Alfred Peter Hillier (1858, Stroud, Gloucestershire – 24 October 1911) was a Conservative MP for

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

. ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918'', F.W.S. Craig''Whitaker's Almanack'' 1901 to 1918 editions His father Peter was a bacon factor and miller and with his wife Mary lived at Noades House, Shortwood, Near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. Hillier's continued as a Bacon curers in Nailsworth until the mid-1880s Hillier spent a large portion of his life in South Africa, where he moved at the age of 16. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at the

University of the Cape of Good Hope The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created when the Molteno government passed Act 16 of 1873 in the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinati ...

, and served as a trooper during the Ninth Xhosa War of 1877–1879.Online biography of South African People
/ref> He qualified as a doctor at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He returned to South Africa, and set up a medical practice there. He was imprisoned and fined for alleged involvement in the

Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched Raid (military), raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson, under the emplo ...

. He returned to Britain, and became involved in Unionist politics. After failing to be elected for

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

in 1900 and for

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

in 1906, he won Hitchin from the Liberals in January 1910, and was re-elected in December 1910. Hillier committed suicide in 1911, dying at home, 20,

Eccleston Square Eccleston Square is a square in Pimlico, London. History The square dates to the 1830s, an integral part of Thomas Cubitt's planned design of "South Belgravia", which is now called Pimlico. Cubitt designed many of the houses on the square and bu ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

."HILLIER Alfred Peter of 20 Eccleston Square Middlesex" in ''Wills and Administrations 1911 (England and Wales)'' (1912), p. 117 At the inquest a verdict of "suicide while temporarily insane" was returned.''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'', 27 October 1911 He left an estate valued for probate at £8,428.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillier, Alfred 1858 births 1911 suicides British politicians who committed suicide Suicides by sharp instrument in England Politicians from Gloucestershire People from Stroud District Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Suicides in Westminster 19th-century British military personnel University of South Africa alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 1911 deaths British military personnel of the 9th Cape Frontier War