Charles Frederick White
Encyclopedia
Charles Frederick White (11 March 1863 – 4 December 1923) was an English boot and shoemaker and Liberal Party
politician. He was Member of Parliament for the Western Division of Derbyshire
from 1918 to 1923.
in Gloucestershire
in 1863, the son of Frederick and Ruth White. He was educated privately in Tetbury. In 1881 he married Alice Charlesworth of Bonsall, Derbyshire
. They had one son and five daughters. White’s son, also called Charles Frederick
(1891-1956), inherited his father’s political activism, although in the Labour
rather than the Liberal interest.
for the Liberal Party in the West Derbyshire area
. He also acted as agent for Barnet Kenyon
, the Derbyshire Miners’ Association candidate at Chesterfield
.
County Council
and held the position of magistrate
by virtue of being Chairman of a Local Authority
.
since the 16th century. Since the modern seat was created in 1885 it had been held solely by members of the Cavendish family. The sitting MP in 1910 was the Earl of Kerry
. He had inherited the seat at a by-election in 1908 when he was returned unopposed as a Unionist
. He held the seat against Liberal opposition in January 1910 and then defeated White in December 1910 with a majority of 1,060 votes.
however, the world turned upside down. Despite the Earl of Kerry’s receiving the Coalition coupon
which surely ought to have ensured his victory in such a safe Tory
seat, he contrived to lose to White by a majority of 2,160 votes.
, White faced a new Unionist opponent but another member of the Cavendish family, the Marquess of Hartington
. In a tight contest White just managed to retain his seat, albeit by the narrow margin of 87 votes – just 0.4% of the total votes cast. White was intending to defend his seat again at the 1923 general election
and he was duly nominated as a candidate but he died just before the election took place.
on the morning of 4 December 1923, aged 60 years, having been taken ill after a meeting a few days before. His death meant that the election contest in West Derbyshire had to be postponed until 20 December 1923, all other polling having taken place on 6 December. The seat reverted to being the property of the Cavendish family when the Marquess of Hartington gained the seat at the expense of the new Liberal candidate W C Mallison.
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. He was Member of Parliament for the Western Division of Derbyshire
West Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
West Derbyshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 until it was replaced by the Derbyshire Dales constituency in the 2010 General Election, it elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.It...
from 1918 to 1923.
Family and education
White was born in TetburyTetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in 1863, the son of Frederick and Ruth White. He was educated privately in Tetbury. In 1881 he married Alice Charlesworth of Bonsall, Derbyshire
Bonsall, Derbyshire
Bonsall is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales on the edge of the Peak District.-Geography:Bonsall is about from Matlock and about from Derby...
. They had one son and five daughters. White’s son, also called Charles Frederick
Charles Frederick White (Jr)
Charles Frederick White was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for the Western Division of Derbyshire firstly from 1944-1945 as an Independent Labour candidate and subsequently from 1945 to 1950 as the official Labour Party candidate...
(1891-1956), inherited his father’s political activism, although in the 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...
rather than the Liberal interest.
Career
White was originally a boot and shoemaker and dealer by trade but he gave this up to go into politics full-time by becoming a registration and political agentElection agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
for the Liberal Party in the West Derbyshire area
Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. Much of the district is situated in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent....
. He also acted as agent for Barnet Kenyon
Barnet Kenyon
Barnet Kenyon was a British colliery worker, trade union official and Lib–Lab, later Liberal politician.-Early career:...
, the Derbyshire Miners’ Association candidate at Chesterfield
Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Chesterfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a marginal seat between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The best-known MP was Tony Benn from 1984 to 2001...
.
Local politics
As well as working as a political agent for the Liberal Party, White also went into local government politics. He was for four years an elected member of DerbyshireDerbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
and held the position of magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
by virtue of being Chairman of a Local Authority
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
.
1910
White contested the West Derbyshire constituency at the general election of December 1910. The West Derbyshire seat and surrounding area had been a family heirloom of the local aristocrats the Cavendish familyDuke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
since the 16th century. Since the modern seat was created in 1885 it had been held solely by members of the Cavendish family. The sitting MP in 1910 was the Earl of Kerry
Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 6th Marquess of Lansdowne
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry William Edmund Petty-Fitzmaurice, 6th Marquess of Lansdowne DSO MVO , styled Earl of Kerry until 1927, was a British soldier and politician.-Background:...
. He had inherited the seat at a by-election in 1908 when he was returned unopposed as a 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...
. He held the seat against Liberal opposition in January 1910 and then defeated White in December 1910 with a majority of 1,060 votes.
1918
In 1918United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
however, the world turned upside down. Despite the Earl of Kerry’s receiving the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
which surely ought to have ensured his victory in such a safe 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...
seat, he contrived to lose to White by a majority of 2,160 votes.
1922-1923
At the 1922 general electionUnited 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...
, White faced a new Unionist opponent but another member of the Cavendish family, the Marquess of Hartington
Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire
Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, KG, MBE, TD , known as Marquess of Hartington , was the head of the Devonshire branch of the Cavendish family...
. In a tight contest White just managed to retain his seat, albeit by the narrow margin of 87 votes – just 0.4% of the total votes cast. White was intending to defend his seat again at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and he was duly nominated as a candidate but he died just before the election took place.
Death
White died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on the morning of 4 December 1923, aged 60 years, having been taken ill after a meeting a few days before. His death meant that the election contest in West Derbyshire had to be postponed until 20 December 1923, all other polling having taken place on 6 December. The seat reverted to being the property of the Cavendish family when the Marquess of Hartington gained the seat at the expense of the new Liberal candidate W C Mallison.