Herbert Willison
Encyclopedia
Herbert Willison was an English solicitor
and Liberal Party
, later Liberal National
politician.
. He received his education in Northamptonshire and Birmingham
. He was married to Frances Mary Pearson and they had two daughters.
. He established himself with the firm of Philip Baker & Co. who were solicitors to many large enterprises and societies.
at the 1922 general election
as Liberal candidate in the Birmingham Deritend
division, coming third in a three-cornered contest.
, Willison switched his candidacy to the Nuneaton division
of Warwickshire
. In a three-cornered contest, Willison defeated the sitting Conservative
Member of Parliament (MP), Sir Henry Maddocks
, by a majority of 3,578 votes with Labour
in third place.
Willison was judged to have gained great popularity in Nuneaton during his brief time as MP but by 1924, after the first ever Labour government, the Tories were resurgent nationally and Britain was swinging back to two-party politics, with Labour replacing the Liberals as the main party of the left. At the 1924 general election
the Conservatives re-captured Nuneaton with Willison pushed narrowly into third place by Labour. The combined Liberal and Labour vote amounted to 62% of the poll and it seems likely that in a straight fight Willison would have retained the seat.
. In a strange political turnaround, the sitting Tory MP, Arthur Hope
finished bottom of the poll but this time it was Labour’s Francis Smith who was elected as Nuneaton’s MP, with Willison second.
In 1931 Willison was adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for Shrewsbury
but he never contested the division. Instead Willison made his final effort to return to the House of Commons
at Nuneaton again at the 1931 general election
. At this election Willison had the advantage of calling himself the National Liberal candidate and stated publicly that he was a supporter of the National Government. It was however the Conservative, Edward North, who accrued the electoral authority of being identified with the National Government ousting Francis Smith from the seat with Willison some way back in third place. Willison did not stand for Parliament again.
. In September 1932 the official Liberal group, led by Sir Herbert Samuel
were drifting away from supporting the National Government over the Ottawa Agreements
. Willison attended the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Liberal Federation
held on 21 September 1932 as a representative of the official Midlands Liberals. The meeting passed a resolution attacking the government over Ottawa and this led to the formal distancing of the official Liberal group from the government, although they did not move across to the opposition side of the House of Commons until the autumn of 1933. In February 1933 he was still attending the meetings of the National Liberal Federation but by 1938 he was again attending the annual conference of the Liberal National Party and was that year the Chairman of the West Midlands Branch of the Liberal National Party.
, Warwickshire.
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 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...
, later Liberal National
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
politician.
Family and education
Willison was born in Cosgrove, NorthamptonshireCosgrove, Northamptonshire
Cosgrove is a village in Northamptonshire, England about north of Stony Stratford, north of central Milton Keynes and south of Northampton along the A508 road and south-east of Towcester along the A5 road...
. He received his education in Northamptonshire and 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 was married to Frances Mary Pearson and they had two daughters.
Career
Willison was admitted as a solicitor in 1901 and practised in Birmingham. He achieved a reputation as an advocate throughout the English MidlandsEnglish Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. He established himself with the firm of Philip Baker & Co. who were solicitors to many large enterprises and societies.
Birmingham
Willison first stood for ParliamentParliament 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 1922 general election
United 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...
as Liberal candidate in the Birmingham Deritend
Birmingham Deritend (UK Parliament constituency)
-Election in the 1920s:-Election in the 1910s:-Sources:* Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig...
division, coming third in a three-cornered contest.
Nuneaton
At the 1923 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Willison switched his candidacy to the Nuneaton division
Nuneaton (UK Parliament constituency)
Nuneaton is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Pre-2010 :...
of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. In a three-cornered contest, Willison defeated the sitting 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...
Member of Parliament (MP), Sir Henry Maddocks
Henry Maddocks (politician)
Sir Henry Maddocks was a British Conservative Party politician .Standing as a Coalition Conservative, he was elected at the 1918 general election as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton division of Warwickshire, and re-elected in 1922...
, by a majority of 3,578 votes with 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...
in third place.
Willison was judged to have gained great popularity in Nuneaton during his brief time as MP but by 1924, after the first ever Labour government, the Tories were resurgent nationally and Britain was swinging back to two-party politics, with Labour replacing the Liberals as the main party of the left. At the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
the Conservatives re-captured Nuneaton with Willison pushed narrowly into third place by Labour. The combined Liberal and Labour vote amounted to 62% of the poll and it seems likely that in a straight fight Willison would have retained the seat.
1929-1931
Willison tried to regain Nuneaton at the 1929 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. In a strange political turnaround, the sitting Tory MP, Arthur Hope
Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour
Arthur Oswald James Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour GCIE MC was a British politician, soldier and administrator. He was a Conservative and served as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton from 1924 to 1929 and for Birmingham Aston from 1931 to 1939, after which he was Governor of the Madras Presidency of...
finished bottom of the poll but this time it was Labour’s Francis Smith who was elected as Nuneaton’s MP, with Willison second.
In 1931 Willison was adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury was a parliamentary constituency in England, centred on the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.It was founded in 1290 as parliamentary borough, returning two members to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the...
but he never contested the division. Instead Willison made his final effort to return to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at Nuneaton again at the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
. At this election Willison had the advantage of calling himself the National Liberal candidate and stated publicly that he was a supporter of the National Government. It was however the Conservative, Edward North, who accrued the electoral authority of being identified with the National Government ousting Francis Smith from the seat with Willison some way back in third place. Willison did not stand for Parliament again.
Liberal or Liberal National
Willison seems to have been ambivalent about his position within the liberal family and its support for the National Government. He retained his initial connection with the Liberal National faction led by Sir John Simon. He became a member of the Liberal National Council, the body set up to support Simon’s Liberal National group in Parliament and to form the core of the new party’s organisation in the country. By 1932 however he seems to have been having doubts about the Simonites’ abandonment of the traditional Liberal policy of Free TradeFree 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...
. In September 1932 the official Liberal group, led by Sir Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
were drifting away from supporting the National Government over the Ottawa Agreements
British Empire Economic Conference
The British Empire Economic Conference was a 1932 conference of British colonies and the autonomous dominions held to discuss the Great Depression. It was held between 21 July and 20 August in Ottawa.The conference saw the group admit the failure of the gold standard and abandon attempts to...
. Willison attended the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Liberal Federation
National Liberal Federation
The National Liberal Federation was the union of all English and Welsh Liberal Associations. It held an annual conference which was regarded as being representative of the opinion of the party’s rank and file and was broadly the equivalent of a present-day party conference.-Foundation:The...
held on 21 September 1932 as a representative of the official Midlands Liberals. The meeting passed a resolution attacking the government over Ottawa and this led to the formal distancing of the official Liberal group from the government, although they did not move across to the opposition side of the House of Commons until the autumn of 1933. In February 1933 he was still attending the meetings of the National Liberal Federation but by 1938 he was again attending the annual conference of the Liberal National Party and was that year the Chairman of the West Midlands Branch of the Liberal National Party.
Death
Willison died on 30 November 1943 aged 71 years at his home in Chessets Wood, KnowleKnowle
Knowle is a large village a few miles southeast of the town of Solihull, UK. Knowle lies within the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands...
, Warwickshire.