Vernon Hartshorn was born Maesteg, Glamorgan, in 1872. After
being educated at a local school he worked as a miner. He joined the
National Union of Mineworkers and eventually
became President of the South Wales Miners' Federation.
A
member of the Labour Party, Hartshorn was
elected to the House of Commons for Ogmore
in December 1918. In the 1923 General Election,
the Labour Party won 191 seats. Although
the Conservatives had 258, Ramsay
MacDonald agreed to head a minority government, and therefore
became the first member of the party to become Prime Minister. MacDonald
appointed Hartshorn as Postmaster General in January 1924. However,
he only held the post for eleven months as the Labour Party lost power
in November 1924.
Hartshorn
held his seat until his death on 13th March 1931.
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