Levi Collison was an English art publisher and printer and Liberal

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...

 Member of Parliament.

Private life

Levi Collison was born in Preston, Lancashire, and educated at private schools. He married and had two sons and two daughters. In 1925, Collison was described as a country gentleman from St Annes on Sea

Lytham St Annes

Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...

. At that time he resided at Barton Grange, Barton

Barton, Preston

Barton is a linear village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. The parish had a population of 1,096 according to the 2001 census.-Geography:The village is about north of Preston. The parish is bound by the A6 road to the west...

 near Preston and he lived there until 1943 when the house was requisitioned by the War Office

War Office

The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...

 as a mess for the Womens Auxiliary Air Force.

Career

By profession, Collison was a printer and publisher of art books and founded his own company, Collison’s Ltd, of which he was Chairman and managing director. He also had other business interests. He was a trustee of Preston Savings Bank and a chairman of a number of companies. Collison also served as a Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

.

Penrith and Cockermouth by-election

In 1921, Collison was selected as Liberal candidate for the by-election

Penrith and Cockermouth by-election, 1921

The Penrith and Cockermouth by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Penrith and Cockermouth in Cumberland on 13 May 1921.-Vacancy:...

 in Penrith and Cockermouth

Penrith and Cockermouth (UK Parliament constituency)

Penrith and Cockermouth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Penrith and Cockermouth in Cumberland, England. 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 system.-History:The...

 caused by the resignation of the sitting Coalition Conservative

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...

 MP and Speaker of the House of Commons

Speaker of the British House of Commons

The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...

, James Lowther

James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater

James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, GCB, PC, JP, DL was a British Conservative politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons between 1905 and 1921.-Background and education:The son of Hon...

. In a tight contest, Collison just failed to gain the seat for the Independent Asquithian Liberals, losing by 31 votes.

1922-1923

Collison fought the Penrith and Cockermouth seat again 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...

. In another straight fight and facing the same Tory

Tory

Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...

 candidate as he had at the by-election, Major-General Cecil Lowther

Cecil Lowther

Major-General Sir Cecil Lowther, KCMG, CB, CVO, DSO, FRGS was a British general and Conservative politician, the fourth son of William Lowther....

, Collison gained the seat by a majority of 378. However, at the general election of 1923

United Kingdom general election, 1923

-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...

 he was unable to hold his seat, losing to the new Conservative candidate Arthur Dixey.

Liberal National

He did not stand for Parliament again but retained his link with Liberal politics holding the office of Chairman and President of the Preston Liberal Association. However, in the crisis which overtook the Liberal Party after the formation of the National Government in 1931, Collison associated himself with the Liberal National

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...

 group led by Sir John Simon. He was a founder member of the Liberal National Council in July 1932 and later held the office of President of Preston Liberal Nationals.

External links