Born in Elswick, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tait was educated at Shipcote Boys' School in Gateshead, and then at the City of Leeds Training College, following which he became an assistant schoolteacher.
As a conscientious objector, he was imprisoned, kept in solitary confinement, and compelled to sew mailbags.
This brought him to greater prominence, standing unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in Penrith and Cockermouth at the 1924 United Kingdom general election, then from 1925 serving as the North East representative on the ILP's National Administrative Committee.
Tait believed that the ILP should disaffiliate from the Labour Party without attempting to resolve the disagreements, and stood down as the region's representative.
His daughter, Margaret, later married Lyall Wilkes, who became a Labour Member of Parliament in 1945.