Miss Enid Lapthorn (23 July 1889 – 18 November 1967), was a British
Liberal Party and later
Liberal National politician.
Background
She was the eldest daughter of Thomas Henry Field Lapthorn J.P. and Elsie May Nicholson of
Southsea in
Hampshire. Her father was also actively involved in politics for the Liberal party serving as President of Portsmouth Liberal Association. He also stood as Liberal candidate for
Portsmouth North at the 1922 General Election.
Professional career
During the 1914-1918 war she worked in His Majesty's Postal Censorship and Prisoners of War Bureau in
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. She also acted as Secretary to the British Passport Office in
Prague, and as a translator for the
Guaranty Trust Company in
New York City.
Political career
She was Secretary of the Liberal Social Council from 1924 to 1926. In February 1928 she was selected as Liberal candidate for the safe Unionist seat of
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 ...
in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, for a general election expected to take place before the end of 1929. In 1928 she served on the Liberal party Campaign Committee. When the general election came she managed to increase the Liberal share of the vote and overtake the Labour candidate to finish second;
She did not stand for parliament again but remained active in the Liberal party. In 1929 she was elected to serve on the Liberal party Organisation Committee for 1930. She served as Chairman of the Liberal Social Council. Following the formation of the all-party National Government she did not contest the 1931 General Election. In Hitchin, the local Liberal Association had decided not to oppose the sitting Conservative who supported the National Government. After the Liberal party split over its support for the National Government she gravitated to the Liberal Nationals who remained in support of the National Government. In 1936-37 she was Honorary Secretary of the Liberal National Council (Women's Section). She took a particular interest in foreign affairs and the threat of war. In 1934 at a Liberal conference she spoke on the subject of 'Prospects of Disarmament'. In April 1935 she worked as secretary to
Margery Corbett Ashby at the Disarmament Conference in Geneva, and wrote in The Liberal Woman's News after a visit to Germany that she would like to write about the 'prevalent attitude to women' there but felt that war and peace were more important. In 1937 she attended the Liberal National annual conference at which she successfully moved a resolution urging the government to strengthen the
League of Nations in an effort to control the dictatorships through collective action.
["New Liberalism." Times ondon, England25 June 1937: 18. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapthorn, Enid
1889 births
1967 deaths
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates