John Pretyman Newman
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Robert Pretyman Newman (22 August 1871 – 12 March 1947) was an Irish-born British Army
officer and Conservative
politician.
He was the eldest son of John Adam Richard Newman of Newberry Manor, Mallow, County Cork
and his wife Matilda née Bramston of Llangefni
, Anglesey
, and was christened as John Robert Bramston Newman.
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, Newman received a commission in the 5th Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers
. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant
and justice of the peace
for County Cork
. In 1898 he served as the county's high sheriff
.
, and he assumed the additional surname of Pretyman in place of Bramston. The couple made their home at 79 Eaton Square
in the Belgravia
district of London
. His second wife died in October 1935.
he unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary constituency of Walthamstow
as a Conservative candidate. At the next general election in January 1910 he stood at Enfield
, Middlesex
. The seat was considered to be a safe Liberal
constiuency, but Newman managed to unseat the sitting member of parliament
, James Branch
by 1,242 votes. A further general election was held in December of the same year, and Newman held the seat with a reduced majority of 936 votes. During the First World War Newman served with the Middlesex Regiment
on the Western Front
, reaching the rank of major.
redrew constituencies throughout Great Britain
, and Newman was elected as first member of parliament for the new Finchley
constituency, which included part of the existing Enfield seat. He held the seat at the 1922 election
, but was defeated by his Liberal opponent, T A Robertson
, when a further election was called in 1923
. He was knighted
in February 1924 as part of the resignation hours of Stanley Baldwin
.
in his role as vice-president of the Middle Class Union
formed in 1919 as an Anti-Socialist group to maintain public services in the event of strike action.
Newman died on 12 March 1947 in Farnham
, Surrey
, and was cremated in Woking
two days later.
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...
officer and 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...
politician.
He was the eldest son of John Adam Richard Newman of Newberry Manor, Mallow, County Cork
Mallow, County Cork
Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....
and his wife Matilda née Bramston of Llangefni
Llangefni
Llangefni is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangefni was 4,662 people and it is the second largest settlement on the island...
, Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, and was christened as John Robert Bramston Newman.
Early life
Following education at Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Newman received a commission in the 5th Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers
Royal Munster Fusiliers
The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army. One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee. It was originally formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two regiments of the former East India Company. It served in India and...
. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
and 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...
for County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. In 1898 he served as the county's high sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
.
Marriages
Newman was married twice. In 1895 he married the Hon. Olivia anne Plunket, daughter of the 4th Baron Plunkett, who died in 1896. In 1898 he wed Geraldine "Ina" Olivia Pretyman, daughter of Colonel William Pretyman of the King's Royal Rifle CorpsKing's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
, and he assumed the additional surname of Pretyman in place of Bramston. The couple made their home at 79 Eaton Square
Eaton Square
Eaton Square is a residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is one of the three garden squares built by the Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century, and is named after Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor country house in Cheshire...
in the Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
district of 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...
. His second wife died in October 1935.
Member of parliament for Enfield
In 1906United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary constituency of Walthamstow
Walthamstow (UK Parliament constituency)
Walthamstow 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.- 1885–1918 :...
as a Conservative candidate. At the next general election in January 1910 he stood at Enfield
Enfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Enfield was a parliamentary constituency of Middlesex centred on the town of Enfield. The area formed part of the London conurbation. 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.-History:The...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
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...
. The seat was considered to be a safe 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...
constiuency, but Newman managed to unseat the sitting 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,...
, James Branch
James Branch
James Branch , was a British boot manufacturer and Liberal politician. Branch was born in Bethnal Green in the East End of London, where he established a boot factory. An active member of the Liberal Party, he was president of the Bethnal Green Liberal Association for twenty years...
by 1,242 votes. A further general election was held in December of the same year, and Newman held the seat with a reduced majority of 936 votes. During the First World War Newman served with the Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, reaching the rank of major.
Member of parliament for Finchley
Due to the First World War no further election was held until 1918. The Representation of the People Act 1918Representation of the People Act 1918
The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act...
redrew constituencies throughout Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and Newman was elected as first member of parliament for the new Finchley
Finchley (UK Parliament constituency)
Finchley was a 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; its best-known MP was Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990...
constituency, which included part of the existing Enfield seat. He held the seat at the 1922 election
United 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...
, but was defeated by his Liberal opponent, T A Robertson
Thomas Atholl Robertson
Thomas Atholl Robertson was a Scottish fine arts printer and publisher and Liberal politician.-Family and education:...
, when a further election was called in 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. He 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 February 1924 as part of the resignation hours of Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
.
Middle Class Union
Newman was on the right wing of Conservative politics. He expressed admiration for fascismFascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in his role as vice-president of the Middle Class Union
Middle Class Union
The Middle Class Union was founded by Lord George Ranken Askwith in March 1919 to safeguard property after the Reform Act 1918 had increased the number of working class people eligible to vote. The Conservative MP and Irish landowner J. R...
formed in 1919 as an Anti-Socialist group to maintain public services in the event of strike action.
Later life
Newman was the director of a number of companies including Allied Cement and Stream-Line Filters. In 1928, while chairman of Perfecta Meters Limited, he wrote a letter to a shareholder of the company making allegations against the managing director of the company. Newman was found guilty of libel, and damages of 1,500 pounds were awarded against him.Newman died on 12 March 1947 in Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, 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...
, and was cremated in Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
two days later.