Frederick Gould
Frederick Gould OBE (28 June 1879 – 23 February 1971) was an English trade unionist and Labour Party politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Frome from 1923 to 1924 and from 1929 to 1931. He was also the father of Sir Ronald Gould, teacher and trade unionist.
Early life
Gould was born in Midsomer Norton. He came from a mining family with a strong Methodist background. His father had been one of the founders of the Somerset Miners' Association. Frederick attended his local Church of England school. He left school at 12 and began work as a stable boy. A few years later he took a job as a 'rounder' Ollie Edwards's Boot Factory in Midsomer Norton.
He married Emma Gay (born 1880, Radstock), at 24, and his first child Ronald was born ten months later. Emma was descended from the playwright John Gay. She had been a servant to the Monckton family at Clevedon, her duties including looking after their children including the young Sir Walter Monckton.
Political career
He became local secretary of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives. In 1908 he became an unpaid organiser for the Independent Labour Party and started several branches. In 1910 he won a seat on Radstock Urban District Council.
