John Lowles (1850 – 1903) was a British businessman and

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politician. The son of George Lowles of

Frant Frant is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, on the Kentish border about three miles (5 km) south of Royal Tunbridge Wells. When the iron industry was at its height, much of the village was owned ...

, near

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, he entered business as a wholesale tea merchant. He married his cousin, Agnes Westoby, in 1871 and was living in

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in north London by 1880 having become a leading member of the Hackney Conservative Club. In 1882, he unsuccessfully stood for election to the

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. He became President of the Hackney Conservative Union, representing the party at meetings with the boundary commissioners appointed under the

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...

. When the first elections to the

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were held in January 1889, Lowles was nominated by the Conservatives to contest the

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Division. He was elected, serving three years as a member of the Conservative-backed

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that formed the opposition group. He was defeated at the next council elections in 1892, when the Liberal-backed

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increased the size of its majority. At the 1895 general election, Lowles stood for election to the

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as Conservative candidate at Shoreditch, Haggerston. He unseated the sitting

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Randal Cremer Sir William Randal Cremer (18 March 1828 – 22 July 1908) usually known by his middle name "Randal", was a British Liberal Member of Parliament, a pacifist, and a leading advocate for international arbitration. He was awarded the Nobel Peace P ...

by the small majority of 31 votes. Cremer submitted an election petition to overturn the result, but following a recount Lowles was confirmed elected with an increased majority of 40 votes. Cremer returned to the courts alleging that Lowles was guilty of "treating", but his second petition was dismissed in February 1896. When the next general election was held in 1900, Cremer regained the Haggerston seat by a majority of 34 votes. Lowles promptly issued legal proceedings against Cremer for libel over statements made during the campaign, and was awarded damages of £750 in June 1901.

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* 1850 births 1903 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1895–1900 Members of London County Council People from Frant {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1850s-stub