Frederick Bennett
Encyclopedia
Sir Frederic Mackarness Bennett, (2 December 1918 – 14 September 2002), Knight Bachelor
(1964), was a journalist, a barrister
and a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1985, and a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London in 1990. He was Lord of the Manor
of Mawddwy, Wales
.
, Wales, by his wife Marguerite (née Kleinwort), Bennett was educated at Westminster School
, and Lincoln's Inn
, and was called to the English Bar in November 1946. He subsequently served as an Advocate in the High Court of Southern Rhodesia
from March 1947, and in 1947 he made the first overland car journey from South Africa to England.
From 1947 to 1949 he was an Official Observer in the Greek Civil War
, becoming diplomatic correspondent for the Birmingham Post
newspaper, from 1950 to 1952. Later a director in various financial and industrial institutions in the United Kingdom and overseas, he was also an underwriter at Lloyd's
.
He married in 1945, Marion Patricia, daughter of Major Cecil Burnham, OBE, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh).
Yeomanry
. He was commissioned as an officer into the Royal Artillery
in 1940; commended for gallantry in 1941; was Military Experimental Officer in the Petroleum Warfare Department, 1943–1946, when released to reserve with the permanent rank of Major.
, Bennett was an unsuccessful candidate in the of Burslem constituency
, in Staffordshire
. At the 1950 general election
, he stood in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, again unsuccessfully.
The following year, at the 1951 general election
, he was finally elected to the House of Commons
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)
. When that constituency was abolished for the general election in May 1955
, Bennett stood for in election in the new Reading seat
, but lost by 238 votes to Labour
's Ian Mikardo
, the outgoing MP for the abolished Reading South constituency
.
In October 1955, the MP for Torquay
, Charles Williams
, died after more than thirty years as the town's MP. Bennett was selected as Conservative candidate for the resulting by-election
, which he won with a majority of over 10,000 votes. He represented Torquay until the constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election
, when he was returned to Parliament
for the new Torbay constituency
. He held that seat until he retired from the Commons at the 1987 general election
.
He was Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Reginald Maudling
from 1953–1955; to the Minister of Supply 1956-1957; the Paymaster-General
1957-1959; to the President of the Board of Trade, 1959-1961. He was Leader of the UK Delegation, and Chairman of the Council of Europe
and Western European Union
Assemblies, 1979-1987. He was also sometime chairman of the European Democrats
political group in the Council of Europe.
Bennett headed the list of the Secretariat for the European Freedom Campaign, an anti-communist group established in London at an Inaugural Rally at Westminster Central Hall
on 10 December 1988. This group's co-ordinating committee consisted almost exclusively of representatives from countries behind the Iron Curtain
.
, hosted by The Lord Mowbray and Stourton. He was sometime President of the Anglo-Turkish Society - he had an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Istanbul, 1984, and was granted the Freedom of the City of Ankara
in 1992. He was a member of the Anglo-Polish Society, the Council of the Baltic Sea States
, the Estonian Association, the Anglo-Jordanian Society, the Pakistan Society, and was a Vice-President of the European-Atlantic Group
. Between 1963 and 1984 - the year he was also made a Freeman of the City of London
- he attended fourteen of the yearly Bilderberg Group
conferences. He was the recipient of a small catalogue of foreign honours and awards of merit.
In 1976, Bennett assisted George Kennedy Young
in creating the private army 'Unison'.
He had a home in St. David's, Bermuda
, but his principal residence was his father's estate in Wales. He died in 2002.
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...
(1964), was a journalist, a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and a 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...
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,...
. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1985, and a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London in 1990. He was Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Mawddwy, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Early years
The second son of Sir Ernest Nathaniel Bennett, (died 1947) of Cwmllecoediog, Aberangell, MachynllethMachynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
, Wales, by his wife Marguerite (née Kleinwort), Bennett was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, and Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, and was called to the English Bar in November 1946. He subsequently served as an Advocate in the High Court of Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
from March 1947, and in 1947 he made the first overland car journey from South Africa to England.
From 1947 to 1949 he was an Official Observer in the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, becoming diplomatic correspondent for the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
newspaper, from 1950 to 1952. Later a director in various financial and industrial institutions in the United Kingdom and overseas, he was also an underwriter at Lloyd's
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
.
He married in 1945, Marion Patricia, daughter of Major Cecil Burnham, OBE, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh).
Military
In 1939 Bennett enlisted in the MiddlesexMiddlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
. He was commissioned as an officer into the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1940; commended for gallantry in 1941; was Military Experimental Officer in the Petroleum Warfare Department, 1943–1946, when released to reserve with the permanent rank of Major.
Political career
At the 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, Bennett was an unsuccessful candidate in the of Burslem constituency
Burslem (UK Parliament constituency)
Burslem was a borough constituency in Stoke-on-Trent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
, in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. At the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, he stood in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, again unsuccessfully.
The following year, at the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
, he was finally 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,...
(MP) for Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. When that constituency was abolished for the general election in May 1955
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, Bennett stood for in election in the new Reading seat
Reading (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading was a parliamentary borough, and later a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire....
, but lost by 238 votes to 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...
's Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo , commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons...
, the outgoing MP for the abolished Reading South constituency
Reading South (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading South was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
.
In October 1955, the MP for Torquay
Torquay (UK Parliament constituency)
Torquay was a county constituency in Devon, South West England, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, Charles Williams
Charles Williams (UK politician)
Charles Williams PC was a Conservative Party politician in England. He was Member of Parliament for constituencies in Devon from 1918 to 1922, and from 1924 to 1955....
, died after more than thirty years as the town's MP. Bennett was selected as Conservative candidate for the resulting by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, which he won with a majority of over 10,000 votes. He represented Torquay until the constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, when he was returned to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
for the new Torbay constituency
Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Notes and references:...
. He held that seat until he retired from the Commons at the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
.
He was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Reginald Maudling
Reginald Maudling
Reginald Maudling was a British politician who held several Cabinet posts, including Chancellor of the Exchequer. He had been spoken of as a prospective Conservative leader since 1955, and was twice seriously considered for the post; he was Edward Heath's chief rival in 1965...
from 1953–1955; to the Minister of Supply 1956-1957; the Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
1957-1959; to the President of the Board of Trade, 1959-1961. He was Leader of the UK Delegation, and Chairman of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and Western European Union
Western European Union
The Western European Union was an international organisation tasked with implementing the Modified Treaty of Brussels , an amended version of the original 1948 Treaty of Brussels...
Assemblies, 1979-1987. He was also sometime chairman of the European Democrats
European Democrats
The European Democrats was a loose association of conservative political parties in Europe. It is a political group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe...
political group in the Council of Europe.
Bennett headed the list of the Secretariat for the European Freedom Campaign, an anti-communist group established in London at an Inaugural Rally at Westminster Central Hall
Westminster Central Hall
The Westminster Central Hall or Methodist Central Hall is a Methodist church in the City of Westminster. It occupies the corner of Tothill Street and Storeys Gate just off Victoria Street in London, near the junction with The Sanctuary next to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and facing...
on 10 December 1988. This group's co-ordinating committee consisted almost exclusively of representatives from countries behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
.
Other interests
Bennett had wide-ranging interests: he was a member of The Primrose League, and their Guest-of-Honour at a dinner held on 5 March 1979 in the Cholmondely Room, House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, hosted by The Lord Mowbray and Stourton. He was sometime President of the Anglo-Turkish Society - he had an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Istanbul, 1984, and was granted the Freedom of the City of Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
in 1992. He was a member of the Anglo-Polish Society, the Council of the Baltic Sea States
Council of the Baltic Sea States
The Council of the Baltic Sea States is an overall political forum for regional intergovernmental cooperation which addresses the five priority areas of the environment, economic development, energy, education and culture, civil security and human dimension, including trafficking in human...
, the Estonian Association, the Anglo-Jordanian Society, the Pakistan Society, and was a Vice-President of the European-Atlantic Group
European-Atlantic Group
The European-Atlantic Group was founded in London in 1954 by Michael John Layton, 2nd Baron Layton , together with other members of both Houses of Parliament, Industrialists, Bankers, Economists, and Journalists and Mrs Elma Dangerfield...
. Between 1963 and 1984 - the year he was also made a Freeman of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
- he attended fourteen of the yearly Bilderberg Group
Bilderberg Group
The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an annual, unofficial, invitation-only conference of approximately 120 to 140 guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are people of influence. About one-third are from government and politics, and two-thirds from...
conferences. He was the recipient of a small catalogue of foreign honours and awards of merit.
In 1976, Bennett assisted George Kennedy Young
George Kennedy Young
George Kennedy Young, CB, MBE, M.A. was a deputy director of MI6, and later involved in British right-wing politics. He was also a merchant banker....
in creating the private army 'Unison'.
He had a home in St. David's, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, but his principal residence was his father's estate in Wales. He died in 2002.
Publications
- Bennett, Frederic, Speaking Frankly, London, 1960.
- Bennett, Sir Frederic, Détente and Security in Europe, London, 1976.
- Bennett, Sir Frederic, UlsterUlsterUlster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
- Fear is the Key, London, 1978. - Bennett, Sir Frederic, China and European Security, London, 1979, (2nd ed. 1980).
- Bennett, Sir Frederic, Reds under the Bed, or the Enemy at the Gate - and Within, London, 1979, (3rd edition, 1982).
- Bennett, Sir Frederic, Impact of Individual & Corporate Incentives on Productivity and Standard of Living, London, 1980.
- Bennett, Sir Frederic, Electoral Reform, London, 1996.
- Bennett, Sir Frederic, KashmirKashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
- Still Speaking Frankly, London, 1997.