Albert Mansbridge was born in Gloucester on 10 January 1876 and educated at the Battersea Grammar School. He founded the Workers' Educational Association in 1903 and remained First Secretary until 1915, extending its operations to Australia.
Until his death at Torquay on 22 August 1952, Mansbridge was associated with numerous socialist, co-operative, and church organizations, although education always remained his main interest. In his later years he was President of the World Association for Adult Education. His publications include *An Adventure in Working Class Education* (1920) and his autobiography, *The Trodden Road* (1940).