Sir Robert Aske, 1st Baronet

Sir Robert William Aske, 1st Baronet JP (29 December 1872 – 10 March 1954) was a barrister and Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.

For other people named Robert Aske, see Robert Aske (disambiguation).

Robert Aske in 1910

Family

Aske was born a son of Edward Aske. In 1899 he married Edith McGregor. She died in 1900. In 1909 he married Edith Cockerline. They had two sons and two daughters. She died in 1918.[1][2]

Military career

Aske was a part-time soldier, commissioned into a Volunteer battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment on 9 February 1898 and was promoted to Lt-Colonel and commanding officer of the 5th (Cyclist) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment of the Territorial Force (TF) on 20 October 1910. He mobilised the battalion in August 1914 and commanded it on coast defence duties during the early years of World War I.[2][3][4] He retired from the battalion and was transferred to the TF Reserve on 24 December 1917;[5] he was awarded the Territorial Decoration on 22 May 1918.[6]

Political career

He first stood for parliament in 1910, contesting Hull Central, a seat that the Conservatives had held in the 1906 Liberal landslide. Though it was not a promising seat, he did very well, coming to within 20 votes of defeating the incumbent. A third opportunity came to contest Hull Central at a by-election. His Conservative opponent had been unseated on petition. However he was again unsuccessful. He was Chairman of the Hull and District Liberal Federation.[7] He did not contest Hull Central again and did not stand for parliament again until 1923. At the 1923 general election he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne East, but lost his seat a year later, at the 1924 general election, to Labour's Martin Henry Connolly. Aske regained the seat at the 1929 general election, and held it until his retirement at the 1945 general election. When the Liberal Party split in 1931 over participation in Ramsay MacDonald's Conservative-dominated National Government, Aske was one those who broke away to form the new National Liberal Party, which merged in 1948 with the Conservatives.

He was knighted in 1911.[8] He was created a baronet in the 1922 New Year Honours.[9][10] He served as a Justice of the peace in Surrey. He served as Deputy Sheriff of Hull on three occasions.[11]

Electoral record
General election January 1910: Hull Central[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Seymour King 3,606 50.1 −7.7
Liberal Robert Aske 3,586 49.9 +7.7
Majority 20 0.2 −15.4
Turnout 7,192 87.9 +3.1
Registered electors 8,181
Conservative hold Swing −7.7
General election December 1910: Hull Central[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Seymour King 3,625 51.5 +1.4
Liberal Robert Aske 3,418 48.5 -1.4
Majority 207 3.0 +2.8
Turnout 7,043 86.1 -1.8
Registered electors 8,181
Conservative hold Swing +2.4
1911 Kingston upon Hull Central by-election[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Sykes 3,823 51.9 +0.4
Liberal Robert Aske 3,545 48.1 -0.4
Majority 278 3.8 +0.8
Turnout 7,368 84.6 −1.5
Registered electors 8,712
Conservative hold Swing +0.4
General election 1923: Newcastle upon Tyne East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Aske 12,656 52.3 +22.3
Labour Arthur Henderson 11,532 47.7 +4.6
Majority 1,124 4.6 N/A
Turnout 24,188 73.2 −0.5
Registered electors 33,066
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +8.9
General election 1924: Newcastle upon Tyne East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Connolly 13,120 46.4 −1.3
Liberal Robert Aske 12,776 45.1 −7.2
Unionist William Temple 2,420 8.5 N/A
Majority 344 1.3 N/A
Turnout 28,316 83.9 +10.7
Registered electors 33,737
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +3.0
General election 1929: Newcastle upon Tyne East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Aske 17,856 51.3 +6.2
Labour Martin Connolly 16,921 48.7 +2.3
Majority 935 2.6 N/A
Turnout 34,777 79.4 −4.5
Registered electors 43,797
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +2.0
General election 1931: Newcastle upon Tyne East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Robert Aske 24,552 63.4
Labour Maurice Alexander 14,176 36.6
Majority 10,346 26.8
Turnout 86.5
National Liberal gain from Liberal Swing
General election 1935: Newcastle upon Tyne East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Robert Aske 23,146 58.60
Labour Bernard Benjamin Gillis 16,322 41.4
Majority 6,824 17.2
Turnout 81.3
National Liberal hold Swing

References
  1. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 100th Edn, London, 1953.
  2. (1 December 2007). Aske, Sir Robert William, (1872–10 March 1954), QC 1934. WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. Ed. Retrieved 10 Apr. 2019, from http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-234194.
  3. Army List, various dates.
  4. London Gazette, 19 August 1910.
  5. London Gazette, 25 January 1918.
  6. London Gazette, 22 May 1918.
  7. Chairman of the Hull and District Liberal Federation
  8. "No. 28469". The London Gazette. 24 February 1911. p. 1469.
  9. "No. 32563". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1921. p. 10710.
  10. "No. 32668". The London Gazette. 11 April 1922. p. 2916.
  11. The Times House of Commons, 1929; Politico's Publishing, 2003 p. 52
  12. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, FWS Craig

Sources
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