George Bryant Britton (1857 – 11 July 1929) was an English boot and shoe manufacturer and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

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Date of Birth

From the inscription on his gravestone in Kingswood Methodist Church, Bristol, Britton was born in 1857.Paul Townsend, ''A Social History of Bristol'' http://www.gertlushonline.co.uk/1929---1931---bristol-chronicles.html

Career

Britton played an important role in the business and political life of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was head of G B Britton & Sons Ltd, boot and shoe manufacturers, founded in 1875 and the company developed into one of Bristol's most successful enterprises.

Local politics

Britton was elected to

Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 wards ...

in 1897. He was made an

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in 1921 and served as Lord Mayor for the year 1920–1921.''Who was Who'', OUP 2007 While Lord Mayor of Bristol, Britton led a deputation from the city to the Australian High Commissioner to urge the greater use of the port of Bristol for the importation of Australian produce. A strong advocate of tramways, he played an active part in the initiation of an electric tram service to Kingswood and also served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He was also the president of the

Anchor Society The Anchor Society CIO is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation based in Bristol, England which supports older people in need in the Bristol and Bath region (BS, BA and GL Postcodes). Its work primarily centres around grants to individuals, ho ...

in Bristol in 1922

Parliament

Britton was a leading Liberal in Bristol. He was sometime Chairman of the Bristol East Liberal Association and was said to be a popular employer in the city.The Times, 11 December 1918 p10 However soon after the establishment of the

Coalition Government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

in December 1916 he severed his connection with the Independent Liberal Party to give support to the Coalition and the prime minister. He later suggested the Coalition should be named the Commonwealth Party, perhaps pre-figuring Lloyd George's attempts to bring about a Centre Party or fusion with the Coalition Conservatives. As the 1918 general election approached, the MP for

Bristol East Bristol East is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency recreated in 1983 covering the eastern part of the City of Bristol, represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of ...

Sir Charles Hobhouse announced he would not support the Coalition, claiming he had nothing in common with the Conservatives and no use for

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law ( ; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a ...

. This produced a split in Bristol East Liberal Association and opened the way for Britton to be nominated as the Coalition Liberal candidate. East Bristol was a predominantly working-class seat with a

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

and

nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

tradition. In the general election, Britton faced

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

opposition from Luke Bateman, an active local member of the

National Union of Railwaymen The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement. History The NUR was an industrial union ...

as well as from Hobhouse standing as an Independent

Asquithian Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of ...

Liberal. Standing as a Coalition Liberal, and presumably having the advantage of receiving the

Coalition Coupon The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...

, Britton won the seat with 9,434 votes to Bateman's 8,135, a majority of 1,299. Hobhouse came bottom of the poll with 1,447 votes, losing his deposit. He served only one term in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, and did not stand again at the 1922 general election.

Death

Britton died at his home Lodge Side, Kingswood on 11 July 1929,The Times, 15 July 1929 p1 at the age of 66 years. He was survived by his wife Annie, the daughter of John Henshaw, whom he married in 1902.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, George Bryant 1863 births 1929 deaths English businesspeople Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Mayors of Bristol People from Keynsham Politics of Bristol UK MPs 1918–1922