Richard Fort (8 August 1907 – 16 May 1959) was a British industrial chemist and politician. He was elected as a

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 ...

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 ...

from 1950 and seemed destined for a long Parliamentary career, but was killed in a car accident in 1959 at the age of 51.

Training

Fort's father was second Master of

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

; he was himself sent to

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

from where he went to

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

."Who Was Who", A & C Black. In 1930 he graduated with an honours degree in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, and went to the Technische Hochschule in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

where he studied industrial chemistry."Mr. Richard Fort" (Obituary), ''The Times'', 18 May 1959, p. 10.

Industrial chemistry

On his return to England in 1932, Fort was employed by

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926. Its headquarters were at M ...

as junior works manager in the company's

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a ...

factories. He was then promoted and in 1938 became President of ICI (New York) Ltd, but in 1940 he joined the British Purchasing Mission and the British Supply Mission set up by the British government to buy wartime supplies from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He was transferred to the

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

in London the next year, working in the small arms ammunition department, where he stayed until the end of the war.

Clitheroe campaigning

At the 1945 general election, Fort was chosen as

candidate for

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

, which his identically-named uncle had represented from 1880 to 1885, and his grandfather from 1865 to 1868."The Times House of Commons, 1951", p. 139. However, Fort lost the election by 2,647 votes."The Times House of Commons 1945", p. 86. He returned to ICI as a technical consultant,"The Times House of Commons 1950", p. 192. and was readopted for Clitheroe; he spent the term of the Parliament 'nursing' the constituency."Keen Campaigning In The N.W.", ''The Times'', 17 February 1950, p. 5.

Local industries

When the 1950 general election came around, Fort won the seat at his second attempt with a majority of 2,455. He made his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

in a debate on the 1950 budget, arguing that rates of taxation were so high that they denied the incentive of giving a man more money when he did more work."Parliament", ''The Times'', 22 April 1950, p. 2. In his early Parliamentary career he often spoke in defence of local industries, including the

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

industry,"Parliament", ''The Times'', 16 December 1950, p. 4. and dairy farmers."Parliament", ''The Times'', 19 July 1951, p. 4. He was one of the authors of "One Nation", a highly influential pamphlet published in autumn 1950.

Freedom for state corporations

Re-elected with a majority increased to 4,425 in the 1951 general election, Fort was appointed

Parliamentary Private Secretary A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...

to Florence Horsbrugh, the Minister of Education, until 1954. He supported the Conservative government's Transport Bill, arguing that the freedom of railways to set their own freight charges would allow road and rail to compete and work out the best way of carrying goods."Parliament", ''The Times'', 17 February 1953, p. 4. He welcomed a ministerial inquiry into the costs of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

and called for greater independence for its regional boards."Parliament", ''The Times'', 2 April 1953, p. 3.

Attitude to science

Fort gave support to the establishment of the

Atomic Energy Authority The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ( ...

but asked why the Government did not intend to allow it to become self-supporting or to borrow money freely."Parliament", ''The Times'', 2 March 1954, p. 4. He complained at remarks by fellow Conservative MP John Eden, who had opposed the chemical manipulation of foodstuffs; Fort said that prolonged investigations were undertaken to make sure food additives were safe."Parliament", ''The Times'', 27 October 1954, p. 4. In March 1955 he presented a

Private Members' Bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

to require simultaneous elections of

Rural District Council Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the Ad ...

s with Parish councils, and to put the cost of elections to Parish councils on to the Rural District."Parliament", ''The Times'', 19 March 1955, p. 9. His scientific background led to an appointment as a lay member of the Medical Research Council in 1955. In January 1956 Fort succeeded in persuading the Government to withdraw a proposal whereby the

General Dental Council The General Dental Council (GDC) is an organisation which regulates dental professionals in the United Kingdom. It keeps an up-to-date register of all qualified dentists and other dental care professionals such as: dental hygienists, dental ther ...

would carry out staffing experiments with ancillary staff rather than the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

."Parliament", ''The Times'', 27 January 1956, p. 3. He moved an amendment in April 1957 which would allow the

Central Electricity Generating Board The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. It was established on 1 Januar ...

to issue stock and borrow money with Ministry approval; he argued that they needed to use their capital to the best possible advantage."Parliament", ''The Times'', 5 April 1957; p. 4.

Salk vaccine

When the Parliamentary Conservative Party set up a sub-committee dealing with atomic energy after the Windscale Fire, Fort was picked to chair it."Conservatives' New Committee", ''The Times'', 14 November 1957, p. 5. In 1958 he took up the issue of the

Salk vaccine Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all chil ...

against

Poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

, which he had debated in the Medical Research Council. He defended the MRC decision to allow the vaccine,"Parliament", ''The Times'', 2 May 1958, p. 4. and pressed for more vaccine to be made available for use."Parliament", ''The Times'', 13 May 1958, p. 13. In June 1958 he abstained on a

three-line whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to conscience vote, their own indiv ...

after a debate on the cotton industry, failing to support Government policy, along with six other MPs representing affected constituencies."Government Accused Of Empty Promises To Cotton Trade", ''The Times'', 1 July 1958, p. 10. From 1957 he was Chairman of the

Parliamentary and Scientific Committee The UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee (P&SC) is a United Kingdom parliamentary organization established in 1939. It is an all-party parliamentary group. Overview The P&SC provides a forum for scientific and technological issues in the UK. ...

, and became a governor of

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

. Fort contributed an essay to "The Responsible Society", a collection of 11 essays written by members of the 'One Nation' group which was published in March 1959."The State And The Individual: Policy Straws In The Wind", ''The Times'', 24 March 1959, p. 7.

Car accident death

On Saturday 16 May 1959, Fort was driving his car on the road from

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buc ...

near

Nuneham Courtenay Nuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford. It occupies a pronounced section of the left bank of the River Thames. Geography The parish is bounded to the west by the River Thames and on other sides by field bound ...

when it had a head-on collision with a coach. Fort was killed instantly; passengers on the coach reported that he had been slumped at the wheel immediately before the crash."Mr. R. Fort, M.P., Killed In Crash", ''The Times'', 18 May 1959, p. 6. An

inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...

into his death found no signs of illness or disease"Mr. R. Fort: 'No Sign of Heart Attack'", ''The Times'', 21 May 1959, p. 7. (he did have a

gallstone A gallstone is a calculus (medicine), stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to ...

), and the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

found that he had lost control of his car. The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death."M.P. 'Lost Control' Before Crash", ''The Times'', 19 June 1959, p. 8. He was survived by his wife and five children.Matthew Fort, Cotswold Life
/ref> His children included the journalist

Matthew Fort Matthew Fort (born 29 January 1947) is a British food writer and critic. Matthew Fort is the son of the Conservative MP Richard Fort, who died when he was 12. His brother is the writer Tom Fort. He attended Eton College, and later Lancaster Un ...

and the writer Tom Fort.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fort, Richard 1907 births 1959 deaths Alumni of New College, Oxford Imperial Chemical Industries people British chemists Road incident deaths in England Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 People educated at West Downs School People educated at Eton College