George Nicoll Barnes was born on January 2, 1859, in Dundee City, Scotland.

He was a British trade unionist, politician, and author. He was apprenticed as an engineer and began his political career as Assistant Secretary to the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, London, and then as its General Secretary, 1896-1909. In 1900, Barnes was a delegate at the conference in London, which founded the Labour Representation Committee. In 1893, he joined the Independent Labour Party. Barnes was elected for Glasgow Blackfriars in 1906 and continued to represent the constituency until 1918. He served as Vice Chairman of the Labour Party in the House of Commons, 1908-1910, Chairman, 1910-1911, Minister for Pensions, 1916-1917, and a member without portfolio of the War Cabinet, 1917-1919, representing the interests of organized labour. He resigned from the Labour Party in 1918, when he became the leader of the National Democratic Party and sat for Glasgow Gorbals from 1918 until his retirement in 1922. Barnes had a long and active retirement, continuing to support the International Labour Organization, serving as chairman of the Co-operative Printing Society, and publishing several books, including his autobiography, "From Workshop to War Cabinet" (1923), and "History of the International Labour Office" (1926).

In 1882, he married Jessie Langlands (1853-). He died on April 21, 1940, in London, England.