Ronald Samuel Ainslie Williams
Encyclopedia
Ronald Samuel Ainslie Williams (2 April 1890 – 10 December 1971) was an English Liberal Party
politician.
Hall in Kent
. He was educated at Repton School
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. In 1918 he married Cicely Monro. They had a son and two daughters.
. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
in Wiltshire
from 1936 until 1964.
at the 1923 general election
, as Liberal candidate for Sevenoaks
in Kent. He defeated the sitting Conservative
Member, Sir Thomas Bennett
, in a straight fight, by a majority of 669 votes. This was the first, and so far only time, that Sevenoaks
has been represented by a non-Conservative.
Williams defended his seat unsuccessfully at the 1924 general election
, when in another straight fight with new Tory
candidate Captain H. W. Styles
he lost
his unexpected gain by 5,814 votes.
He did not stand for election to the House of Commons
again. However, after the Second World War, Williams had a local government
career in Wiltshire. He was a member of Wiltshire County Council
from 1945 to 1952 and served as an Alderman
.
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
Williams was the second son of Frank Williams of BrastedBrasted
Brasted is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the west of Sevenoaks town. The parish includes the settlements of Brasted Chart and Toys Hill, and had a population of 1321 persons . The single slightly winding street of the village has a...
Hall in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He was educated at Repton School
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. In 1918 he married Cicely Monro. They had a son and two daughters.
Career
Williams was a professional soldier and reached the rank of Major in the Royal ArtilleryRoyal 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:...
. He also served as a 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...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
from 1936 until 1964.
Politician
Williams first stood for ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, as Liberal candidate for Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)
Sevenoaks is a county 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...
in Kent. He defeated 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...
Member, Sir Thomas Bennett
Thomas Jewell Bennett
Sir Thomas Jewell Bennett was a British journalist and Conservative Party politician. He is most notable as an editor of The Times of India, as well as its principal proprietor...
, in a straight fight, by a majority of 669 votes. This was the first, and so far only time, that Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
has been represented by a non-Conservative.
Williams defended his seat unsuccessfully 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 in another straight fight with new 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...
candidate Captain H. W. Styles
Walter Styles
Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Walter Styles , known as Walter Styles, was a British soldier and Member of Parliament.-Early life:The son of Frederick Styles, he was educated at Eton and Exeter College, Oxford...
he lost
his unexpected gain by 5,814 votes.
He did not stand for election 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...
again. However, after the Second World War, Williams had a local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
career in Wiltshire. He was a member of Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
from 1945 to 1952 and served as 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...
.