Horace Crawfurd

Horace Evelyn Crawfurd (13 January 1881 – 14 March 1958) was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.

Professional career

Crawfurd was a lecturer at Liverpool University. In 1930, Elinor Glyn Ltd employed Crawfurd to undertake the publicity campaign for two movies: Knowing Men (1930), which experimented with a new colour process, and The Price of Things (1931). Crawfurd also worked with the author Elinor Glyn on her own personal publicity.[1]

Political career

In 1913, Crawfurd was selected as the Liberal candidate for Southport for a general election expected to take place in 1914 or 1915. However, the election was postponed due to the Great War. He became a Flight Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service and was stationed in the Far East. He continued to nurse the Southport constituency while on leave in anticipation of being selected as the candidate when the election was finally held. However, the Conservative MP for Southport, received endorsement from the Coalition Prime Minister David Lloyd George, so the Southport Liberals decided not to run a candidate against him.[2] He unsuccessfully contested the Walthamstow West constituency at the 1922 and 1923 general elections, before winning the seat at the 1924 general election, narrowly defeating the sitting Labour MP Valentine McEntee. During the 1924-29 parliament which was dominated by a Conservative majority, Crawfurd worked closely with a group of radical Liberal MPs that included: William Wedgwood Benn, Percy Harris, Joseph Kenworthy and Frank Briant to provide opposition to the government.[3] However, McEntee regained the seat at the 1929 general election. He stood again at the Islington East by-election in February 1931, where he finished in fourth place. He stood for election for the last time at the 1935 general election, when he finished last out of the three candidates in Leicester West. He did not stand for Parliament again.[4]

Electoral record
General election 1922 : Walthamstow West [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 8,758 43.3 +14.0
National Democratic Charles Jesson 6,253 30.9
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 5,228 25.8
Majority 2,505 12.4
Turnout 63.8 +16.8
Labour gain from National Democratic Swing
General election 1923: Walthamstow West [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 10,026 47.6 +4.3
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 8,234 39.0 +13.2
Unionist Jabeez Lyne 2,832 13.4 n/a
Majority 1,792 8.6 -3.8
Turnout 65.5
Labour hold Swing -4.5
General election 1924: Walthamstow West [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 12,991 50.9
Labour Valentine McEntee 12,521 49.1
Majority 470 1.8
Turnout 75.5
Liberal gain from Labour Swing
General election 1929: Walthamstow West [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 16,050 54.0 -4.9
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 9,470 31.9 -19.0
Unionist Frederick C Bramston 4,184 14.1 n/a
Majority 6,580 22.1 +14.1
Turnout 73.3 -2.2
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +7.0
1931 Islington East by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Leah Manning 10,591 34.7 −3.3
Empire Crusade Alfred Critchley 8,314 27.2 n/a
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 7,182 23.5 −10.6
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 4,450 14.6 −13.3
Majority 2,277 7.5 +3.6
Turnout 50.0 −16.4
Labour hold Swing
General election 1935: Leicester West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Labour Harold Nicolson 15,821 43.73
Labour John Morgan 15,734 43.49
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 4,621 12.77
Majority 87 0.24
Turnout 66.83
National Labour gain from Liberal Swing

References
  1. University of Reading Archive: Elinor Glyn papers
  2. Southport Liberal Association - The First 100 Years by Michael Braham
  3. Forty Years in and out of Parliament by Sir Percy Harris
  4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1973, FWS Craig
  5. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  6. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  7. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  8. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  • Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
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