Philip Fothergill
Encyclopedia
Philip Fothergill (23 February 1906 – 31 January 1959) was an English woollen manufacturer and Liberal Party
politician.
into a radical
, nonconformist, Yorkshire
family. He was educated at Wheelwright School, Dewsbury and Bootham School
in York
. He never married.
and Philip followed the family tradition. He went into business as a woollen manufacturer and merchant, eventually rising to become Chairman and managing director of C P Fothergill & Co. Ltd of Dewsbury. He was also a governing director of Fothergill (Edinburgh) Ltd. In his work he became acutely aware of a series of labour, welfare and trade union issues and this prompted a strong interest in labour economics which he was to put to use in business and politics. Fothergill was also a Director of the newspaper the Dewsbury Reporter
and other papers in the area which had Liberal leanings
as well as in Yorkshire and his local political activities reflected this geography. He was a Liberal candidate for Parliament
three times although he was never elected. He first contested Forfarshire
at the 1945 general election
. In 1947 he expressed an interest in becoming Liberal candidate for Orkney and Shetland
at a time when Jo Grimond had still not finally decided to try his luck there again.
He next fought Middlesbrough West
in 1950
. Middlesbrough West had been a Liberal seat until the 1945 general election and there was talk that the Conservatives
would give Fothergill a free run there in an anti-socialist pact in return for the lack of a Liberal candidate in Middlesbrough East
. This came to nothing however and the results of the election seem to indicate it would have made little difference to Labour
’s ability to hold Middlesbrough East. The combined Liberal-Tory
vote in Middlesbrough West would have beaten Labour's total but the Conservatives were so far ahead of Fothergill it is understandable they were unwilling to stand aside for him.
Fothergill's final attempt to enter the House of Commons
came at Oldham West
in 1951
, when he lost his deposit
.
and the Conservatives
. Radical Action also sought to distance the party from the Liberal Nationals
. Fothergill later maintained this stance, particularly in respect of the proposed Liberal-Liberal National merger talks which were progressing in Scotland during 1946-1947 the terms of which Fothergill, together with party leader Clement Davies
and leader in the House of Lords
, Herbert Samuel
felt were totally unacceptable. Fothergill became a leading member of Radical Action, holding the position of Treasurer. Importantly, in view of Fothergill’s later role in party organisation, Radical Action also wanted a radical overhaul of the party’s electoral machine.
. The strategy served the party well, even in the wake of the very poor results of the 1950 and 1951 elections, as the broad structure of the party on the ground was maintained – unlike the 1930s when many local associations just disappeared. Together with other committed party officers like Edward Martell
and Frank Byers
, Fothergill helped sustain the party through some of its darkest days. According to one commentator who knew him well, Fothergill was the closest the Liberal Party had to a Herbert Morrison
, someone with an acute political brain who knew the value of organisation.
From 1959-1952 Fothergill was President of the party; he was again Chairman in 1952 and was Joint Treasurer from 1954-59. From 1954-1955 he served as president of the National League of Young Liberals
. Fothergill also served as a member of the executive committee of the Scottish Liberal Party and as sometime Chairman of the Scottish Liberal Agricultural Committee. Jo Grimond later said of Fothergill that it was tragedy he never got into the House of Commons or that Life Peerages
were not invented in his lifetime.
from 1952 until his death. By religion he was a life-long Congregationalist.
. He was a Trustee
of the Civil Defence Welfare Fund, a Member of the Council of the Central Council of Physical Recreation and he held the post of Deputy Transport Commissioner for Scotland from 1943–45. He was also a member of the council of the Hansard Society
.
died suddenly aged just 52 years at his home in Dewsbury on 31 January 1959. He had survived long enough to witness the Liberal by-election victory at Torrington
in 1958, the first Liberal gain in a by-election
since 1929 but not to see the further fruits of Liberal revival such as Orpington
or the general election gains of 1964
and of 1966
which he done so much to lay the foundations for.
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...
politician.
Family and education
Fothergill was born in DewsburyDewsbury
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...
into a radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
, nonconformist, 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...
family. He was educated at Wheelwright School, Dewsbury and Bootham School
Bootham School
Bootham School is an independent Quaker boarding school in the city of York in North Yorkshire, England. It was founded by the Religious Society of Friends in 1823. It is close to York Minster. The current headmaster is Jonathan Taylor. The school's motto Membra Sumus Corporis Magni means "We...
in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. He never married.
Career
The Fothergill family were closely connected to the Yorkshire textile industryTextile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
and Philip followed the family tradition. He went into business as a woollen manufacturer and merchant, eventually rising to become Chairman and managing director of C P Fothergill & Co. Ltd of Dewsbury. He was also a governing director of Fothergill (Edinburgh) Ltd. In his work he became acutely aware of a series of labour, welfare and trade union issues and this prompted a strong interest in labour economics which he was to put to use in business and politics. Fothergill was also a Director of the newspaper the Dewsbury Reporter
Dewsbury Reporter
The Dewsbury Reporter is a local weekly publication, providing news for residents of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and surrounding areas.It is owned by Johnston Press Digital Publishing, and has sister newspapers covering Mirfield, Wakefield, Batley and Birstall....
and other papers in the area which had Liberal leanings
Parliamentary ambitions
Fothergill developed an interest in Liberal politics as a young man, serving on the National Executive of the party as early as the 1920s. His business interests were in Scotland, where he had large commercial and industrial interests north of the River TweedRiver Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
as well as in Yorkshire and his local political activities reflected this geography. He was a Liberal candidate for 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...
three times although he was never elected. He first contested Forfarshire
Forfar (UK Parliament constituency)
Forfarshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of Great Britain of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1950....
at the 1945 general election
United 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...
. In 1947 he expressed an interest in becoming Liberal candidate for Orkney and Shetland
Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of 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...
at a time when Jo Grimond had still not finally decided to try his luck there again.
He next fought Middlesbrough West
Middlesbrough West (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesbrough West was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Middlesbrough in North East England. 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 voting system....
in 1950
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...
. Middlesbrough West had been a Liberal seat until the 1945 general election and there was talk that the Conservatives
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...
would give Fothergill a free run there in an anti-socialist pact in return for the lack of a Liberal candidate in Middlesbrough East
Middlesbrough East (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesbrough East was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Middlesbrough in North East England. 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 voting system....
. This came to nothing however and the results of the election seem to indicate it would have made little difference 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 ability to hold Middlesbrough East. The combined Liberal-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...
vote in Middlesbrough West would have beaten Labour's total but the Conservatives were so far ahead of Fothergill it is understandable they were unwilling to stand aside for him.
Fothergill's final attempt to enter 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...
came at Oldham West
Oldham West (UK Parliament constituency)
Oldham West was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham in the north-west of Greater Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in 1951
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...
, when he lost his deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
.
Radical Action
Originally known as the Liberal Action Group, Radical Action was a pressure group of rank and file members inside the Liberal Party during the Second World War, opposing the party truce which the leadership had entered into with the Labour PartyLabour 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...
and the Conservatives
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...
. Radical Action also sought to distance the party from the Liberal Nationals
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
. Fothergill later maintained this stance, particularly in respect of the proposed Liberal-Liberal National merger talks which were progressing in Scotland during 1946-1947 the terms of which Fothergill, together with party leader Clement Davies
Clement Davies
Clement Edward Davies KC, MP was a Welsh politician and leader of the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1956.-Life:...
and leader in the House of Lords
House 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....
, Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
felt were totally unacceptable. Fothergill became a leading member of Radical Action, holding the position of Treasurer. Importantly, in view of Fothergill’s later role in party organisation, Radical Action also wanted a radical overhaul of the party’s electoral machine.
Party posts
Fothergill had become Chairman of the Liberal Party in 1946 and held the post until 1949. In this role he played a significant part in party reconstruction and under his leadership the re-establishment of many local and constituency parties took place. At the 1947 party assembly, Fothergill reported that over 500 active associations existed compared with only 200 some eight months before. This led to the party putting up more candidates the 1950 general election than they had since 1929United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. The strategy served the party well, even in the wake of the very poor results of the 1950 and 1951 elections, as the broad structure of the party on the ground was maintained – unlike the 1930s when many local associations just disappeared. Together with other committed party officers like Edward Martell
Edward Martell (politician)
Edward Drewett Martell was a British politician and libertarian activist.-Family and education:Martell was the eldest son of E E Martell and Ethel Horwood. He was educated at St. George's School, Harpenden. In 1932 he married Ethel Maud Beverley. They had one son.-Journalism:Martell worked in the...
and Frank Byers
Frank Byers
Charles Frank Byers, Baron Byers, OBE, PC, DL was a British Liberal Party politician.Byers was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, moved with the family to Potters Bar and was educated at Westminster School, later Christ Church, Oxford where he won a Blue for athletics...
, Fothergill helped sustain the party through some of its darkest days. According to one commentator who knew him well, Fothergill was the closest the Liberal Party had to a Herbert Morrison
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, CH, PC was a British Labour politician; he held a various number of senior positions in the Cabinet, including Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Morrison was the son of a police constable and was born in...
, someone with an acute political brain who knew the value of organisation.
From 1959-1952 Fothergill was President of the party; he was again Chairman in 1952 and was Joint Treasurer from 1954-59. From 1954-1955 he served as president of the National League of Young Liberals
National League of Young Liberals
The National League of Young Liberals , often just called the Young Liberals, was the youth wing of the British Liberal Party. It was founded in 1903 and by 1906 it had over three hundred branches. In 1934 it called for David Lloyd George to lead a Liberal New Deal revival based on the Yellow Book...
. Fothergill also served as a member of the executive committee of the Scottish Liberal Party and as sometime Chairman of the Scottish Liberal Agricultural Committee. Jo Grimond later said of Fothergill that it was tragedy he never got into the House of Commons or that Life Peerages
Life Peerages Act 1958
The Life Peerages Act 1958 established the modern standards for the creation of life peers by the monarch of the United Kingdom. Life peers are barons and are members of the House of Lords for life, but their titles and membership in the Lords are not inherited by their children. Judicial life...
were not invented in his lifetime.
Temperance campaigner
Reflecting his radical, nonconformist background, Fothergill was a strong advocate of temperance reform and the evils of alcohol. He was Chairman of the temperance movement the United Kingdom AllianceUnited Kingdom Alliance
The United Kingdom Alliance was a temperance movement in the United Kingdom founded on 20 July 1852. It was based in Manchester and sought to outlaw the alcohol trade.-History:...
from 1952 until his death. By religion he was a life-long Congregationalist.
Other appointments
Fothergill served as sometime Chairman of the Joseph Rowntree Social Service TrustJoseph Rowntree Foundation
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is a British social policy research and development charity, that funds a UK-wide research and development programme. It seeks to understand the root causes of social problems, to identify ways of overcoming them, and to show how social needs can be met in practice...
. He was a Trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Civil Defence Welfare Fund, a Member of the Council of the Central Council of Physical Recreation and he held the post of Deputy Transport Commissioner for Scotland from 1943–45. He was also a member of the council of the Hansard Society
Hansard Society
The Hansard Society was formed in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee...
.
Death
Fothergill, who had suffered from chronic ill-health for many years, including the effects of goutGout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
died suddenly aged just 52 years at his home in Dewsbury on 31 January 1959. He had survived long enough to witness the Liberal by-election victory at Torrington
Torrington by-election, 1958
The Torrington by-election of 1958, in Devon, England, was the first gain by the British Liberal Party at a by-election since Holland with Boston in 1929....
in 1958, the first Liberal gain in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
since 1929 but not to see the further fruits of Liberal revival such as Orpington
Orpington by-election, 1962
The Orpington by-election of 1962 is often described as the start of the Liberal Party revival in the United Kingdom.The election was caused by the appointment of Donald Sumner, Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Orpington as a County Court Judge...
or the general election gains of 1964
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
and of 1966
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
which he done so much to lay the foundations for.