Charles Summersby
Encyclopedia
Charles Harold Summersby (1882 – 13 August 1961) was a British draper
and Liberal National
politician.
. He was educated locally until the age of fourteen when he left school and moved to London to serve a four year apprenticeship in the drapery business. He and his wife had two sons and a daughter.
and in 1912 started his own business. By 1931 he was the owner of large shop in Muswell Hill.
in 1921 and was Mayor
of Hornsey from 1930-1931 He was also later a member of Middlesex County Council
for Harringay
. He won a by-election
there on 28 January 1936 standing as a Municipal Reform Party
candidate by 485 votes to the 327 gained by his Labour opponent Samuel Campbell. There was only a small turnout because the date coincided with the funeral of King George V
who had died on 20 January. Summersby also served as Justice of the Peace
.
at the 1931 general election
as a Liberal National and defeated the sitting Labour
MP, Ernest Thurtle
. While in the House of Commons Summersby served as a member of the Parliamentary Air Committee. He did not seek re-election at the 1935 general election
and was replaced as National Liberal candidate by Mr Somerset Stopford Brooke , a stock broker, and former Liberal candidate for Guildford in 1929, who was the son of the Liberal MP for Bow and Bromley
from 1906-1910. Summersby must have known that without the effect of the crisis of 1931 which had helped propel him into Parliament, his seat would be highly vulnerable to Labour and Stopford Brooke, could not hold the seat against Ernest Thurtle’s renewed challenge.
Draper
Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
and Liberal National
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
politician.
Family and education
Summersby was the son of the Reverend B J Summersby, a Congregational minister from OxfordshireOxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. He was educated locally until the age of fourteen when he left school and moved to London to serve a four year apprenticeship in the drapery business. He and his wife had two sons and a daughter.
Career
After his apprenticeship Summersby became a buyer for the Derry & Toms department store in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
and in 1912 started his own business. By 1931 he was the owner of large shop in Muswell Hill.
Local politics
Summersby was elected to Hornsey Borough CouncilMunicipal Borough of Hornsey
Hornsey was a local government district in east Middlesex from 1867 to 1965.In 1867, a Local Board was formed for part of the civil parish of Hornsey. The rest of the parish was already under South Hornsey Local Board formed in 1865....
in 1921 and was Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Hornsey from 1930-1931 He was also later a member of Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...
for Harringay
Harringay
Harringay is a residential area of North London, part of the London Borough of Haringey, United Kingdom. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the northern boundary of Finsbury Park up to the southern boundary of Duckett's Common, not far from Turnpike Lane.-Location:The...
. He won a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
there on 28 January 1936 standing as a Municipal Reform Party
Municipal Reform Party
The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945.-Formation:...
candidate by 485 votes to the 327 gained by his Labour opponent Samuel Campbell. There was only a small turnout because the date coincided with the funeral of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
who had died on 20 January. Summersby also served as Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
.
Parliament
Summersby was selected to fight ShoreditchShoreditch (UK Parliament constituency)
Shoreditch was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Shoreditch district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created for the...
at the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
as a Liberal National and defeated the sitting Labour
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...
MP, Ernest Thurtle
Ernest Thurtle
Ernest Thurtle was a British Labour politician.Thurtle worked as am accountant and salesman...
. While in the House of Commons Summersby served as a member of the Parliamentary Air Committee. He did not seek re-election at the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
and was replaced as National Liberal candidate by Mr Somerset Stopford Brooke , a stock broker, and former Liberal candidate for Guildford in 1929, who was the son of the Liberal MP for Bow and Bromley
Bow and Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bow and Bromley was a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Located in the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in London, it was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act for the 1885 general election and returned one Member of Parliament until it was abolished by the 1950 general...
from 1906-1910. Summersby must have known that without the effect of the crisis of 1931 which had helped propel him into Parliament, his seat would be highly vulnerable to Labour and Stopford Brooke, could not hold the seat against Ernest Thurtle’s renewed challenge.