Herbert Dunnico
Encyclopedia
Rev Sir Herbert Dunnico was a British
Baptist
minister, leading Freemason and Labour Party
politician.
Born in Wales
, he started work in a factory aged ten, but studied in his spare time and won a scholarship to University College Nottingham. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in Warrington
and Liverpool
, and became president of the Liverpool Free Church Council.
in 1916 to call for a truce with Germany.
A committed socialist, he was elected at the 1922 general election
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Consett
. From 1929 to 1931 he was Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and Chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee.
Dunnico also holds the distinction of being the Labour Party's first backbench rebel, when on 21 February 1924 he became the first Labour MP ever to vote against a Labour government. The vote was on the First Labour Government's programme of building light cruiser
s, to which Dunnico (a former secretary of the Peace Society
) objected because he feared the start of an arms race, and because believed that the Parliamentary Labour Party
had not been properly consulted.
At the 1931 general election
, he was defeated in Consett by the National Liberal Party
candidate John Dickie
. In January 1935 Dunnico announced that he felt it his duty to support the National Government because he felt political partisanship was damaging to the national interest. He was National Labour candidate at Wednesbury
at the 1935 general election
but narrowly failed to win election.
No. 5139, which was consecrated in 1929, shortly before the formation in 1929 of the second Labour Government. It was created at the suggestion of the then Prince of Wales
, afterwards King Edward VIII
, who was concerned by the antagonism between Freemasonry and the British left towards Freemasonry. The New Welcome Lodge was intended to form a link between Freemasonry and the new governing party, and was open to Labour MPs and for employees of trade unions and the Labour party; its members included Labour's deputy leader Arthur Greenwood
. However, when the Parliamentary Labour Party
was reduced in strength after its split at the 1929 general election
over Ramsay MacDonald
's formation of the National Government, numbers were reduced, and in 1934 membership was opened to all men working in the Palace of Westminster
. Dunnico was Master of the New Welcome Lodge in 1931.
He was knighted
in the New Year Honours
1938, "for political and public services".
From 1947 to 1953, Dunnico was president of the Essex County Football Association.
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...
Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister, leading Freemason and Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician.
Born in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, he started work in a factory aged ten, but studied in his spare time and won a scholarship to University College Nottingham. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and became president of the Liverpool Free Church Council.
Political career
He formed the Peace Negotiation CommitteePeace Negotiation Committee
The Peace Negotiation Committee was formed in 1916 to call for a truce with Germany by the future Labour MP Herbert Dunnico....
in 1916 to call for a truce with Germany.
A committed socialist, he was elected 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...
as 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 Consett
Consett (UK Parliament constituency)
Consett was a county constituency, centred on the town of Consett in County Durham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
. From 1929 to 1931 he was Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and Chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee.
Dunnico also holds the distinction of being the Labour Party's first backbench rebel, when on 21 February 1924 he became the first Labour MP ever to vote against a Labour government. The vote was on the First Labour Government's programme of building light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s, to which Dunnico (a former secretary of the Peace Society
Peace Society
The Peace Society, International Peace Society or London Peace Society originally known as the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, was a society founded on 14 June 1816 for the promotion of permanent and universal peace; it advocated a gradual, proportionate, and...
) objected because he feared the start of an arms race, and because believed that the Parliamentary Labour Party
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body....
had not been properly consulted.
At the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, he was defeated in Consett by the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
candidate John Dickie
John Purcell Dickie
John Purcell Dickie was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.At the 1922 general election, he contested the Gateshead constituency, coming third. However, in 1923 he won the seat, but was Member of Parliament for Gateshead for less than a year, losing the seat at the general election...
. In January 1935 Dunnico announced that he felt it his duty to support the National Government because he felt political partisanship was damaging to the national interest. He was National Labour candidate at Wednesbury
Wednesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Wednesbury was a borough constituency in England's Black Country which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election....
at the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
but narrowly failed to win election.
Freemasonry
Dunnico was involved in founding an unusual masonic lodge, the New Welcome LodgeNew Welcome Lodge
The New Welcome Lodge, No. 5139, is a British Masonic Lodge open to all men working in the Palace of Westminster. At its founding membership was limited to Labour Party Members of Parliament, but its scope was broadened soon after...
No. 5139, which was consecrated in 1929, shortly before the formation in 1929 of the second Labour Government. It was created at the suggestion of the then Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, afterwards King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, who was concerned by the antagonism between Freemasonry and the British left towards Freemasonry. The New Welcome Lodge was intended to form a link between Freemasonry and the new governing party, and was open to Labour MPs and for employees of trade unions and the Labour party; its members included Labour's deputy leader Arthur Greenwood
Arthur Greenwood
Arthur Greenwood CH was a prominent member of the Labour Party from the 1920s until the late 1940s. He rose to prominence within the party as secretary of its research department from 1920 and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health in the short-lived Labour government of 1924...
. However, when the Parliamentary Labour Party
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body....
was reduced in strength after its split at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
over Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's formation of the National Government, numbers were reduced, and in 1934 membership was opened to all men working in the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. Dunnico was Master of the New Welcome Lodge in 1931.
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 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
1938, "for political and public services".
From 1947 to 1953, Dunnico was president of the Essex County Football Association.
Further reading
- Obituary in The Times, Saturday, Oct 03, 1953; pg. 8; Issue 52743; col E: "Sir Herbert Dunnico Social Reformer And Churchman" with portrait.
- OBITUARY in The Manchester Guardian; Oct 3, 1953