Lovett, William, 1800-1877

Born in Cornwall in 1800; migrated to London, 1821, where he worked as a cabinet maker; Member, later President, Cabinet Makers Society; Storekeeper to the first London Cooperative Trading Society; Secretary, British Association for Promoting Co-operative Knowledge, 1830; Member, Grand National Consolidated Trades Union; arrested and tried for rioting, 1832; helped found the London Working Man's Association, 1836, and played a large part in their drafting of the People's Charter in 1838; arrested for his manifesto against the police, tried, and imprisoned in Warwick jail, 1839-1840; opened a bookseller's shop, and published Chartism; a new Organisation of the People , on the organisation of the Chartist party (1841); established the national Association for promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People, 1841; member of the council of the Anti-Slavery League, 1846; published textbooks on elementary science after 1857; died 1877.

After a relatively poor upbringing Lovett became interested in the social conditions of the working classes. Around 1830 he was appointed secretary to the British Association for promoting Co-operative Knowledge and during that time was also connected with agitation against stamp duty on newspapers. In 1831 he went on to join the National Union of the Working Classes. In 1836 he assisted to draft the Benefit Societies Act and to draft other People's Bills and Charters. With his collegue Collins he wrote Chartism: A New Organisation of the People in 1841. Later in his life he also became interested in educational issues, writing some educational text books. He was also involved in promoting the establishment of free libraries to parliamentarians.