Sir Harold James Reckitt JP MP (5 May 1868 – 29 December 1930) was a British

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 ...

politician. He was the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...

from February to June, 1893. He was MP for

Brigg Brigg ( /'brɪg/) is a market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in the 2001 UK census, the population increased to 5,626 at the 2011 census. The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east–west tra ...

from 1895 to 1907.

Background and education

He was born the eldest son of

Sir James Reckitt Sir James Reckitt, 1st Baronet (15 November 1833 – 18 March 1924) was a founder of the household products company Reckitt and Sons, developed from his father Isaac Reckitt's starch and laundry blue business. Biography James Reckitt was born ...

and Kathleen Saunders. He was the grandson of

Isaac Reckitt Isaac Reckitt (1792–1862) was the founder of Reckitt and Sons, a business that emerged to become Reckitt, one of the United Kingdom's largest consumer goods businesses. Career Initially establishing a milling business in Boston with his older ...

(1792–1862), the founder of

Reckitt & Sons Reckitt and Sons was a leading British manufacturer of household products, notably starch, black lead, laundry blue, and household polish, and based in Kingston upon Hull. Isaac Reckitt began business in Hull in 1840, and his business bec ...

consumer goods business. He was educated at Oliver's Mount School, Scarborough and

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

. In 1892 he qualified as a Barrister. In 1899 he married Christine Thomazia Howden in Kensington, they were divorced. In 1908 he married Julia Conner.

Political service

In 1892 Reckitt was appointed a Justice of the Peace for the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

. In 1892 he first stood for parliament as Liberal candidate for Thirsk & Malton at the general election, coming second. In February 1893, he was Liberal candidate in the by-election caused by the Tory MP going to the Lords. He gained the seat by 63 votes. However, in May, following a petition organised by his defeated opponent, the election was ruled void and Reckitt was prevented from contesting the June by-election. In December 1894 he was Liberal candidate for Brigg at a by-election. He was unable to hold this Liberal seat, losing by 77 votes.
In August 1895 at the general election, he re-gained Brigg from the Tories. In 1897 he became Secretary of the political committee of the

National Liberal Club The National Liberal Club (NLC) is a London private members' club, open to both men and women. It was established by William Ewart Gladstone in 1882 to provide club facilities for Liberal Party campaigners among the newly enlarged electorate f ...

as part of a take-over by the radicals. In 1898-99 he served as Sheriff of Hull. He went on to retain Brigg at the general elections in 1900 and 1906. In January 1907 he resigned his seat. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1915, with Lady Johnstone, he founded a military hospital in France in

Ris-Orangis Ris-Orangis () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Ris-Orangis are known as ''Rissois''. History The commune of Ris-Orangis was created in 1793 by the merger of the com ...

called "Hôpital Militaire Johnstone-Reckitt". The hospital was closed after the war but a street named "Rue Johnstone et Reckitt" still exists in Ris-Orangis. In 1924, after a break of eighteen years, he was Liberal candidate for

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

at the general election. In a straight fight with Labour he came second, losing by 1,860 votes. In 1929 he again contested Shoreditch but on this occasion a Tory intervened. Reckitt came a comfortable second, but some distance behind the Labour candidate.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reckitt, Harold James 1868 births 1930 deaths UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Reckitt family

Background and education

Political service

Electoral record

See also

References

External links