William Jackson, 1st Baron Jackson
Encyclopedia
William Frederick Jackson, 1st Baron Jackson (29 November 1893 – 2 May 1954) was a British fruit farmer from Ross-on-Wye
in Herefordshire
who was noted for his scientific cultivation of a range of fruits. He was a Liberal Party
activist who joined the Labour Party
, and became the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Brecon & Radnor from 1939 to 1945.
from Edgbaston
in Birmingham
, and his wife Minnie Blay. He was educated at King Edward's School
in Birmingham, and when the First World War broke out he joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He served in France
from 1915 to 1916, and was promoted to serjeant
and wounded in the Battle of the Somme. His regimental number was 669, showing he was a fairly early recruit. His medal index card shows he entered France on 21 November 1915, which coincides with the arrival of the three Birmingham Pals Battalions raised as part of Kitchener's Army
(14th, 15th and 16th Service Battalions, Royal Warwicks), these formed 95th Brigade, in 32nd Division. His service entitled him to the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal
and the Victory Medal
; and following his discharge he also received the Silver War Badge to show that he had served. He returned to England as an invalid, and in 1919 he took over the family firms's lands at Glewstone, near Ross-on-Wye
in Herefordshire. The farms mostly grew apples, plums and strawberries, on over 400 intensively cultivated acres, and Jackson's scientific approach to farming led to him being treated as an authority on the farming matters both by farming organisations and by government.
When Ivor Guest
, the MP for nearby Brecon & Radnor, succeeded to the peerage as Viscount Wimborne
, Jackson was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the resulting by-election in August 1939. The election was a straight fight between Labour and Conservative
candidate, but there had been an informal agreement between the local Liberal National Party
and the Conservatives that only one of two parties would contest the seat, and the Liberal Nationals were aggrieved that the Conservatives had "jumped their claim" by nominating a candidate. They selected their own candidate, but were persuaded to withdraw to avoid splitting the non-socialist vote and thereby handing the seat to Labour, but the alliance between the two parties was regarded as having been broken, and the outcome of the election depended on the destination of Liberal support.
With his Liberal background and extensive agricultural contacts in the area, Jackson won the seat with a majority of 6.8% of the votes, a 12% swing to Labour. In Parliament, he spoke for small farmers and cultivators, but was not a devoted follower of Labour Party policy; true to the old Liberal principle of free trade
, he opposed all restraints on trade and production. He stood down from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election
, and was ennobled in July 1945 as Baron Jackson, of Glewstone in the County of Hereford
, entitling him to a seat in the House of Lords
. The title became extinct on his death in 1954, aged 60.
ages.
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
who was noted for his scientific cultivation of a range of fruits. He was a 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...
activist who joined 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...
, and became the 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) for Brecon & Radnor from 1939 to 1945.
Early life
Jackson was one of four sons of George Jackson, a Justice of the PeaceJustice 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...
from Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and his wife Minnie Blay. He was educated at King Edward's School
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
in Birmingham, and when the First World War broke out he joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1915 to 1916, and was promoted to serjeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
and wounded in the Battle of the Somme. His regimental number was 669, showing he was a fairly early recruit. His medal index card shows he entered France on 21 November 1915, which coincides with the arrival of the three Birmingham Pals Battalions raised as part of Kitchener's Army
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
(14th, 15th and 16th Service Battalions, Royal Warwicks), these formed 95th Brigade, in 32nd Division. His service entitled him to the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal
British War Medal
The British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
and the Victory Medal
Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
The Victory Medal is a campaign medal - of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA in accordance with decisions as taken at the Inter-Allied Peace Conference at...
; and following his discharge he also received the Silver War Badge to show that he had served. He returned to England as an invalid, and in 1919 he took over the family firms's lands at Glewstone, near Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
in Herefordshire. The farms mostly grew apples, plums and strawberries, on over 400 intensively cultivated acres, and Jackson's scientific approach to farming led to him being treated as an authority on the farming matters both by farming organisations and by government.
Political career
Jackson was active in the Liberal Party in the 1920s, becoming a member of the executive committee of the party's Midlands region. However, when the National Government was formed in 1931 he joined the Labour Party, and was later elected to Herefordshire County Council.When Ivor Guest
Ivor Guest, 2nd Viscount Wimborne
Ivor Grosvenor Guest, 2nd Viscount Wimborne , was a British politician.-Biography:Wimborne was the son of Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, and his wife the Hon. Alice Katherine Sibell, daughter of Robert Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Ebury...
, the MP for nearby Brecon & Radnor, succeeded to the peerage as Viscount Wimborne
Viscount Wimborne
Viscount Wimborne, of Canford Magna in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1918 for Ivor Guest, 2nd Baron Wimborne. The Guest family descends from the engineer and businessman John Josiah Guest. On 14 August 1838 he was created a Baronet, of...
, Jackson was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the resulting by-election in August 1939. The election was a straight fight between Labour and 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...
candidate, but there had been an informal agreement between the local Liberal National Party
Liberal National Party
The Liberal National Party is a political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed on 26 July 2008 by the merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal and National parties.-History:...
and the Conservatives that only one of two parties would contest the seat, and the Liberal Nationals were aggrieved that the Conservatives had "jumped their claim" by nominating a candidate. They selected their own candidate, but were persuaded to withdraw to avoid splitting the non-socialist vote and thereby handing the seat to Labour, but the alliance between the two parties was regarded as having been broken, and the outcome of the election depended on the destination of Liberal support.
With his Liberal background and extensive agricultural contacts in the area, Jackson won the seat with a majority of 6.8% of the votes, a 12% swing to Labour. In Parliament, he spoke for small farmers and cultivators, but was not a devoted follower of Labour Party policy; true to the old Liberal principle of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, he opposed all restraints on trade and production. He stood down from the House of Commons at the 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...
, and was ennobled in July 1945 as Baron Jackson, of Glewstone in the County of Hereford
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, entitling him to a seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. The title became extinct on his death in 1954, aged 60.
Family
In 1923 Jackson married Hope Hardy Gilmour, daughter of Benjamin Waterfall Gilmour from Glasgow. They adopted a son, who was unable to inherit the title, which was remaindered to "heirs male of his body", as is usual with British hereditary peerHereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
ages.