Trades Council in 1894.

Appointed Financial and Correspondence Secretary of the union in 1906 raised his profile and enabled him to stand successfully in the Derbyshire (North East) by-election in 1907. He had stood previously and unsuccessfully as an independent Lib-Lab candidate in 1885. As a Liberal he strongly opposed socialism and syndicalism. He was the Vice-President of the Liberals' Labour Electoral Association to secure workers’ votes. Reluctantly, under union instructions he joined the Labour Party in 1910. However, he became increasingly unhappy over the party’s treatment of miners' representatives and in March 1914 he re-joined the Liberals. He died soon afterwards at Chesterfield on 28 April 1914. He was succeeded in Parliament by another Primitive Methodist local preacher, Barnet *Kenyon Kenyon, Barnet.

Entry written by: DCD
Category: Person
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