Francis Edward Fremantle
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-colonel Sir Francis Edward Fremantle, OBE
, DL
, FRCS, FRCP (29 May 1872 – 26 August 1943) was a British
physician
and Conservative Party
politician who served as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for St Albans
from 1919 until his death.
F E Fremantle was the fourth son of the Very Rev. William Henry Fremantle
, Dean of Ripon. Following education at Eton College
and Balliol College, Oxford
, he went to study medicine at Guy's Hospital
, London
. He received his doctorate in 1898.
In 1902 he was appointed county medical officer of health for Hertfordshire
, a post he held until 1916. He was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
in 1910, and subsequently served on the organisation's council. Fremantle held a commission as a surgeon-captain in the Hertfordshire Yeomanry
, and served as a medical officer with the British Army
in the Second Boer War
. He then travelled to the Punjab
, India
to work as a plague medical officer from 1903 – 1904. During the First World War he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps
, serving in Mesopotamia
.
After the war, Fremantle entered politics. In March 1919 he was elected to the London County Council
as a Municipal Reform Party
councillor for Dulwich
. Later in the year, Hildred Carlile, the Conservative MP for St Albans
, resigned from the House of Commons due to ill-health. Fremantle was selected as the Coalition Conservative candidate for the resulting by-election held in December
, and was elected despite a strong challenge from the Labour Party
.
Fremantle became a frequent speaker in parliament, being recognised as a spokesman for the medical profession, and was chairman of the Parliamentary Medical Committee from 1923 to 1943. He held the St Albans seat for the Conservatives until his death, and was knighted
in 1932, for "political and public services".In 1926 he became a Deputy Lieutenant
of Hertfordshire
.
In 1905 he married Dorothy Chinnery , and they had one son. He died suddenly at his home, Bedwell Park, near Hatfield in August 1943.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, FRCS, FRCP (29 May 1872 – 26 August 1943) was a British
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...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who served as the 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,...
(MP) for St Albans
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
from 1919 until his death.
F E Fremantle was the fourth son of the Very Rev. William Henry Fremantle
William Henry Fremantle (Dean)
The Very Reverend William Henry Fremantle was an eminent Anglican priest in the last decades of the 19th century and the first two of the 20th....
, Dean of Ripon. Following education at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, he went to study medicine at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He received his doctorate in 1898.
In 1902 he was appointed county medical officer of health for Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, a post he held until 1916. He was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1910, and subsequently served on the organisation's council. Fremantle held a commission as a surgeon-captain in the Hertfordshire Yeomanry
Hertfordshire Yeomanry
The Hertfordshire Yeomanry is a British Army unit specializing in artillery and yeomanry that can trace its formation to the late 18th century. First seeing service in the Boer War, it subsequently served in both World Wars....
, and served as a medical officer with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. He then travelled to the Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to work as a plague medical officer from 1903 – 1904. During the First World War he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
, serving in Mesopotamia
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
After the war, Fremantle entered politics. In March 1919 he was elected to the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
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:...
councillor for Dulwich
Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Dulwich was a borough constituency in the Dulwich area of South London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. Later in the year, Hildred Carlile, the Conservative MP for St Albans
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
, resigned from the House of Commons due to ill-health. Fremantle was selected as the Coalition Conservative candidate for the resulting by-election held in December
St Albans by-election, 1919
The St Albans by-election of 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in December 1919 for the House of Commons constituency of St Albans in Hertfordshire....
, and was elected despite a strong challenge from the 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...
.
Fremantle became a frequent speaker in parliament, being recognised as a spokesman for the medical profession, and was chairman of the Parliamentary Medical Committee from 1923 to 1943. He held the St Albans seat for the Conservatives until his death, and was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1932, for "political and public services".In 1926 he became a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
In 1905 he married Dorothy Chinnery , and they had one son. He died suddenly at his home, Bedwell Park, near Hatfield in August 1943.