Born in Kingston-upon-Hull, Gould became a carpenter, initially working aboard a ship but, by 1881, onshore in Hull.
He joined the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J), and developed a keen interest in the labour movement.
[1] During 1913, Gould was a leading opponent of the deportation of nine South African trade unionists to Britain, but the following year, he joined Havelock Wilson's campaign to exclude non-white sailors from British ships.
[1] At the 1918 United Kingdom general election Gould stood for the Labour Party in the new seat of Kingston upon Hull South West, taking 19.3% of the vote and third place.
This disappointment led him to focus on the trade union movement, and when the ASC&J merged into the new Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers, he was one of its most prominent figures.