Alfred Lafone
Encyclopedia
Alfred Lafone was a British leather merchant and Conservative Party
politician in London
. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bermondsey
from 1886 to 1892, and from 1895 to 1900.
area of Liverpool
, the fourth son of Samuel Lafone. He was educated privately, and moved to Bermondsey
in London where he joined the leather and hide factors business of Boutcher, Mortimore and Company. In 1852 he married Jane Boutcher, daughter of William Boutcher of Grateley in Hampshire. She died on 9 April 1885.
He was elected in 1870 as a member of the London School Board
, and was re-elected in 1873.
At the 1885 general election
he unsuccessfully contested the new Bermondsey division
of Southwark, losing by only 83 votes (1.2% of the total) to the sitting Liberal
MP Thorold Rogers. He had been selected by the local Conservative Association in preference to John Dumphreys
, who had been put forward as a Conservative working man's candidate.
However, he defeated Rogers at the 1886 election
, taking the seat with a swing
of 3.4%. In 1888, he chaired a committee set up to raise funds for the establishment of a series of South London Polytechnics
. The first of the three institutes was Goldsmiths College
in New Cross
, which opened in 1891, followed in 1892 by the Borough Road Polytechnic, of which Lafone became a governor.
By 1892 he had become a Justice of the Peace
(JP) for Middlesex
, but at the 1892 general election
he lost his seat in Parliament to the Liberal Party
candidate Reuben Barrow, on a swing of 7.9%.
He stood again in 1895
, with the active support of the local Liberal Unionist Party
. On election day, his campaign was assisted by many loans of carriages, including from the Duke of Norfolk
, the Duke of Richmond
, the Earl of Yarborough
, Lord Iveagh
, and Baroness Burdett-Coutts
. The sitting Liberal MP, Reuben Barrow, was supported by processions of workingmen, but Lafone regained the seat with a majority of 360 votes (4.4% of the total).
Lafone retired from Parliament
at the 1900 general election
, on account of his "advanced age"; he was by then 79 years old.
He died aged 90 on 26 April 1911, at his home in Hanworth Park, Feltham
, having been ill for about four months.
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 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was 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 Bermondsey
Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)
Bermondsey was a borough constituency centred on the Bermondsey district of South London, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1886 to 1892, and from 1895 to 1900.
Career
Lafone was born in the West DerbyWest Derby
West Derby is a suburb in the north of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2001 Census, the population of the ward was 14,801 .-History:...
area of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the fourth son of Samuel Lafone. He was educated privately, and moved to Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
in London where he joined the leather and hide factors business of Boutcher, Mortimore and Company. In 1852 he married Jane Boutcher, daughter of William Boutcher of Grateley in Hampshire. She died on 9 April 1885.
He was elected in 1870 as a member of the London School Board
London School Board
The School Board for London was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London....
, and was re-elected in 1873.
At the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
he unsuccessfully contested the new Bermondsey division
Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)
Bermondsey was a borough constituency centred on the Bermondsey district of South London, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
of Southwark, losing by only 83 votes (1.2% of the total) to the sitting 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...
MP Thorold Rogers. He had been selected by the local Conservative Association in preference to John Dumphreys
John Dumphreys
John Molesworth Thomas Dumphreys was a British Conservative politician. He was elected Member of Parliament for Bermondsey in a 1909 by-election, but weeks later lost the seat to the Liberals at the January 1910 General Election.Dumphreys was born in Bermondsey in 1844. Of humble origins, he...
, who had been put forward as a Conservative working man's candidate.
However, he defeated Rogers at the 1886 election
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, taking the seat with a swing
Swing (politics)
An electoral swing analysis shows the extent of change in voter support from one election to another. It is an indicator of voter support for individual candidates or political parties, or voter preference between two or more candidates or parties...
of 3.4%. In 1888, he chaired a committee set up to raise funds for the establishment of a series of South London Polytechnics
Polytechnic (United Kingdom)
A polytechnic was a type of tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. After the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 they became universities which meant they could award their own degrees. The comparable institutions in Scotland were...
. The first of the three institutes was Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
in New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
, which opened in 1891, followed in 1892 by the Borough Road Polytechnic, of which Lafone became a governor.
By 1892 he had become 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...
(JP) for Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, but at the 1892 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
he lost his seat in Parliament to the 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...
candidate Reuben Barrow, on a swing of 7.9%.
He stood again in 1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
, with the active support of the local Liberal Unionist Party
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
. On election day, his campaign was assisted by many loans of carriages, including from the Duke of Norfolk
Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, , styled Baron Maltravers until 1856 and Earl of Arundel and Surrey between 1856 and 1860, was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist...
, the Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon KG PC , styled Lord Settrington until 1819 and Earl of March between 1819 and 1860, was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:Born at Richmond House, London, he was the son of Charles...
, the Earl of Yarborough
Charles Pelham, 4th Earl of Yarborough
Charles Alfred Worsley Pelham, 4th Earl of Yarborough KG, PC , styled Lord Worsley until 1875, was a British peer and politician...
, Lord Iveagh
Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh
Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, KP, GCVO, FRS was an Irish philanthropist and businessman.-Public life:...
, and Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts , born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a nineteenth-century philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and the former Sophia Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas Coutts...
. The sitting Liberal MP, Reuben Barrow, was supported by processions of workingmen, but Lafone regained the seat with a majority of 360 votes (4.4% of the total).
Lafone retired from 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...
at the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, on account of his "advanced age"; he was by then 79 years old.
He died aged 90 on 26 April 1911, at his home in Hanworth Park, Feltham
Feltham
Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is located about west south west of central London at Charing Cross and from Heathrow Airport Central...
, having been ill for about four months.