Morgan Philips Price
Encyclopedia
Morgan Philips Price was a British
politician
and a Labour Party
Member of Parliament
(MP).
He was born in The Grove, Taynton, near Gloucester
. His father, William Edwin Price
, was also a British MP, serving for the seat of Tewkesbury
. M. Philips Price was schooled at Harrow
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. When his father died in 1906, Price inherited an estate of some 2000 acres (8.1 km²).
, and he was selected as a prospective party candidate for Gloucester
(1911–14). However, he took an anti-war stance at the outbreak of the Great War joining the anti-war Union of Democratic Control
at its inception. In 1914, he also published "The Diplomatic History of the War".
He was then recruited by C.P. Scott of the Manchester Guardian, and became a war correspondent for the Eastern Front
. As a Russian speaker, he was subsequently able to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. In 1921, he returned to Britain and published "My Reminiscences of the Russian Revolution" which showed sympathy to the government of Vladimir Lenin
and the Bolshevik
s.
Price was later employed by the Daily Herald as a correspondent in German from 1919–23.
seat. He fought the seat at the general elections in 1922
, 1923
and 1924
but was never successful. At the 1929 general election
, he was finally elected to parliament for the Whitehaven
constituency. He joined Ramsay MacDonald
's government when appointed as Private Secretary to Charles Trevelyan
, president of the Board of Education.
At the 1931 general election
Price lost his seat. However, he returned to Parliament
in 1935
, as member for the Forest of Dean
which he served until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the 1950 general election
. He was elected instead for the new West Gloucestershire constituency, and held that seat until he retired from the House of Commons
at the 1959 general election
.
He published his memoirs, My Three Revolutions, in 1969, and died on 23 September 1973.
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and 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...
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).
He was born in The Grove, Taynton, near Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. His father, William Edwin Price
William Edwin Price
William Edwin Price was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1880....
, was also a British MP, serving for the seat of Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Tewkesbury 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 system of election....
. M. Philips Price was schooled at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. When his father died in 1906, Price inherited an estate of some 2000 acres (8.1 km²).
Journalistic career
His political life began as a member of the Liberal PartyLiberal 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...
, and he was selected as a prospective party candidate for Gloucester
Gloucester (UK Parliament constituency)
Gloucester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was established in 1295 to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons but in 1885 representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885...
(1911–14). However, he took an anti-war stance at the outbreak of the Great War joining the anti-war Union of Democratic Control
Union of Democratic Control
The Union of Democratic Control was a British pressure group formed in 1914 to press for a more responsive foreign policy. While not a pacifist organization, it was opposed to military influence in government.-World War I:...
at its inception. In 1914, he also published "The Diplomatic History of the War".
He was then recruited by C.P. Scott of the Manchester Guardian, and became a war correspondent for the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
. As a Russian speaker, he was subsequently able to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. In 1921, he returned to Britain and published "My Reminiscences of the Russian Revolution" which showed sympathy to the government of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
and the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s.
Price was later employed by the Daily Herald as a correspondent in German from 1919–23.
Parliament
After the First World War, Price joined the Labour Party, and became its candidate for the GloucesterGloucester (UK Parliament constituency)
Gloucester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was established in 1295 to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons but in 1885 representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885...
seat. He fought the seat at the general elections in 1922
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...
, 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
but was never successful. At the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, he was finally elected to parliament for the Whitehaven
Whitehaven (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitehaven was a constituency centred on the town of Whitehaven in Cumberland , which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was created in 1832 and renamed Copeland at the 1983 general election....
constituency. He joined 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 government when appointed as Private Secretary to Charles Trevelyan
Sir Charles Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet
Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet PC , the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland, was a British Liberal, and later Labour, politician and landowner...
, president of the Board of Education.
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...
Price lost his seat. However, he returned to 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...
in 1935
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...
, as member for the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:- See also :* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire...
which he served until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
. He was elected instead for the new West Gloucestershire constituency, and held that seat until he retired from the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
.
He published his memoirs, My Three Revolutions, in 1969, and died on 23 September 1973.