Harold Roberts (politician)
Encyclopedia
Harold Roberts was a British solicitor
and Unionist (Conservative
) politician. After a long career in local government in Birmingham
, he represented the city in the House of Commons for the last five years of his life.
degree in 1907, and then practised law in London
and in Leicester
, before moving to Birmingham
in 1911.
He was first elected to Birmingham City Council
in 1922, and remained a councillor for over two decades, becoming Lord Mayor
of Birmingham in 1936, when he was made an alderman
. He chaired the council's Public Health Committee from 1936 to 1930, and the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee from 1941 to 1943. During his time as mayor he launched the final appeal for the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital
, which raised the £250,000 needed to allow construction to be completed.
He was also a life governor of the University of Birmingham
.
, Roberts was elected as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Handsworth division of Birmingham
. He stood as a Unionist, rather than as a Conservative; the Liberal Unionist
tradition lingered in Birmingham long after the 1912 merger of the two parties, with memories of Joseph Chamberlain
still strong.
Handsworth was a safe seat
for the Unionists, who had held it since 1886. The sitting Unionist MP, Oliver Locker-Lampson
, had not been re-selected by his local party, and planned to stand as an Independent
Conservative, but was offered a post overseas and did not contest the seat. Even without Locker-Lampson, the seat was contested by five candidates. In addition to the Unionist, Liberal
, and Labour
parties, there was a Communist Party
candidate, and another former Lord Mayor, former Unionist Noel Tiptaft, stood as a "National Independent". Tiptaft proclaimed himself as supporter of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill
, prompting Churchill to send a telegram to Alderman Roberts denying that Tiptaft was a supporter of his. Labour took ten of Birmingham's 13 seats, having won none in 1935
, but Handsworth was one of the three Birmingham seats retained by the Conservatives. However Roberts's majority was only 3.6% of the votes, compared with the 46% won by Locker-Lampson in a two-way contest in 1935.
Roberts was re-elected in 1950, with an increased majority of 5,472 (i.e. 11.4% of the votes).
He died at his home in Rednal
, Worcestershire on 28 September 1950, aged 66. His death triggered a by-election in his Handsworth constituency, which was held in November that year. The 27-year-old baronet Sir Edward Boyle held the seat for the Conservatives, with an increased majority.
in Leicestershire
. She survived him, with one son.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and Unionist (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...
) politician. After a long career in local government 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...
, he represented the city in the House of Commons for the last five years of his life.
Career
Roberts was the son William Henry Roberts, and was educated privately before qualifying as a solicitor in 1906. He gained his LL.BBachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree in 1907, and then practised law 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...
and in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, before moving to 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...
in 1911.
He was first elected to Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
in 1922, and remained a councillor for over two decades, becoming Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
of Birmingham in 1936, when he was made an alderman
Alderman
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...
. He chaired the council's Public Health Committee from 1936 to 1930, and the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee from 1941 to 1943. During his time as mayor he launched the final appeal for the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is an NHS hospital in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, situated very close to the University of Birmingham. The hospital, which cost £545 million to construct, opened in June 2010 replacing the previous Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Selly Oak Hospital...
, which raised the £250,000 needed to allow construction to be completed.
He was also a life governor of the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
.
Parliament
At the 1945 general electionUnited 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...
, Roberts was elected as 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 the Handsworth division of Birmingham
Birmingham Handsworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham Handsworth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Handsworth district of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. He stood as a Unionist, rather than as a Conservative; the Liberal Unionist
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...
tradition lingered in Birmingham long after the 1912 merger of the two parties, with memories of Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
still strong.
Handsworth was a safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
for the Unionists, who had held it since 1886. The sitting Unionist MP, Oliver Locker-Lampson
Oliver Locker-Lampson
Commander Oliver Stillingfleet Locker-Lampson, CMG, DSO was a British politician and naval officer...
, had not been re-selected by his local party, and planned to stand as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Conservative, but was offered a post overseas and did not contest the seat. Even without Locker-Lampson, the seat was contested by five candidates. In addition to the Unionist, 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...
, and 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...
parties, there was a Communist Party
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
candidate, and another former Lord Mayor, former Unionist Noel Tiptaft, stood as a "National Independent". Tiptaft proclaimed himself as supporter of the Prime Minister 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...
, prompting Churchill to send a telegram to Alderman Roberts denying that Tiptaft was a supporter of his. Labour took ten of Birmingham's 13 seats, having won none 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...
, but Handsworth was one of the three Birmingham seats retained by the Conservatives. However Roberts's majority was only 3.6% of the votes, compared with the 46% won by Locker-Lampson in a two-way contest in 1935.
Roberts was re-elected in 1950, with an increased majority of 5,472 (i.e. 11.4% of the votes).
He died at his home in Rednal
Rednal
Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 9 miles south west of Birmingham city centre and forming part of Longbridge parish and electoral ward....
, Worcestershire on 28 September 1950, aged 66. His death triggered a by-election in his Handsworth constituency, which was held in November that year. The 27-year-old baronet Sir Edward Boyle held the seat for the Conservatives, with an increased majority.
Family
In January 1913, Roberts married Ann Pettifor, the daughter of George Pettifor from AnsteyAnstey, Leicestershire
Anstey is a large semi-industrialised village in Leicestershire, England, located north west of Leicester in the borough of Charnwood. Its population was about 6,000 at the 2001 census although this is likely to have increased...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. She survived him, with one son.