Sir John Benn, 1st Baronet
Sir John Williams Benn, 1st Baronet, DL (13 November 1850 – 10 April 1922) was a British politician, particularly associated with London politics. He was the father of the politician William Benn, and the grandfather of the politician Tony Benn.
Life and career
Benn was born in
When the
He was later narrowly defeated at the general election in 1895, but he concentrated on his continuing work as a London councillor, helping introduce electric trams to London's streets in 1903. A year later, he returned to Parliament after winning a by-election at Devonport, a seat he retained until being defeated in 1910. In the meantime his son, 28-year-old William Wedgwood Benn, had also been elected to Parliament, winning Benn's former seat at St. George in 1906. Benn senior was appointed a deputy lieutenant of the County of London in February 1905.[2]
For his work as an MP, he was knighted in 1906 and created a baronet in 1914. John Benn remained a member of the London County Council until his death in 1922, leading the Progressive Party until ill-health forced him to relinquish that role in 1918. In his final election campaign he was victorious, defeating the Labour Group Leader.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Municipal Reform | Harold Swann | 5,728 | 31.8 | +12.5 | |
Progressive | John Benn | 4,805 | 26.7 | −4.6 | |
Labour | Harry Gosling | 4,275 | 23.7 | −7.9 | |
Labour | Charles Gibson
|
3,212 | 17.8 | n/a | |
Majority | 530 | 3.0 | −9.0 | ||
Municipal Reform gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Progressive hold | Swing |
References
- ^ "Person Page".
- ^ "No. 27768". The London Gazette. 24 February 1905. p. 1399.
- ^ London Municipal Notes – Volumes 18–23, London Municipal Society