John Mayhew (Conservative politician)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Dixon Mayhew (2 October 1884 – 27 January 1954) was a British
industrialist, army
officer and Conservative Party
politician.
He was the son of Horace Mayhew, of Broughton Hall, Flintshire
and his wife Mary Helena (née Dixon). He was educated at King William's College
on the Isle of Man
. He was an agriculturist and industrialist, with large landholdings and interests in a number of companies.
In 1902 he was commissioned as an officer in the Denbighshire Hussars
, a part-time yeomanry
cavalry regiment. By 1913 he had been promoted to the rank of major. When the First World War
broke out in 1914 the regiment was mobilised, and saw service on the western Front
. The Denbighshire Hussars were converted to infantry
as the 24th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
. Mayhew was wounded in action but stayed n active service, and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1918.
After the war he acquired Clayton Priory near Burgess Hill
in Sussex
, and took an active interest of the farming of the estate. He subsequently moved to Newton Hall, Great Dunmow
, Essex
.
A Unionist
in politics, Mayhew was selected by the Conservative Party
to contest the Essex constituency of Harwich
at the 1929 general election
, but failed to be elected. Two years later a National Government of which the Conservatives were part, was formed. A general election
was called and Mayhew was selected to be the Conservative and Government candidate at East Ham North
. The government won a large majority and Mayhew was elected to the Commons, unseating the Labour Party
MP, Susan Lawrence
. He was re-elected at the 1935 general election
.
During the Second World War
Mayhew acted as an army welfare officer, and he was knighted
in 1945. He attempted to defend his parliamentary seat at 1945 general election
, but was heavily defeated as the Labour Party won a landslide victory. His opponent, Percy Daines
, gained a majority of more than 10,000 votes.
Mayhew married Guendolen Gurney, of Blaenau Hall, Merionethshire in 1907. They had two sons, and she died in 1946. In 1950 his oldest son, John de Parigault Oumey Mayhew, issued divorce proceedings against his wife. He alleged that she had committed adultery
with his father on a number of occasions between 1947 and 1949, and Sir John was forced to give testimony. His evidence was accepted and costs were awarded against his son.
Mayhew died suddenly in January 1954, aged 69.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
industrialist, army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and 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.
He was the son of Horace Mayhew, of Broughton Hall, Flintshire
Broughton Hall, Flintshire
Broughton Hall was a large country house that was located in Broughton, Flintshire, Wales. It was demolished in the early 1970s and houses now exist on the site...
and his wife Mary Helena (née Dixon). He was educated at King William's College
King William's College
King William's College is a leading world International Baccalaureate HMC independent school for ages 3 to 18, situated near Castletown on the Isle of Man...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. He was an agriculturist and industrialist, with large landholdings and interests in a number of companies.
In 1902 he was commissioned as an officer in the Denbighshire Hussars
Denbighshire Hussars
The Denbighshire Hussars was a unit of the British Army from 1794–1921. It saw service in the First World War before being merged into a unit of the Royal Artillery.-Early history:...
, a part-time yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
cavalry regiment. By 1913 he had been promoted to the rank of major. When the First World 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...
broke out in 1914 the regiment was mobilised, and saw service on the western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. The Denbighshire Hussars were converted to infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
as the 24th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
. Mayhew was wounded in action but stayed n active service, and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1918.
After the war he acquired Clayton Priory near Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a civil parish and a town primarily located in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and took an active interest of the farming of the estate. He subsequently moved to Newton Hall, Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
A Unionist
Unionism
-Trades:*Community Unionism, describes the various ways in which trade unions can work with communities and community organizations*Craft unionism, an approach to union organizing in the United States and elsewhere that seeks to unify workers in a particular industry along the lines of the...
in politics, Mayhew was selected 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...
to contest the Essex constituency of Harwich
Harwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Harwich was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until its abolition for the 2010 general election it elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, but failed to be elected. Two years later a National Government of which the Conservatives were part, was formed. A 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...
was called and Mayhew was selected to be the Conservative and Government candidate at East Ham North
East Ham North (UK Parliament constituency)
East Ham North was a parliamentary constituency centred on the East Ham district of London, which was in Essex until 1965. 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.- History :The...
. The government won a large majority and Mayhew was elected to the Commons, unseating the 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...
MP, Susan Lawrence
Susan Lawrence
Arabella Susan Lawrence was a British Labour Party politician, one of the first female Labour MPs.Lawrence was the youngest daughter of Nathaniel Lawrence, a wealthy solicitor, and Laura Bacon, daughter of Sir James Bacon, a bankruptcy judge and Vice-Chancellor. She was educated in London and at...
. He was re-elected 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...
.
During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Mayhew acted as an army welfare officer, and 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 1945. He attempted to defend his parliamentary seat at 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, but was heavily defeated as the Labour Party won a landslide victory. His opponent, Percy Daines
Percy Daines
Percy Daines was a British insurance agent and politician. He served as a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of Parliament for East Ham North from the 1945 general election until his death, and was on the national committee of the Co-operative Party...
, gained a majority of more than 10,000 votes.
Mayhew married Guendolen Gurney, of Blaenau Hall, Merionethshire in 1907. They had two sons, and she died in 1946. In 1950 his oldest son, John de Parigault Oumey Mayhew, issued divorce proceedings against his wife. He alleged that she had committed adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
with his father on a number of occasions between 1947 and 1949, and Sir John was forced to give testimony. His evidence was accepted and costs were awarded against his son.
Mayhew died suddenly in January 1954, aged 69.