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Henry de Rosenbach Walker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry de Rosenbach Walker (30 May 1867 – 31 July 1923) was a British Liberal Party politician and author.

Background

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He was a son of R. F. Walker of Shooter's Hill, Kent and Marie von Rosenbach, of Karritz, Estonia. He was educated at Winchester School and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1900 he married Maud Eleanor Chute, of Basingstoke. They had three daughters.[1]

Career

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He worked as a clerk in the Foreign Office from 1889 to 1892. He travelled extensively in Russia, Central Asia, the Far East, North America, the West Indies, and the Antipodes. From his travels he had two books published; Australasian Democracy in 1897 and The West Indies and the Empire in 1901.[2] He stood as a Liberal candidate for parliament on four occasions. First he contested a Liberal seat, the Stowmarket division of Suffolk in 1895, losing to the Conservatives. He then contested the marginal dual member seat of Plymouth in 1900 and finished in fourth place. He was then elected Liberal MP for the Melton Division of Leicestershire in 1906, gaining the seat from the Conservatives.

General election 1906: Melton[3] Electorate 15,815
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry de Rosenbach Walker 7,800 56.4 +8.2
Conservative Arthur Hazlerigg 6,033 43.6 −8.2
Majority 1,767 12.8 16.4
Turnout 87.5 +7.5
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +8.2

This was the first occasion that Melton had been won by a Liberal since it was created in 1885. He successfully defended Melton at the general election of January 1910 by a majority of just 123 votes. However, he chose not to defend his seat at the December 1910 General Election. He did not stand for parliament again.[4] He was elected to the London County Council as a Liberal Party backed Progressive candidate for St Pancras East in 1913. He was made a Member of the London War Pensions Committee in 1916. He served one full term as a Councillor until he was appointed an Alderman in 1919. He served as an Alderman until his death.[5] In 1914 he had published The Need for the Parliament Act.

Sources

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  • Who Was Who
  • British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, Craig, F. W. S.

References

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  1. ^ Who Was Who
  2. ^ Who Was Who
  3. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885–1918 (Craig)
  4. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, Craig, F. W. S.
  5. ^ Who Was Who
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Melton
1906December 1910
Succeeded by