John Thompson (politician, born 1861)

John William Howard Thompson (1861-17 October 1959) was a British Liberal Party politician, solicitor and soldier.

John Thompson

Background

He was educated at Carshalton and Whitgift School, Croydon. He married Antoinette Ebden Keene of Crewkerne, Somerset. They had two daughters. His wife died in 1940.[1] His daughter Antoinette Winifred Thompson married the 6th Marquess Conyngham.[2]

Career

He worked as a solicitor.[3] He was Liberal MP for Somerset East from 1906 to 1910. He gained the seat at the 1906 General Election from the Liberal Unionists.

General election 1906 Electorate 9,717
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Thompson 4,553 53.9
Liberal Unionist Bertram Falle 3,890 46.1
Majority 663 7.8
Turnout
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing

He served just one parliamentary term before losing his seat back to the Liberal Unionists at the General Election in January 1910.

General election January 1910 Electorate 9,791
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ernest Jardine 4,997 55.7 9.6
Liberal John Thompson 3,970 44.3 -9.6
Majority 1,027 11.4
Turnout
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +9.6

He stood again at the General Election of December 1910 but was unable to regain his seat.[4]

General election December 1910 Electorate 9,791
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ernest Jardine 4,748 55.1 -0.6
Liberal John Thompson 3,875 44.9 +0.6
Majority 873 10.2 -1.2
Turnout
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -0.6

He was a captain in the Devonshire 11th Service battalion in 1915 and a major in the 24th (County of London) Battalion (The Queen's) in 1916.[5] He did not contest the 1918 General election. He did however contested the 1920 Ilford by-election, where he finished third;

Ilford by-election, 1920
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Conservative Fredric Wise 15,612 54.38 -12.4
Labour Joseph King 6,577 22.91 +3.4
Liberal John Thompson 6,515 22.69 +8.9
Turnout 28,704
Coalition Conservative hold Swing

He remained at Ilford to contest the seat at the 1922 General Election, when he came second, pushing Labour into third place.

1922 General Election Electorate 45,013[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Fredric Wise 14,071 44.4 -10.0
Liberal John Thompson 7,625 24.0 +1.3
Labour A West 5,414 17.1 -5.8
Ind. Unionist FC Bramston 4,610 14.5 n/a
Majority 6,446 20.4 -11.1
Turnout 70.5
Unionist hold Swing -5.6

He did not contest the following three General Elections but remained a supporter of the Liberal Party. His return to the electoral fight came at the 1931 General Election, when he returned to Somerset and fought the Conservative seat of Wells. Much of the Wells constituency was part of the Somerset East constituency that he had represented before the First World War. He came second with a credible vote share;

General election 1931: Wells
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Muirhead 17,711 58.7
Liberal John Thompson 12,440 41.3
Majority 5,271 17.5
Turnout 17.5
Conservative hold Swing

He did not stand for parliament again.

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

References
  1. Who Was Who
  2. "John Thompson". The Peerage.
  3. Who Was Who
  4. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918, Craig, F. W. S.
  5. The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1931
  6. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
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