Frank Briant

Frank Briant (30 November 1865[1] – 1 September 1934) was a radical[2] British Liberal Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lambeth North. In addition, he represented Lambeth on the London County Council and was a leading member of Lambeth Borough Council.

Not to be confused with Frank Briante.

Frank Briant
Member of Parliament
for Lambeth North
In office
1931–1934
Preceded byGeorge Strauss
Succeeded byGeorge Strauss
In office
1918–1929
Preceded bySir William Houghton-Gastrell
Succeeded byGeorge Strauss
Personal details
Born(1865-11-30)30 November 1865
Kennington, London
Died1 September 1934(1934-09-01) (aged 68)
Political partyLiberal Party

Background

He was born in Kennington to William and Susannah Briant.[3] He started work as a civil servant.[1] In 1887, he started working at the Alford House Institute for Workingmen and Lads. In religion, he was a Congregationalist.

Political career

He served for 10 years as Chairman of the Lambeth Board of Guardians. He was a Justice of the peace for London.[1] He was a member of Lambeth Borough Council, the London County Council and the House of Commons. He was first elected to Lambeth Council and was elected Chairman of the Council in 1899, a position he held for twenty years. He was elected as a Progressive Party member to the London County Council in 1905 representing Lambeth North.[4] He served as both a borough and county councillor through to the end of World War I. In 1912, he was selected as the Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate for Lambeth North but due to the outbreak of war; had to wait until the 1918 general election. He was comfortably re-elected to the LCC in 1913 suggesting that he may well have gained the parliamentary seat in a 1915 general election;

Lambeth North in London County, showing boundaries used 1885–1918
London County Council election, 1913: Lambeth North[5] Electorate 7,582
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Green tickY Frank Briant 2,370
Municipal Reform Green tickY Louis Courtauld 2,118
Municipal Reform W. Gough-Cook 2,105
Labour Francis Samuel Smith 2,037
Majority
Progressive hold Swing
Municipal Reform gain from Labour Swing

Despite his Unionist opponent receiving the 'coupon' letter of support from the Coalition Government he gained the seat from the Unionists. His election was one of only a handful of gains made by the Liberals at these elections.

Lambeth North in the County of London 1918–1949
General election 1918: Lambeth North[6] Electorate 28,777
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frank Briant 7,326 62.3 +15.8
Coalition Conservative Sir William Henry Houghton Gastrell 4,441 37.7 -15.8
Majority 2,885 24.6 31.6
Turnout 40.9 -32.6
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +15.8

In 1919, due to the commencement of his parliamentary career, he stood down from the Chairmanship of Lambeth Council, and retired from the London County Council.

He retained his seat in the House of Commons at every subsequent election

General election 1922: Lambeth North[6] Electorate 30,320
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frank Briant 8,132 43.1 -19.2
Conservative Ernest Roy Bird 7,362 39.1 +1.4
Labour Barbara Bodichon Ayrton-Gould 3,353 17.8 n/a
Majority 770 4.0 -20.6
Turnout 62.2 +21.3
Liberal hold Swing -10.3
General election 1923: Lambeth North[6] Electorate 31,146
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frank Briant 9,036 48.5 +5.4
Conservative Ernest Roy Bird 5,509 29.6 -9.5
Labour F. Hughes 4,089 21.9 +4.1
Majority 3,527 18.9 +14.9
Turnout 59.8 -2.4
Liberal hold Swing +7.5
General election 1924: Lambeth North[6] Electorate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frank Briant 7,943 37.2 -11.3
Labour George Russell Strauss 7,914 37.1 +15.2
Conservative J. Lazarus 5,488 25.7 -3.9
Majority 29 0.1 -18.8
Turnout 31,866 67.0 +7.2
Liberal hold Swing -13.3

During the 1924–29 parliament which was dominated by a Unionist majority, Briant worked closely with a group of radical Liberal MPs that included William Wedgwood Benn, Percy Harris, Joseph Kenworthy and Horace Crawfurd to provide opposition to the government.[7] He lost his seat to Labour in the 1929 General Election

General election 1929: Lambeth North[6] Electorate 38,815
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Russell Strauss 11,264 43.8 +6.7
Liberal Frank Briant 10,722 41.8 +4.6
Conservative Clyde Tabor Wilson 3,691 14.4 -11.3
Majority 542 2.0 2.1
Turnout 66.2 -0.8
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +1.1

In 1931 he returned to municipal politics and was re-elected to the London County Council again representing Lambeth North.[8] Later that year he regained his Lambeth North seat in the House of Commons, defeating the Labour candidate at the 1931 General Election

General election 1931: Lambeth North[6] Electorate 38,923
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frank Briant 16,368 65.1 +23.3
Labour George Russell Strauss 8,766 34.9 -8.9
Majority 7,602 30.2 32.2
Turnout 64.6 -1.6
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +16.1

He remained a London County Councillor up until the Match 1934 elections.[8] He continued to represent Lambeth North in the House of Commons until his death. He died on 1 September 1934 at the Alford House Institute for Workingmen and Lads of which he had been the superintendent for 47 years.[9]

See also

References
  1. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench. London: Dean & Son Limited. 1922. p. 21.
  2. The Downfall of the Liberal Party by Trevor Wilson
  3. 1871 England Census
  4. London County Council election in North Lambeth, The Times, 18 December 1905, p.12
  5. London Municipal Notes, 1913
  6. Craig, Frederick Walter Scott (1969). British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  7. Forty Years in and out of Parliament by Sir Percy Harris
  8. 'BRIANT, Frank', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 4 Feb 2014
  9. The Times, 3.9.34
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