Burns, John Elliot (1858–1943)

British labour leader, born in London of Scottish parentage. He was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment for his part in the Trafalgar Square demonstration on ‘Bloody Sunday’, 13 November 1887, and was leader of the strike in 1889 securing the ‘dockers' tanner’ (wage of 6d per hour). An Independent Labour member of Parliament 1892–1918, he was the first working-class person to be a member of the cabinet, as president of the Local Government Board 1906–14.