William Edward Robinson
Encyclopedia
William Edward Robinson was an English merchant and Liberal Party
politician.
, Staffordshire
the son of William Robinson of Stoke on Trent. He married in 1892. By profession he was a potter’s merchant and in religion he was a member of the United Methodist Church
.
and was later Mayor
of the town for three years in succession. He had a particular interest in housing and transport issues.
only once being elected Liberal MP for Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem
at the 1923 general election
. In a straight fight (apparently with Unionist
support) he defeated the sitting Labour
MP, Andrew MacLaren
by the narrow margin of 63 votes, just 0.2% of the total poll.
Robinson, perhaps mindful of his local arrangement with the Conservatives, voted against his own party in the division which brought in the first Labour government
. Robinson was also one of a minority of Liberal MPs who voted with the Tories to force a debate on unemployment in May 1924 and again on an employment issue in August. He decided not to defend his Burslem seat in 1924
when Labour was opposed by a Constitutionalist candidate, the former Liberal William Allen
. Allen later won election in Burslem at the 1931 general election
. Constitutionalist was a label used by some anti-socialist candidates in UK general elections in the early 1920s. Most of the candidates were former Liberal Party members, and many of them joined the Conservative Party soon after being elected. The best known Constitutionalist candidate was Winston Churchill
.
Robinson and did not try to re-enter the House of Commons
.
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.
Family and career
Robinson was born in BurslemBurslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
the son of William Robinson of Stoke on Trent. He married in 1892. By profession he was a potter’s merchant and in religion he was a member of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
.
Local politics
He was an elected member of Stoke on Trent council, becoming an AldermanAlderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and was later Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the town for three years in succession. He had a particular interest in housing and transport issues.
Parliament
He stood for ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
only once being elected Liberal MP for Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem
Burslem (UK Parliament constituency)
Burslem was a borough constituency in Stoke-on-Trent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. In a straight fight (apparently with Unionist
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...
support) he defeated the sitting Labour
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, Andrew MacLaren
Andrew MacLaren
Andrew MacLaren was an Independent Labour Party politician. His passions were economic justice and art; he persistently campaigned for Land Value Taxation, and he was a painter. He represented Burslem for three separate terms during the 20th century.-History:Andrew MacLaren was born in a poor...
by the narrow margin of 63 votes, just 0.2% of the total poll.
Robinson, perhaps mindful of his local arrangement with the Conservatives, voted against his own party in the division which brought in the first Labour government
First Labour Government
The First Labour Government of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924. The Labour Party, under James Ramsay MacDonald, had failed to win the general election of December 1923, with 191 seats, although the combined Opposition tally exceeded that of the Conservative government...
. Robinson was also one of a minority of Liberal MPs who voted with the Tories to force a debate on unemployment in May 1924 and again on an employment issue in August. He decided not to defend his Burslem seat in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
when Labour was opposed by a Constitutionalist candidate, the former Liberal William Allen
William Allen (National Liberal politician)
William Allen was politician in England who served as a Member of Parliament from 1892 to 1900, and — after a gap of more than thirty years — from 1931 to 1935....
. Allen later won election in Burslem 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...
. Constitutionalist was a label used by some anti-socialist candidates in UK general elections in the early 1920s. Most of the candidates were former Liberal Party members, and many of them joined the Conservative Party soon after being elected. The best known Constitutionalist candidate was Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
Robinson and did not try to re-enter 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...
.