Thomas Kennedy

Educated at Kennethmont Public School and Gordon School, Huntly. He lectured on socialism for seven years under the auspices of the Clarion newspaper.

General Secretary of the Social Democratic Federation, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury Jan-Nov 1924, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury June 1929 - August 1931. Chief Whip to the Labour Party 1927 - 31. Unsuccessfully contested North Aberdeen in 1906 and 1910. Sat for Kirkcaldy Burghs from March 1921 to Nov 1922. Re-elected for Kirkcaldy Burghs in December 1923 and sat until defeated in October 1931. Re-elected for Kirkcaldy Burghs in November 1935 and sat until he resigned in January 1944. Died 3rd March 1954.

It was at a bye-election that Tom Kennedy was first returned in 1921. By the accounts of the time this was a robustly fought election in which the press launched a number of vicious attacks on the Labour candidate. The Tories had rallied behind the Liberal candidate Sir R C Lockhart of the Linktown Mill. The first attack on Kennedy was for speaking with a Aberdeen accent.

The press then tried to belittle his war record but conceded that he had been a sergeant and had been in action on the Italian front Kennedy also seemed to be an inspiring speaker holding public meetings throughout the constituency. Both candidates held women only meetings but at this time only women of property and over the age of thirty were allowed the vote.
The Labour Party slogan was ”March forth on March the fourth” It paid off, the result on the 4th March was T Kennedy (Labour) 11,674 Sir R C Lockhart (Liberal) 10,199