John Molesworth Thomas Dumphreys (24 December 1844 – 18 December 1925) was a British
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
politician. He was elected
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 ...
for
Bermondsey
Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, a ...
in a
1909 by-election, but weeks later lost the seat to the Liberals at the
January 1910 general election
The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...
.
Dumphreys was born in
Bermondsey
Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, a ...
in 1844. Of humble origins, he worked as a journeyman leather dresser. He was active in local politics for most of his adult life, being elected to the Borough Council, the School Board and County Council. He stood in
Birmingham West in 1885, against
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Cons ...
, on a Fair Trade platform. He was unusual in being a "Conservative working man." In 1907, he became Mayor of Bermondsey. He was a supporter of
Tariff Reform
The Tariff Reform League (TRL) was a protectionist British pressure group formed in 1903 to protest against what they considered to be unfair foreign imports and to advocate Imperial Preference to protect British industry from foreign competition. ...
.
Aged almost 65, he was selected as Conservative candidate for the by-election caused by the death of the sitting Liberal MP
George Joseph Cooper
George Joseph Cooper (1844 – 7 October 1909) was a British Liberal Party politician in London.
He qualified as a doctor in 1867 and became a GP with a house and dispensary at the corner of Reverdy Road and Southwark Park Road in Bermondsey, li ...
, because
Assheton Pownall
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Assheton Pownall (3 October 1877 – 29 October 1953) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Lewisham East from 1918 to 1945.
Pownall was born in Warwick, Warwickshire, the so ...
, the Conservative prospective candidate for the expected general election, was out of the country. The seat had alternated between Liberal and Conservative in recent elections, although the Liberals had secured a convincing victory in 1906.
Dumphreys was critical of the Liberal government's failure to act on the recommendation of the Poor Law Commission, which had been initiated by the previous Conservative government. In particular, he pressed for wholesale reform of the workhouse system, for better treatment of the deserving poor, and removal of the taint of pauper from children. "For every child a chance" was his philosophy.
After a good-natured contest, Dumphreys was elected on 28 October 1909 with a majority of 987 votes over the Liberal candidate, Mr.
Spencer Leigh Hughes
Spencer Leigh Hughes (21 April 1858 – 22 February 1920) was a British engineer, journalist, and Liberal politician.
Family and education
Spencer Leigh Hughes was born at Trowbridge in Wiltshire,''The Times House of Commons, 1910''; Politico's ...
, with the Labour candidate, Dr.
Alfred Salter
Alfred Salter (16 June 1873 – 24 August 1945) was a British medical practitioner and Labour Party politician.
Early life
Salter was born in Greenwich in 1873, the son of Walter Hookway Salter and Elizabeth Tester. Following education at The ...
, securing 16% of the vote. However, polling day had been marred by two women attacking polling stations, smashing bottles containing corrosive liquid over ballot boxes, in an attempt to destroy votes. A presiding officer, Mr. Thornley, was badly injured in one of these attacks, and a Liberal agent suffered a severe burn to the neck. The count was delayed while ballot papers were carefully examined, but it was determined that only two votes had been destroyed.
Dumphreys had little time to enjoy his victory, or to make much impact in the House of Commons. Parliament was dissolved in December 1909, and in the ensuing general election, he was defeated by 969 votes with the new Liberal candidate
Harold Glanville
Harold James Glanville (5 June 1854 – 27 September 1930) was an English businessman and Liberal Party politician.
Family and education
Glanville was born in Bermondsey in south London the son of James Glanville, a Chartered Accountant of 15 ...
being the only other candidate. Dumphreys thereby became one of the shortest-serving MPs in history. He tried to regain the seat in the
December 1910 general election
The December 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 3 to 19 December. It was the last general election to be held over several days and the last to be held before the History of the United Kingdom during the First World War, First Wo ...
, but was defeated by a wider margin, and never stood for Parliament again.
Dumphreys was the last Conservative MP for Bermondsey. His Labour opponent in the by-election, Dr.
Alfred Salter
Alfred Salter (16 June 1873 – 24 August 1945) was a British medical practitioner and Labour Party politician.
Early life
Salter was born in Greenwich in 1873, the son of Walter Hookway Salter and Elizabeth Tester. Following education at The ...
eventually won the seat for Labour in 1922, and the seat became a Labour Party stronghold, until another by-election in 1983, when another Liberal candidate by the name of
"Mr. S. Hughes" scored a notable victory.
Dumphreys died at
Manor Park,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
(now
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
), in 1925, aged 80.
[''The Times'', 19 December 1925]
See also
*
List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service
List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service is an annotated list of the Members of the United Kingdom Parliament since 1900 having total service of less than 365 days.
''Nominal service'' is the number of days elapsed between the Decla ...
*
1983 Bermondsey by-election
A by-election was held in the Bermondsey constituency in South London, on 24 February 1983, following the resignation of Labour MP Bob Mellish. Peter Tatchell stood as the candidate for the Labour Party, and Simon Hughes stood for the Liberal P ...
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumphreys, John
1844 births
1925 deaths
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1906–1910
Members of London County Council
People from Manor Park, London