John Cartwright (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
John Cameron Cartwright (born 29 November 1933) is a former politician in the United Kingdom
. He was a Labour
and then an SDP
Member of Parliament
(MP) representing Woolwich East
then Woolwich
from the October 1974 general election
to the 1992 election
.
Educated at Woking County Grammar School, he was the star of the school's Dramatic Society for which he played numerous Shakespearean and Goldsmithian ladies. One such production was seen by the Norwegian ambassador, who was so impressed that he invited the whole production to perform in Oslo and Bergen.
Cartwright worked as Political Secretary of the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society
(R.A.C.S.) and served as a Greenwich borough councillor
before standing for Parliament
. He unsuccessfully contested Bexley
at the 1970 general election
(where he lost to Edward Heath
) and Bexleyheath
at the February 1974 election
(where he lost to Cyril Townsend
). At the October 1974 election
Cartwright was elected as the Labour member for Woolwich East, replacing Christopher Mayhew
who had left Labour to join the Liberal Party
. Following six years as a backbench Member of Parliament
and latterly Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Shirley Williams, Cartwright himself left the Labour Party
in 1981 to become one of the founding members of the SDP.
John Cartwright served as the SDP's chief whip from 1983 onwards and as its President from 1987 until the failure of the continuing SDP in 1990. He also served as the SDP/Liberal Alliance's chief defence spokesman from 1983 to 1987. A close political ally of David Owen
, he stayed loyal to Owen and Owen's continuing SDP
after the Liberal Party
and a majority of the SDP merged in January 1988 to become the Liberal Democrats.
Following the collapse of the continuing SDP in 1990, Cartwright stood for re-election as an Independent Social Democrat - albeit one endorsed by the Liberal Democrats - but lost by 2,200 votes. After thus leaving active politics he went on to serve as Deputy Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority before retiring to Kent
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was a 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...
and then an SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
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) representing Woolwich East
Woolwich East (UK Parliament constituency)
Woolwich East was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983...
then Woolwich
Woolwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Woolwich was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918 and from 1983 to 1997...
from the October 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
to the 1992 election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
.
Educated at Woking County Grammar School, he was the star of the school's Dramatic Society for which he played numerous Shakespearean and Goldsmithian ladies. One such production was seen by the Norwegian ambassador, who was so impressed that he invited the whole production to perform in Oslo and Bergen.
Cartwright worked as Political Secretary of the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society
Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society
The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative based in south east London; taking its name from the royal munitions works at Woolwich....
(R.A.C.S.) and served as a Greenwich borough councillor
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
before standing for 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...
. He unsuccessfully contested Bexley
Bexley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bexley was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Bexley district of south-east London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
at the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
(where he lost to Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
) and Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bexleyheath was a parliamentary constituency in south-east London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
at the February 1974 election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
(where he lost to Cyril Townsend
Cyril Townsend
Sir Cyril David Townsend is a British politician.Following service around the world in the British Army, Townsend was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Bexleyheath at the February 1974 election, and held the seat until retiring at the 1997 election...
). At the October 1974 election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
Cartwright was elected as the Labour member for Woolwich East, replacing Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to become a Liberal...
who had left Labour to join 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...
. Following six years as a backbench 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,...
and latterly Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Shirley Williams, Cartwright himself left the Labour Party
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 1981 to become one of the founding members of the SDP.
John Cartwright served as the SDP's chief whip from 1983 onwards and as its President from 1987 until the failure of the continuing SDP in 1990. He also served as the SDP/Liberal Alliance's chief defence spokesman from 1983 to 1987. A close political ally of David Owen
David Owen
David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen CH PC FRCP is a British politician.Owen served as British Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post; he co-authored the failed Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans offered during the Bosnian War...
, he stayed loyal to Owen and Owen's continuing SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)
A Social Democratic Party was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament : Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four"....
after 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...
and a majority of the SDP merged in January 1988 to become the Liberal Democrats.
Following the collapse of the continuing SDP in 1990, Cartwright stood for re-election as an Independent Social Democrat - albeit one endorsed by the Liberal Democrats - but lost by 2,200 votes. After thus leaving active politics he went on to serve as Deputy Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority before retiring to Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.