Frank Liberal Davis (June 1920 - unknown) was a

British Liberal Party The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Conservative Party, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beginning as an alliance of Whigs, free trade–supporting Peelites and reformist Ra ...

politician who successfully campaigned to have political party names included on the ballot paper for UK elections. He served as Mayor of Finchley.

Background

He was born as Frank Davis. He was educated at elementary and central schools and at Regent Street Polytechnic. In 1946 he co-founded the Jewish soccer club,

Wingate F.C. Wingate Football Club was an England, English association football, football club based in Hendon, Greater London. Established in 1946, the club merged with Finchley F.C., Finchley in 1991 to form Wingate & Finchley F.C., Wingate & Finchley. Hi ...

The Frank Davis clock on the Jack Fisk Stand commemorates his involvement with the club.

Professional career

He was a Company Executive. He was a partner in a clothing firm. He ran a local fleet of private buses in competition with London Transport.

Political career

He was an early pioneer of Community Politics that became synonymous with Liberal success at local government level. He invented the 'Grumble Sheet' which encouraged public feedback. In 1957 he was elected as a Liberal for Manor ward in the elections to the

Municipal Borough of Finchley Finchley, which is now in north London, was a local government district in Middlesex, England, from 1878 to 1965. Finchley Local Board first met in 1878. It became Finchley District Council in 1895 and the Municipal Borough of Finchley in 1933. In ...

. He was one of the two Liberals who made the initial breakththrough onto Finchley Council. In 1960 he was re-elected as a Liberal for Manor ward in the elections to the Municipal Borough of Finchley. In 1963 he was re-elected as a Liberal for Manor ward in the Finchley Borough Council elections, polling 52% of the vote. Following the 1963 Finchley elections, the Liberal Party won control of the council. Davis was elected as Mayor of Finchley and served a one year term. In 1964 he was elected as a Liberal for Finchley West in the inaugural Barnet London Borough Council election. In 1966 he was Liberal candidate for

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

in the

United Kingdom general election This is a list of United Kingdom general elections (elections for the UK House of Commons) since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, ...

. He came third, polling 25% of the vote. In 1968 he was Liberal candidate in the Acton by-election. At the time, no election in the UK included the name of a candidate's party on the ballot paper. To get round this situation, he changed his name to 'Frank Liberal Davis'. He was in a six-way contest. He came third polling 11% of the vote. As a consequence of his name changing action, UK law was changed to allow party names on the ballot paper. In May 1968 he lost his seat on Barnet Council. He contested the re-drawn ward of Finchley and polled 36% of the vote. In 1982 he was an unsuccessful Liberal candidate for Friern Barnet at the Barnet Council elections, polling 25% of the vote.Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, The Elections Centre, Plymouth University

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Frank Liberal Party (UK) politicians 1920 births Year of death missing Place of birth missing