Wilfred Paling

The Right Honourable Wilfred Paling
Postmaster General
In office 17 April 1947 – 28 February 1950
Prime Minister	Clement Attlee
Preceded by	William Hare
Succeeded by	Ness Edwards
Minister of Pensions
In office 3 August 1945 – 17 April 1947
Prime Minister	Clement Attlee
Preceded by	Walter Womersley
Succeeded by	John Hynd
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Pensions
In office 1941–1945
Preceded by	George Tryon
Succeeded by	William Sidney
Member of Parliament for Dearne Valley
In office 23 February 1950 – 8 October 1959
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Edwin Wainwright
Member of Parliament for Wentworth
In office 1933–1950
Preceded by	George Henry Hirst
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of Parliament for Doncaster
In office 1922–1931
Preceded by	Reginald Nicholson
Succeeded by	Hugh Molson
Personal details
Born	Wilfred Paling (1883-04-07)7 April 1883 Marehay, Derbyshire, England, UK
Died	17 April 1971(1971-04-17) (aged 88)
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Hunt
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Nottingham

Wilfred Paling (7 April 1883 – 17 April 1971) was a British Labour politician.^[1][2]

He was born at Marehay, near Ripley, Derbyshire, one of eight children of a coalminer.^[2] Paling left Ripley Elementary School at the age of 13, and entered casual employment with local plumbing and building companies. When the family moved to Huthwaite in Nottinghamshire he started work in New Hucknall Colliery, also attending night classes organised by the Workers Educational Association in politics, economics and trade union history. He subsequently won a scholarship to study mining at University College Nottingham. Returning to the Nottinghamshire Coalfield, he became an official in the local miners' federation and a member of the Independent Labour Party.^[2]

In 1912 he left Nottinghamshire as his union and political activities meant that he could not find employment in the area. He moved to the West Riding of Yorkshire to work at Bullcroft Colliery near Doncaster. He was soon after elected to the committee of the Yorkshire Miners' Association, and in 1917 became colliery checkweighman.^[1][2] He entered local politics in 1919 when he was elected to the West Riding County Council and to Bentley with Arksey Urban District Council.^[1][2]

At the 1922 general election Paling was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster, and was re-elected in 1923, 1924 and 1929.^[1][2] Paling was a Junior Lord of the Treasury 1929–1931.^[2] He was defeated at the 1931 general election, when the Labour Party lost many seats to candidates of the National Government.^[2]

In 1933 he returned to the Commons when he was returned unopposed at a by-election at Wentworth.^[2] He was re-elected at the general elections of 1935 and 1945.^[1] He had the largest majority of any MP in the 1945 general election: 35,410.^[2]

He joined the wartime coalition government as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, in 1940 and was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1941 to 1945.^[1][2] He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1944.^[1] In the Labour Government formed after the war he was Minister of Pensions, from 1945 – 1947; and Postmaster General from 1947 – 1950.^[1][2]

The Wentworth constituency was abolished by the Representation of the People Act 1948 with effect from the 1950 general election. Paling was elected for the new seat of Dearne Valley, and was re-elected in 1955.^[2] He retired from parliament at the 1959 general election.^[1]

Paling married Elizabeth Hunt of Huthwaite, and they had two children. He died at his home in Scawthorpe, near Doncaster, in April 1971.^[2]

References[]

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links[]

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Wilfred Paling
• Portraits of Wilfred Paling at the National Portrait Gallery, London