Frederick Joseph Laverack
Encyclopedia
Frederick Joseph Laverack (1871 – 11 April 1928) was an English social worker, campaigner for the blind
and Liberal
Member of Parliament.
, the son of George Laverack, grocer and tea merchant, and Elizabeth Turner. He was educated at St George’s School, Leeds Ranmoor
College, Sheffield
and privately. He studied the law but did not pursue it as a profession. Laverack married Rose Roberts from Leeds and they had a son and two daughters.
and had pastorates in Dewsbury
, Yorkshire
and later in Fulham
. His chief social and philanthropic work was in assisting the blind. In 1916 he joined Sir Arthur Pearson the newspaper magnate and campaigner for the blind and organised the Blinded Soldiers’ Children Fund. He undertook the re-organisation of the Chaplain’s Department of the National Institute for the Blind and was sometime Joint Secretary of the Greater London Fund for the Blind. He was a former director and general organiser of the Association for the Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind and was a highly successful fund-raiser for charitable purposes and well-known as a speaker and lecturer on social causes. By 1922 he was being described as a business expert and organiser. He was also connected with the fund raising activities of the temperance organisation the Band of Hope Union
.
and the League was disbanded in 1922. Laverack gravitated to the Liberal Party.
for the Brixton Division
of Lambeth
. The Anti-Waste League endorsed his candidacy but Laverack could not dislodge the sitting Conservative
MP Sir Davison Dalziel
. He fought Dalziel again at the 1923 general election
and was this time successful. In a straight fight he won Brixton
by a majority of 1,405 votes. This position was reversed however at the 1924 general election
when Laverack faced Labour
as well as Tory
opponents. Dalziel was re-elected and Laverack dropped to the foot of the poll behind Labour.
in Brixton. Laverack was re-selected as Liberal candidate and there again faced a three-cornered contest against Conservative and Labour opponents. The by-election was held on 27 June 1927 and the Conservatives easily retained the seat with 48% of the poll. Lavarack was again in third place behind Labour. This was to prove his last attempt to re-enter Parliament.
at his home in Upper Norwood
, Surrey
on 11 April 1928.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament.
Family and education
Frederick Joseph Laverack was born in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, the son of George Laverack, grocer and tea merchant, and Elizabeth Turner. He was educated at St George’s School, Leeds Ranmoor
Ranmoor
Ranmoor is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England. It is an affluent suburb in the Fulwood ward of the city. It mostly developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it features a number of large houses that were built for the city's steel magnates, as well as, most notably, a large...
College, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and privately. He studied the law but did not pursue it as a profession. Laverack married Rose Roberts from Leeds and they had a son and two daughters.
Career
Laverack qualified as a minister with the Congregational churchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
and had pastorates in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and later in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
. His chief social and philanthropic work was in assisting the blind. In 1916 he joined Sir Arthur Pearson the newspaper magnate and campaigner for the blind and organised the Blinded Soldiers’ Children Fund. He undertook the re-organisation of the Chaplain’s Department of the National Institute for the Blind and was sometime Joint Secretary of the Greater London Fund for the Blind. He was a former director and general organiser of the Association for the Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind and was a highly successful fund-raiser for charitable purposes and well-known as a speaker and lecturer on social causes. By 1922 he was being described as a business expert and organiser. He was also connected with the fund raising activities of the temperance organisation the Band of Hope Union
Hope UK
Hope UK is a national Christian charity located at 25 Copperfield Street, London, England which educates children and young people about drug and alcohol abuse.-Band of Hope:...
.
Anti Waste League
The Anti Waste League was founded by Lord Rothermere in 1921 and campaigned for reductions in government spending and taxation. Laverack was a member and was among the first list of candidates announced by the League to fight constituencies in London. Laverack was selected to fight St Pancras North. As a result of the campaign, the anti-waste call was taken up more vigorously inside the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
and the League was disbanded in 1922. Laverack gravitated to the Liberal Party.
1922-1924
Laverack was selected as Liberal candidate at the 1922 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
for the Brixton Division
Brixton (UK Parliament constituency)
Brixton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Brixton district of South 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 system....
of Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
. The Anti-Waste League endorsed his candidacy but Laverack could not dislodge the sitting Conservative
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...
MP Sir Davison Dalziel
Davison Dalziel, 1st Baron Dalziel of Wooler
Davison Alexander Dalziel, 1st Baron Dalziel of Wooler , known as Sir Davison Dalziel, Bt, between 1919 and 1928, was a British newspaper owner and Conservative Party politician...
. He fought Dalziel again at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and was this time successful. In a straight fight he won Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
by a majority of 1,405 votes. This position was reversed however at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
when Laverack faced 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...
as well as Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
opponents. Dalziel was re-elected and Laverack dropped to the foot of the poll behind Labour.
Brixton by-election, 1927
In 1927 Dalziel was given a peerage and this caused a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Brixton. Laverack was re-selected as Liberal candidate and there again faced a three-cornered contest against Conservative and Labour opponents. The by-election was held on 27 June 1927 and the Conservatives easily retained the seat with 48% of the poll. Lavarack was again in third place behind Labour. This was to prove his last attempt to re-enter Parliament.
Death
Laverack died from heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
at his home in Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on 11 April 1928.
Publications
- Life’s Asides – Arthur H Stockwell, London 1902
- These Sayings of Mine: A Manual on the Beatitudes for Christian People – A Brown & Sons, London 1905