Linton Theodore Thorp (21 February 1884 – 6 July 1950) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

politician and judge. Born in Marlow in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, Thorp was educated at

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...

and

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. He became a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1906, and from 1919 served as a judge overseas: firstly, in the Egyptian Supreme Court, then from 1921 until 1924 in the Ottoman Porte. Thorp later returned to the UK, was made a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1932, and a bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1936. He served as the recorder of

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

and

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...

from 1932 to 1950.Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, ''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament'', vol.3, p.356 Thorp was also active in the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, and stood for the party in

Nelson and Colne Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

at the 1929 general election. Although he was unsuccessful, he stood again in

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and won the seat. In May 1935, Thorp resigned the

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

of the National Government, along with

Frederick Wolfe Astbury Lieutenant-Commander Frederick Wolfe Astbury (21 April 1872 – 28 December 1954) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. Early life He was the son of Frederick James Astbury JP of Hilton Park, Prestwich, near Manchester. He en ...

Joseph Nall Sir Joseph Nall, 1st Baronet, DSO DL (24 August 1887 – 2 May 1958) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and industrialist. He was the son of Joseph Nall of Worsley, Lancashire. In 1904 he joined the family firm of ...

, Alfred Todd and

Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl Katharine Marjory Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, DBE (''née'' Ramsay; 6 November 1874 – 21 October 1960), known as the Marchioness of Tullibardine from 1899 to 1917, was a British noblewoman and Scottish Unionist Party politician who ...

, as they claimed that some aspects of government policy were too close to

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

, and were unhappy with government policy on

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. However, Thorp continued to identify himself with the Conservative Party.Stuart Ball, ''Portrait of a Party: The Conservative Party in Britain 1918-1945'', p.358 He stood in the 1935 general election as an independent Conservative, losing his seat. He was again unsuccessful when he stood as an independent with the backing of the pro-Nazi

Liberty Restoration League The Nordic League (NL) was a far-right organisation in the United Kingdom from 1935 to 1939 that sought to serve as a co-ordinating body for the various extremist movements whilst also seeking to promote Nazism. The League was a private organisa ...

in the

1937 Farnham by-election The 1937 Farnham by-election was held on 23 March 1937. The by-election was held due to the elevation to the peerage of the incumbent Conservative MP, Arthur Samuel. It was won by the Conservative candidate Godfrey Nicholson. Peter Pain, a r ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorp, Linton 1884 births 1950 deaths Alumni of University College London Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English barristers Independent politicians in England People educated at Manchester Grammar School Lawyers from Buckinghamshire UK MPs 1931–1935 20th-century English judges