Harold Smith (politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir Harold Smith was a British
Conservative Party
politician.
constituency of Huddersfield
at the January 1910 general election, but at the December 1910 general election, Smith was elected as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Warrington
in Lancashire
. His victory over the sitting Liberal Party
MP Arthur Crosfield
was a narrow one, but at the post-war
general election in December 1918
, Smith received the coalition coupon
and was re-elected with a large majority. He was knighted
in the 1921 New Years Honours List.
At the 1922 general election
, he did not stand again in Warrington, where he was succeeded as MP by another Conservative, Alec Cunningham-Reid
who had been a flying ace
in World War I
. Smith stood instead in Liverpool Wavertree, a safe Conservative seat which returned him to the House of Commons with a large majority. However, at the December 1923 general election
, he lost the seat with a massive swing to the Liberal Party
candidate Hugh Rathbone
.
Smith died the following year, on 10 September 1924, aged 48.
His son Harold Anthony Smith (1er Bn. The Scots Guards) fell in Italy during the Second World War (4 August 1944) and is buried in Florence War Cemetery
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Parliamentary career
Smith unsuccessfully contested the West YorkshireWest Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
constituency of Huddersfield
Huddersfield (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
at the January 1910 general election, but at the December 1910 general election, Smith was elected as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Warrington
Warrington (UK Parliament constituency)
Warrington was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. From 1832 to 1983 it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. His victory over the sitting Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP Arthur Crosfield
Arthur Henry Crosfield
Sir Arthur Henry Crosfield, 1st Baronet , was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Warrington from 1906 to December 1910.From his parent, he inherited the business of Joseph Crosfield and Sons, soap and candle manufacturers...
was a narrow one, but at the post-war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
general election in December 1918
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, Smith received the coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
and was re-elected with a large majority. He was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 1921 New Years Honours List.
At the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, he did not stand again in Warrington, where he was succeeded as MP by another Conservative, Alec Cunningham-Reid
Alec Cunningham-Reid
- Political career :At the 1922 general election, Cunningham-Reid stood as the conservative candidate in Warrington, a Conservative-held borough constituency in Lancashire where the sitting MP Sir Harold Smith was retiring. He won the seat with a comfortable majority in a two-way contest with...
who had been a flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Smith stood instead in Liverpool Wavertree, a safe Conservative seat which returned him to the House of Commons with a large majority. However, at the December 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, he lost the seat with a massive swing to the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate Hugh Rathbone
Hugh Reynolds Rathbone
Hugh Reynolds Rathbone was a British merchant and politician, who sat as a Member of Parliament and was a member of the noted Rathbone family....
.
Smith died the following year, on 10 September 1924, aged 48.
His son Harold Anthony Smith (1er Bn. The Scots Guards) fell in Italy during the Second World War (4 August 1944) and is buried in Florence War Cemetery
Florence War Cemetery
Florence War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War II located in Italy near Florence in the locality Girone-Compiobbi , close to the Arno river.-History:...
.