Eric Donaldson
The Rt. Hon. John Eric Donaldson, PC (13 April 1861 - 2 August 1940) was a Georgeland Labour politician and the 3rd Prime Minister of Georgeland, serving in that position from 1911 until 1915. Donaldson was the country's first Labour Prime Minister and a prominent figure in the founding of the Labour Party and one of the architects of the two-party system that developed in Georgeland from the time of his prime ministership. He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1915 to 1920. A committed socialist, Donaldson was a prolific writer on the subject and much of his work is considered definitive in his home country and abroad. The pioneering American socialist Eugene Debs called Donaldson 'the greatest hero of working people below the Equator'. Template:Prettytable |+John Eric Donaldson |- |Position ||3rd Prime Minister of Georgeland |- |Term in office || June 23, 1911 - 11 March 1915 |- |Preceded by ||Nicholas Turner |- |Succeeded by ||Gregory Green |- |Political party || Labour |- |Total time in office || 3 years 9 months 16 days (14th) |- |Born || April 13, 1861 |- ||Died || August 2, 1940 |- |Spouse || Emma Jane Donaldson |}
Early life and education
Donaldson was born in Darlington, in the north of England, on 13 April 1861. He was born into a working-class family, the fifth of of eleven children of Patrick Donaldson, an Irish ironmonger, and his English wife Sarah. Donaldson received only a limited education, working in the Darlington railway yards from the age of 13. His father died in 1877 when Donaldson was sixteen, and he became one of the main breadwinners for his family. After the death of his mother from tuberculosis, which also claimed three sisters and a brother, Donaldson was primarily responsible for the welfare of his younger siblings and his elderly aunt, with whom they were living in a three-room terraced house. The crowded environment made Donaldson a strong believer in the importance of family, and his aunt's influence caused him to become a devout Roman Catholic. Conditions in his workplace led Donaldson to become a socialist after he was taken to a meeting and hearing a speech by Henry Broadhurst.
Emigration and marriage
After being laid off in 1881, Donaldson contemplated his future and decided to emigrate with his two younger brothers. After attempting to travel to Canada, they chose Georgeland, and left England in January 1882, arriving in March. During the voyage, Donaldson's youngest brother James had taken ill and died, leaving only himself and his other brother Henry. Upon disembarking in Weston (now Santa Christina) the two brothers were intinerant, working as miners, stevedores and railway workers, until arriving in Sergiocitta, Bradmarch, in 1885. It was here they put down roots working in the local mining industry; Donaldson was promoted to foreman of his mine in July 1887.
In Sergiocitta Donaldson met Emma Jane Kilgrave, the daughter of a local publican. After a brief courtship, the two were married in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sergiocitta, on 24 April 1889. The couple would go on to have five children.
Trade union career
While working in mines, especially as foreman, Donaldson grew disheartened with working conditions, which he had been led to believe were significantly better than in the United Kingdom. He took a voluntary demotion from his foreman job in 1890, and began spending more time active in the local union chapter, the Georgeland Miners and Colliers Association (GMCA) which merged with the National Workers Union in 1893, creating the Georgeland Colliery Workers Union (GCWU). In 1896 this union split, with the more militant members forming the Brotherhood of Mining Workers and Associated Trades (BMWAT). Donaldson's loyalties were divided, but he remained with the CGWU, his militant tendencies softened by experience with electoral politics. He became state secretary of the CGWU in 1898 and its national secretary in 1901.
Labour politics
Donaldson joined the Labour Party upon its foundation in 1891, determined that it was the best way to achieve workers' rights. After several years active in recruitment, Donaldson stood as the Labour candidate for Sergiocitta North in 1895 but was defeated, his vote split by the candidacy of communist independent Joe Dilley. The following year he stood in a by-election for Stratton, but was defeated by the Protectionist candidate. Donaldson campaigned for Labour as part of its state committee in the Bradmarch election of 1897, and the federal election of 1899. At that second poll he was very nearly elected to the Senate, losing by just 59 votes. His tireless efforts in Labour circles won him praise, and he gained a reputation as a strong orator, although he had a thick Northern English accent that could be difficult for locals to understand.
At the general election of 1903, Donaldson again stood as a Labour candidate in Sergocitta East, and was elected by a margin of 4,224 votes over his Protectionist opponent. The seat was the only Labour gain - it lost six seats for a total of only sixteen over the previous election. Donaldson immediately made an impression among his fellow Labour members as a debater and his persuasive personality made him one of the party's most valuable MPs. After only two years as a member, Donaldson was elected Leader of the Labour Party on 7 September 1905 after its inaugural leader, Robert McClutcheon, resigned. Donaldson's rhetoric and more combative style saw a series of national speaking engagements sell out. At the 1907 general election, Labour won thirty seats, giving it the balance of power. It agreed to support the protectionist government of Nicholas Turner in exchange for the introduction of an old-age pension scheme and stronger tariffs on mining and manufacturing.
Turner's government looked increasingly week in its final term, and Donaldson was praised in the left-wing press for his decisive and bold initiatives. In October 1910, Labour blocked the Budget in the Senate, hoping to force Turner to an election. The Conservatives agreed to support the Budget on condition Turner hold an election by the end of the year. Turner refused, and a constitutional crisis loomed. In December, the Labour caucus dropped its opposition to the Budget and allowed it to pass, averting the crisis. Turner’s handling of the crisis was widely criticised and Donaldson looked strong in comparison to Turner. Turner called a general election for June 16, 1911, hoping to recover ground during the campaign; in doing so, he was unable to attend the 1911 Imperial Conference and sent External Affairs minister George Elliott in his place. At the election, the Protectionists lost thirteen seats, mostly to Labour. No party had a majority, but Turner was unable to persuade Donaldson to continue to work with him in government, even after Donaldson was offered the position of Minister for Finance. As a result, Turner advised the Governor-General, Lord Grimm, to send for Donaldson. The Conservatives refused to support any of Donaldson's platform but Turner, realising he had no choice and having been refused a new election by Grimm, agreed to pass supply and keep Labour in office for at least a year, assuming the situation would become untenable. Donaldson was commissioned to form a government on 23 June, becoming Georgeland's first Labour prime minister.
Prime Minister
Donaldson was keenly aware his government could set the stage for future socialist administrations, but was tempered by the realities of the political situation. Lacking a strong majority in either chamber, Donaldson moved forward as a cautious, pragmatic leader. His cabinet included both more radical socialists such as George Thisby and Charles Lynch, but also more moderate members including Oscar Lyne and Henry McCallum.
Donaldson's government convened for the first time in Topstad; while parliament had moved there early in 1911, it had been prorogued since the first sitting, and Donaldson was the first prime minister to hold a cabinet meeting in the new capital.
Donaldson was forced to negotiate with Protectionists for much of his legislation, which resulted in further amendments to the Immigration and Labour Act; until 1913, it was not expressly against the Act for employers to import non-white labour from overseas, most notably India, but the Act was amended to ban the practice by Donaldson's government. Donaldson, who was his own Home Affairs minister responsible for migration policy, strongly favoured restricting 'coloured' labour - like many in the socialist movement he believed 'forced integration' between races would lead to disunity of the working class. He was likewise in favour of stronger tariffs on imports, in common with most of Labour; the Trade Act of 1913 imposed duty on items formerly exempt from it including petroleum, coal and some agricultural products.
On social policy Donaldson's government introduced the first old-age pension scheme, although his legislation to do so was hindered by strong opposition within the Protectionists; the bill, which also included a levy to pay for it, eventually passed with some dissenters crossing the floor. Donaldson's Treasury introduced Georgeland's first paper currency but a proposal from the Treasurer, John Mellor, to de-couple the Georgeland Pound from the pound sterling, did not pass through Cabinet.
In early 1914, Donaldson's government successfully passed the Mines Act which mandated arbitration for the mining industry in the case of labour disputes. Donaldson considered this the most important bill his government ever passed. The Act was itself significantly watered-down from Donaldson's original intention, to establish an independent Arbitration Tribunal for all industrial disputes.
First World War
While a Georgeland nationalist, Donaldson recognised that the looming war in Europe would inevitably involve Britain and therefore Georgeland. As early as 1913, Donaldson had considered the possibility of Georgeland's involvement in a war - in November of that year he had correspondence with the British Secretary of State for War, Jack Seely, and the Colonial Secretary, Lewis Harcourt, testing the British government's commitment to Georgeland's participation. While personally opposed to war, when Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, Donaldson acquiesced to pressure from Britain and the Governor-General, Lord Grimm. In Parliament on August 6, Donaldson echoed the British posit ion that war was justified by German aggression.
Donaldson met with Cabinet on 6 August and committed multiple divisions of the nascent Georgeland Defence Force including a large expeditionary force (consisting of some 65,000 men) to the European front. This contrasted Donaldson with the British position - the British cabinet had already agreed that Georgeland forces along with those from India and Ceylon be deployed in a defensive capacity against Turkish aggression. Eventually a compromised was reached in which the First Georgeland Division was sent to India, while the Second and Third fought in Europe. Donaldson continued to press for a detente, but frequently found his overtures ignored. He also resisted British (and Australian) pressure to introduce conscription to bolster troop numbers.
The experience of fighting against British interests solidified Donaldson's republicanism. Even while still prime minister, Donaldson expressed reservations about the British Empire, especially in regards to Ireland. Donaldson corresponded Irish republican leaders including James Connolly, and expressed support for the strikers in the 1914 lock-out of Irish workers. In correspondence with the British Home Secretary, Reginald McKenna, Donaldson strongly urged both Home Rule for Ireland and a greater Dominion role in imperial affairs; McKenna's curt response made it clear policy would not change.
Donaldson never attended meetings of the War Cabinet or the British government in Europe, spending his period in office entirely in Georgeland apart from a brief visit to Australia and New Zealand in early 1915.
Defeat and retirement
Confident that wartime leadership would see Labour's re-election, Donaldson obtained from Grimm a dissolution of parliament in early 1915 and a new election, seeking a mandate of his own, having governed in minority for four years). The new House of Commons consisted of 164 members rather than 120 at the previous election due to passage of the Parliament Act of 1913 enlarging it and re-calculating the number of seats per state. Donaldson barely mentioned the war in his campaigning and stump speech, concentrating instead on socialist objectives and labour relations.
Despite a modest increase in vote share and seats, Labour won only 57 seats in the new House, with the Conservatives under Gregory Green winning a majority of twenty. Green's campaign based on imperial loyalty and wartime conditions led to a perception that Donaldson was against the war entirely and would seek a separate peace, a suggestion Donaldson consistently denied. Donaldson advised Grimm to commission Green in his place, and resigned as prime minister on 11 March. He continued as Leader of the Opposition, being re-elected to the Labour leadership unopposed in April 1915.
As Opposition Leader Donaldson continued to press the government mostly on issues of economics and labour conditions, while the government focused on the war effort. Green's invitation to Donaldson to form an all-party government was rebuffed, and Donaldson found himself increasingly sidelined in national and imperial politics. At the 1919 election, held only a few months after the armistice ended the war, Donaldson again led Labour but was again defeated, although the party did make small gains. Donaldson was shocked by the near-loss of his own constituency of Sergiocitta East to the Conservative candidate, Gerald Deane; Donaldson's margin of victory was only 193 votes. After the 1919 election, Donaldson saw off a challenge by John Mellor, being re-elected Labour leader by 47 votes to 41.
Donaldson undertook a tour of the United States in June-August 1919, where he met with socialist leaders including Eugene Debs, who was in prison at the time; his meeting with Debs was opposed by the US government and only allowed after a direct appeal to the Justice Department from the Georgeland government - Green believed the meeting would harm Donaldson politically. Upon Donaldson's return to Georgeland, he fell ill with pneumonia, and spent nine weeks absent from the House of Commons. Oscar Lyne, Labour's deputy leader, stood in for him, all but assuring his eventual succession to the leadership.
On 13 February 1920, still recovering from illness, Donaldson submitted his resignation as Labour leader; Lyne was elected unanimously to succeed him. Donaldson remained an MP until the 1923 election when he stood down and retired to private life.
In retirement Donaldson was quieter than his friends and family expected, rarely making public comments. He campaigned for Labour in some seats at the 1923 election and again in 1924, at which the party returned to power. He returned to prominence briefly in 1928 as a campaigner for a republic in the constitutional referendum alongside Lyne, appearing quite physically frail. His health continued to decline, and he suffered a severe stroke in 1933 which limited his ability to speak. He wrote to prime minister Fenton Thomas upon Thomas becoming prime minister in 1938 and again in 1939 urging Thomas to remain out of another European war - Thomas wrote later that he would have done so despite Donaldson's views, but that the backing of Labour's elder statesman convinced him neutrality was the correct course.
Death
Donaldson died at his home in Sergiocitta on 2 August 1940, aged 79. His three surviving children were with him at his death; Emma had passed in 1934 and Donaldson, devastated, rarely left his home after her death. He was granted a state funeral, which was held on 14 August in Sergiocitta's St. Mark's Cathedral, attended by Lyne and Thomas. He was buried in Sergiocitta General Cemetary's Catholic section, next to Emma.
Legacy
As Georgeland's first socialist and Labour prime minister, Donaldson has been cited as the influence on a number of his successors including Oscar Lyne, Fenton Thomas and Victor Howard. His collective leadership style and insistence on procedure dominated Labour's workings for many years - indeed, Donaldson wrote many of the rules that Labour used for its party meetings to the end of its life. As the instigator of the country's old age pensions Donaldson has been recognised as one of the country's most significant reformers. However, his attitude to migration and insistence on keeping the country ethnically homogenous has caused him to be criticised by historians in recent years.
| Preceded by Nicholas Turner |
Prime Minister of Georgeland June 23, 1911 - March 11, 1915 |
Succeeded by Gregory Green |