Alan Fitch
Encyclopedia
Alan Fitch (10 March 1915 – 7 August 1985) was a British
Labour Party
politician.
Fitch was educated at Kingswood School
, Bath (1927–1932), and was a mineworker. He represented mineworkers on the executive committee of the Lancashire
and Cheshire
Regional Council of Labour.
He was elected to the House of Commons
as Member of Parliament
for Wigan
in a by-election in 1958
, following the death of sitting Labour MP Ronald Williams. He was re-elected at the next seven general elections, before stepping down at the 1983 general election
, when the seat was held for Labour by Roger Stott
.
Fitch was a government Assistant Whip
from 1964 to 1966, a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 1966 to 1969 and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
from 1969 to 1970, and was a member of the nationalised industries select committee.
Fitch was also a Member of the European Parliament
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician.
Fitch was educated at Kingswood School
Kingswood School
Kingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
, Bath (1927–1932), and was a mineworker. He represented mineworkers on the executive committee of the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
Regional Council of Labour.
He was elected to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Wigan
Wigan (UK Parliament constituency)
Wigan is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in a by-election in 1958
Wigan by-election, 1958
The Wigan by-election of 12 June 1958 was held after the death of Labour MP Ronald Williams:The seat was very safe, having been won by Labour at the United Kingdom general election, 1955 by nearly 15,000 votes-Result of the previous general election:...
, following the death of sitting Labour MP Ronald Williams. He was re-elected at the next seven general elections, before stepping down at the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, when the seat was held for Labour by Roger Stott
Roger Stott
Roger Stott, CBE was a British Labour Party politician.-Biography:Stott was born in Rochdale, the first child of Richard and Edith Stott. He went to school in Rochdale and when he was 15 he joined the Merchant Navy...
.
Fitch was a government Assistant Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
from 1964 to 1966, a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 1966 to 1969 and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is usually a junior government whip in the British House of Commons and is an officer of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He or she is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Vice-Chamberlain's main role is to compile...
from 1969 to 1970, and was a member of the nationalised industries select committee.
Fitch was also a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
.