Robert Davies
Encyclopedia
Robert Malcolm Deryck Davies, OBE (7 May 1918 – 16 June 1967) was a British
Labour Party
politician.
He was educated at Reading School
, and London and Oxford Universities. For many years he was Secretary of the Department of Applied Economics at Cambridge University. He was also a Labour member of Cambridge City Council
for East Chesterton ward from 1954 to 1964. In 1941 he married Katharine Wing. The couple had no children.
At the 1966 general election
, he was elected Member of Parliament
for Cambridge
, winning the seat by just 439 votes from the Conservatives
at his third attempt, after the retirement of Hamilton Kerr
. He had previously contested the seat in the general elections of 1959
and 1964
, and also contested the surrounding seat of Cambridgeshire
during a 1961 by-election. He died in office only fifteen months after being elected, aged 49, and the resulting by-election
for his seat was won by the Conservative candidate, David Lane
.
Descended from a Welsh farming family, his grandfather, Jenkin Davies (1824–1893), was a leading Berkshire agriculturalist and County Councillor. The Davies Family History Website http://www.clan-davies.org/phpGedView/individual.php?pid=I211 has details of his pedigree.
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...
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...
politician.
He was educated at Reading School
Reading School
Reading School is a state-funded, selective academy school for boys in the English town of Reading. It is notable for tracing its history back to the school of Reading Abbey, making it one of the oldest schools in England. There are no tuition fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and...
, and London and Oxford Universities. For many years he was Secretary of the Department of Applied Economics at Cambridge University. He was also a Labour member of Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council may refer to:* Cambridge City Council, England* Cambridge City Council, Massachusetts, USA* Cambridge, Ontario City Council, Canada...
for East Chesterton ward from 1954 to 1964. In 1941 he married Katharine Wing. The couple had no children.
At the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, he was elected 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,...
for Cambridge
Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridge is a parliamentary 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 voting system....
, winning the seat by just 439 votes from the Conservatives
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...
at his third attempt, after the retirement of Hamilton Kerr
Sir Hamilton Kerr, 1st Baronet
Sir Hamilton William Kerr, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician.He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford...
. He had previously contested the seat in the general elections of 1959
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
and 1964
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, and also contested the surrounding seat of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridgeshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Knights...
during a 1961 by-election. He died in office only fifteen months after being elected, aged 49, and the resulting by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for his seat was won by the Conservative candidate, David Lane
David Lane (politician)
David William Stennis Stuart Lane was a British Conservative Party politician.Lane was educated at Eton College, Trinity College, Cambridge and Yale University. He became a barrister, called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1955. From 1956 to 1959 he was secretary of the British Iron and Steel...
.
Descended from a Welsh farming family, his grandfather, Jenkin Davies (1824–1893), was a leading Berkshire agriculturalist and County Councillor. The Davies Family History Website http://www.clan-davies.org/phpGedView/individual.php?pid=I211 has details of his pedigree.