Richard Robert Fairbairn
Encyclopedia
Richard Robert Fairbairn (27 May 1867 – 14 October 1941) was a British tramways
and bus
manager, Justice of the Peace
and Liberal Party
politician.
.
He was educated in Toronto, Canada and after becoming a manager of tramway and omnibus undertakings in London and Birmingham
, he settled in Worcester
to manage the Tramway Company there. He married and had six sons and three daughters. During the First World War, Fairbairn was Food Transport Officer for the Midlands
and Midland Road Transport Officer. He later served as chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the River Severn
.
Fairbairn first stood for Parliament at the general election of December 1910 when he contested his home constituency of Worcester
. He decreased the Unionist
majority but failed to get elected.
In all, Fairbairn fought Worcester eight times for the Liberals. In 1918
the sitting Conservative was endorsed by the Coalition government
and presumably received the Coalition Coupon
, increasing his majority over Fairbairn. At the 1922 general election
however, Fairbairn achieved his only Parliamentary success. Although he faced a new Conservative candidate rather than the established MP of many years, Fairbairn managed to turn a Unionist majority of 4,554 into a Liberal majority of 773. His Conservative opponent, the Hon. Henry Lygon, a scion of a well-known Worcestershire
family, had been seen as a strong candidate for his party but it was reported that the Tories had been over-confident and internally divided , and they seem to have paid the price.
In 1923
, Fairbairn faced yet another new face for the Conservatives at Worcester, Australian born Crawford Green
. Despite the revival in the country that the Liberal Party achieved in this election, now re-united around the traditional Liberal policy of Free trade
, Green took the seat by a majority of 1,228 votes.
Fairbairn was certainly persistent in his desire to represent Worcester again for the Liberals. He contested the general election there in 1924
, 1929
, 1931
and 1935
. He held second place to the Conservatives each time except for 1929 when Labour overtook him but never came close to regaining his seat.
of Worcester and having been granted the Freedom of the City
in July that year. One academic has argued that by maintaining second position in the polls for the party in the face of any Labour challenge, Fairbairn ensured that Liberalism remained alive in Worcester at a time when the party was seen as increasingly irrelevant elsewhere.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
manager, Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
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...
politician.
Personal life and career
Richard Robert Fairbairn was the son of a London labour leader , probably Mr R R Fairbairn who was sometime President of the Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and BargemenAmalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen
The Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded in 1889 as the Amalgamated Society of Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames. In 1901, it merged with the Watchmen's Union of the River Thames to form the Amalgamated...
.
He was educated in Toronto, Canada and after becoming a manager of tramway and omnibus undertakings in London 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 settled in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to manage the Tramway Company there. He married and had six sons and three daughters. During the First World War, Fairbairn was Food Transport Officer for the Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
and Midland Road Transport Officer. He later served as chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
.
Political life
Fairbairn seems to have inherited his interest in politics from his father but the son worked in the Liberal interest. He served as Secretary of the Worcester Liberal Association , was a political agent and canvasser in the town and became a member of Worcester Council.Fairbairn first stood for Parliament at the general election of December 1910 when he contested his home constituency of Worcester
Worcester (UK Parliament constituency)
Worcester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885 it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election; from 1295 to 1885 it elected two MPs....
. He decreased the 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...
majority but failed to get elected.
In all, Fairbairn fought Worcester eight times for the Liberals. In 1918
United 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...
the sitting Conservative was endorsed by the Coalition government
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
and presumably received 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...
, increasing his majority over Fairbairn. 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...
however, Fairbairn achieved his only Parliamentary success. Although he faced a new Conservative candidate rather than the established MP of many years, Fairbairn managed to turn a Unionist majority of 4,554 into a Liberal majority of 773. His Conservative opponent, the Hon. Henry Lygon, a scion of a well-known Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
family, had been seen as a strong candidate for his party but it was reported that the Tories had been over-confident and internally divided , and they seem to have paid the price.
In 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Fairbairn faced yet another new face for the Conservatives at Worcester, Australian born Crawford Green
William Pomeroy Crawford Greene
William Pomeroy Crawford Greene was an English Conservative Party politician.At the 1923 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Worcester. He held the seat until he retired from politics at the 1945 election.- External links :...
. Despite the revival in the country that the Liberal Party achieved in this election, now re-united around the traditional Liberal policy of Free trade
Free 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...
, Green took the seat by a majority of 1,228 votes.
Fairbairn was certainly persistent in his desire to represent Worcester again for the Liberals. He contested the general election there in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, 1931
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...
and 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...
. He held second place to the Conservatives each time except for 1929 when Labour overtook him but never came close to regaining his seat.
Death
Fairbairn died on 14 October 1941 while holding the office of MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Worcester and having been granted the Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
in July that year. One academic has argued that by maintaining second position in the polls for the party in the face of any Labour challenge, Fairbairn ensured that Liberalism remained alive in Worcester at a time when the party was seen as increasingly irrelevant elsewhere.