Walter Forrest
Encyclopedia
Walter Forrest was a British Liberal
, later Liberal National
politician and businessman.
a district of Leeds
. Sir William Forrest was a textile manufacturer. He was a member of Pudsey
Corporation and seven times Mayor
of Pudsey.
Walter Forrest married first Kate Shillings of Pudsey. She died in 1913. They had one son. He re-married in 1915, his second wife being Mary Macduff from Sheffield
. Forrest was a partner in his father's woollen manufacturing business. He later developed business interests in a number of companies, including investment trusts and insurance as well as heavy industry.
between 1900 and 1919, serving as Mayor
from 1909 to 1912 and was later an Alderman
. Between 1905 and 1919 he was a member of the West Riding County Council
for Pudsey and Farsley
. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
.
at a by-election
as a Coalition Liberal - that is a member of the Liberal Party supporting the Coalition
with the Conservatives
led by David Lloyd George
- for the Pontefract division
of Yorkshire
in September 1919. He held the seat until the 1922 general election
when he was defeated by Tom Smith
the Labour
candidate. He tried unsuccessfully to re-enter Parliament at the 1923 general election
as Liberal candidate for Batley
but he won that constituency at the 1924 general election
. He lost the seat in 1929
, again to Labour. In 1922 Forrest had briefly been Parliamentary private secretary
to the Postmaster-General.
in a letter he sent to Stanley Baldwin
but he later switched to the Tories’ Liberal National
allies. At the time of his death, just short of his 70th birthday, he was treasurer of the London Liberal National Party and a member of the National Executive of the Liberal National Council. He was knighted for political and public service in the New Year Honours List of 1935, becoming a Knight Bachelor
.
, where he had been born. The ceremony was attended by some members of Asquith’s family and Forrest, as the local Liberal MP, placed a wreath on the memorial. He is buried in Pudsey cemetery along with his father and his second wife, Mary.
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...
, later Liberal National
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...
politician and businessman.
Birth and family
Walter Forrest was the son of Sir William Forrest of RoundhayRoundhay
Roundhay is a large suburb and City Council ward of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, largely within the LS8 postcode. The ward boundary is the A6120 ring road on the north and the A58 Wetherby Road on the south and east. The boundary follows Gledhow Valley Road to the west before heading...
a district of Leeds
Leeds
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...
. Sir William Forrest was a textile manufacturer. He was a member of Pudsey
Pudsey
Pudsey is a market town in West Yorkshire, England. Once an independent town, it was incorporated into the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds in 1974, and is located midway between Bradford and Leeds city centres. It has a population of 32,391....
Corporation and seven times Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Pudsey.
Walter Forrest married first Kate Shillings of Pudsey. She died in 1913. They had one son. He re-married in 1915, his second wife being Mary Macduff from 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...
. Forrest was a partner in his father's woollen manufacturing business. He later developed business interests in a number of companies, including investment trusts and insurance as well as heavy industry.
Local politics
Forrest started his political career in local government. President of Pudsey Liberal Association in the 1890s, Forrest was a member of Pudsey Town Council in YorkshireYorkshire
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...
between 1900 and 1919, serving as Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
from 1909 to 1912 and was later 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...
. Between 1905 and 1919 he was a member of the West Riding County Council
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
for Pudsey and Farsley
Farsley
Farsley is a commuter town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England 6 miles to the west of Leeds city centre, and 4 miles east of Bradford. It was formerly in the municipal borough of nearby Pudsey....
. 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...
.
Parliamentary career
Forrest entered ParliamentParliament 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...
at a by-election
Pontefract by-election, 1919
The Pontefract by-election, 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Pontefract in Yorkshire on 6 September 1919.-Vacancy:...
as a Coalition Liberal - that is a member of the Liberal Party supporting the Coalition
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
with 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...
led by David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
- for the Pontefract division
Pontefract (UK Parliament constituency)
Pontefract was an English parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Pontefract in the West Riding of Yorkshire, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1621 until 1885, and one member from 1885 to 1974.-In the unreformed...
of 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...
in September 1919. He held the seat until the 1922 general 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...
when he was defeated by Tom Smith
Tom Smith (Labour politician)
Tom Smith was a Labour Party politician in England.At the 1922 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for the previously Liberal-held seat of Pontefract in West Yorkshire. He was re-elected at the 1923 election, but at the 1924 general election he lost his seat by 701 votes to...
the 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...
candidate. He tried unsuccessfully to re-enter Parliament 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 Batley
Batley and Morley (UK Parliament constituency)
Batley and Morley was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Batley and Morley in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
but he won that constituency at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
. He lost the seat in 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, again to Labour. In 1922 Forrest had briefly been Parliamentary private secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Postmaster-General.
Leaving the Liberals
In 1931 Forrest joined the Conservative Party, citing his loss of faith in the policy of Free TradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
in a letter he sent to 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...
but he later switched to the Tories’ Liberal National
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...
allies. At the time of his death, just short of his 70th birthday, he was treasurer of the London Liberal National Party and a member of the National Executive of the Liberal National Council. He was knighted for political and public service in the New Year Honours List of 1935, becoming a Knight Bachelor
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...
.
Yorkshire heritage
Forrest was always proud of his Yorkshire birth and heritage. He was of the Society of Yorkshiremen in London and also chaired the Yorkshire Society. In 1928, after the death of H H Asquith a memorial to the former Liberal prime minister in the form of a bronze bust and panel was unveiled in the Town Hall in MorleyMorley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
, where he had been born. The ceremony was attended by some members of Asquith’s family and Forrest, as the local Liberal MP, placed a wreath on the memorial. He is buried in Pudsey cemetery along with his father and his second wife, Mary.