John Hancock (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
John George Hancock was a British
Liberal Party
politician who served as a Member of Parliament
(MP) from 1909 to 1923.
He was elected as (MP) for Mid Derbyshire
at a by-election
in July 1909, as a Liberal candidate. He was one of a group of Trade Union sponsored Liberal MPs who were instructed by their Union to join the Labour party that year. He held his seat under his new Labour party label in both 1910 elections without Liberal opposition. Relations between the Labour and Liberal parties deteriorated after 1910 and they were expected to field candidates against each other at the next election, anticipated to be in 1915. Hancock decided that he would rather defend his seat as a Liberal, so crossed the floor in 1915 to re-join the Liberals. He held the seat until the constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election
. He was then returned unopposed for the new Belper constituency
, and held the seat at the 1922 election
against a Labour Party
opponent. However, he was defeated at the 1923 general election
by the Conservative Party
candidate, Herbert Wragg
. Aged 65, he did not stand for Parliament
again.
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...
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...
politician who served as a 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) from 1909 to 1923.
He was elected as (MP) for Mid Derbyshire
Mid Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Derbyshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...
at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in July 1909, as a Liberal candidate. He was one of a group of Trade Union sponsored Liberal MPs who were instructed by their Union to join the Labour party that year. He held his seat under his new Labour party label in both 1910 elections without Liberal opposition. Relations between the Labour and Liberal parties deteriorated after 1910 and they were expected to field candidates against each other at the next election, anticipated to be in 1915. Hancock decided that he would rather defend his seat as a Liberal, so crossed the floor in 1915 to re-join the Liberals. He held the seat until the constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election
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...
. He was then returned unopposed for the new Belper constituency
Belper (UK Parliament constituency)
Belper is a former constituency in the UK Parliament. It was created at the 1918 general election as a county division of Derbyshire, comprising the area in the centre of the county and surrounding Derby, and named after the market town of Belper although this was in the north of the constituency....
, and held the seat at the 1922 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...
against a 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...
opponent. However, he was defeated at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
by the 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...
candidate, Herbert Wragg
Herbert Wragg
Sir Herbert Wragg was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Belper in Derbyshire from 1923 to 1929 and from 1931 to 1945....
. Aged 65, he did not stand for Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
again.