Frederick Messer
Encyclopedia
Sir Frederick Messer CBE
12 May 1886–8 May 1971 was a British
trade union
ist and Labour politician. He was a member of the House of Commons and Chairman of Middlesex County Council
.
Messer was born in north London, and was the son of a poor law
officer. He was educated at Thornhill Primary School, Islington
before entering an apprenticeship
as a French polish
er. He became one of the first members of the French Polishers Union
. He subsequently changed his career, becoming national organiser of the Industrial Orthopaedic Society.
He was elected as a Labour Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tottenham South
at the 1929 general election
. Two years later another election
was held and Messer was defeated in a straight fight with the National Labour candidate, Francis Palmer
The situation was reversed when he regained the seat from Palmer at the next general election in 1935
. He held the seat until its abolition in 1950, and was MP for the successor seat of Tottenham
from 1950 until his retirement from parliament in 1959. He was appointed a Commander of the British Empire
in 1948 "for political and public services" and knighted in 1953.
As well as serving in parliament, he was for many years a member of Middlesex County Council
. For 15 years he was chairman of the Labour group on the council, and in 1938 was elevated to become an alderman
. He served as chairman of the council from 1947 to 1948, the first member of the Labour Party to hold the chair.
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...
12 May 1886–8 May 1971 was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and Labour politician. He was a member of the House of Commons and Chairman 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...
.
Messer was born in north London, and was the son of a poor law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
officer. He was educated at Thornhill Primary School, Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
before entering an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
as a French polish
French polish
French polishing is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in alcohol using a rubbing pad lubricated with oil...
er. He became one of the first members of the French Polishers Union
Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union
The Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded in 1971 by the merger of the National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives and the Amalgamated Society of Woodcutting Machinists. In 1978, the National Union of Funeral Service Operatives...
. He subsequently changed his career, becoming national organiser of the Industrial Orthopaedic Society.
He was elected as a 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...
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 Tottenham South
Tottenham South (UK Parliament constituency)
Tottenham South was a parliamentary constituency in Tottenham, in North London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Two years later another 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...
was held and Messer was defeated in a straight fight with the National Labour candidate, Francis Palmer
Francis Noel Palmer
Francis Noel Palmer was a British politician.He was the son of Nathaniel Palmer of Yarmouth. In 1906 he joined the Labour Party. During the First World War he was granted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Essex Regiment, but was discharged from the army with tuberculosis...
The situation was reversed when he regained the seat from Palmer at the next general election in 1935
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...
. He held the seat until its abolition in 1950, and was MP for the successor seat of Tottenham
Tottenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Tottenham is a borough 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.- Boundaries :...
from 1950 until his retirement from parliament in 1959. He was appointed a Commander of the British Empire
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...
in 1948 "for political and public services" and knighted in 1953.
As well as serving in parliament, he was for many years 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 15 years he was chairman of the Labour group on the council, and in 1938 was elevated to become an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
. He served as chairman of the council from 1947 to 1948, the first member of the Labour Party to hold the chair.