Born in
Rothwell, Lunn began working as a
coal miner when he was twelve years old. He was later elected as
checkweighman at Middleton Colliery, serving for twenty years. Lunn was a supporter of the Labour Party, and served on Rothwell
Urban District Council and the
Hunslet Board of Guardians. He stood unsuccessfully in the
1912 Holmfirth by-election. He was elected at the
1918 general election as
Member of Parliament (MP) for the newly created
Rothwell constituency, and held the seat until he died in office in 1942, aged 69. In 1924, Lunn served in
Ramsay MacDonald's short-lived
First Labour Government as
Secretary for Overseas Trade, a junior ministerial post subordinate to the
President of the Board of Trade. When the
Second Labour Government took office in June 1929, Lunn was appointed as
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. He was moved in December that year to the post of
Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, and held that position until the formation of the
National Government in August 1931. From 1931 until 1936, Lunn served on the
National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. == Private life ==