Harry Wrightson
Encyclopedia
Harry Wrightson was a British Conservative politician. He was elected Member of Parliament
for Leyton West
in 1918 General Election, but died before Parliament met.
Wrightson was born in 1874, the son of the Reverend W.G. Wrightson, of Hurworth-on-Tees
. During the First World War he served as Lieutenant-Colonel in the Essex Royal Army Service Corps
.
He was elected Conservative MP for Leyton West
in the 1918 UK General Election. Within days of the declaration, Wrightson contracted influenza
, which deteriorated to pneumonia
, and he died early in 1919, aged 44, six days before the new Parliament met. It is likely he was a victim of the Spanish Flu
pandemic.
He thus became one of only a handful of elected British MPs never to have taken their seats.
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,...
for Leyton West
Leyton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leyton West was a parliamentary constituency in the Municipal Borough of Leyton, then part of Essex but now in Greater London.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency...
in 1918 General Election, but died before Parliament met.
Wrightson was born in 1874, the son of the Reverend W.G. Wrightson, of Hurworth-on-Tees
Hurworth-on-Tees
Hurworth-on-Tees is a village in the borough of Darlington, within the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the south of Darlington, next to the meeting point of the River Skerne and River Tees.-Amenities:...
. During the First World War he served as Lieutenant-Colonel in the Essex Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
.
He was elected Conservative MP for Leyton West
Leyton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leyton West was a parliamentary constituency in the Municipal Borough of Leyton, then part of Essex but now in Greater London.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency...
in the 1918 UK General Election. Within days of the declaration, Wrightson contracted influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
, which deteriorated to pneumonia
Pneumonia
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...
, and he died early in 1919, aged 44, six days before the new Parliament met. It is likely he was a victim of the Spanish Flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
pandemic.
He thus became one of only a handful of elected British MPs never to have taken their seats.