Richard Stephens Jackson (7 May 1850 – 10 June 1938) was a British solicitor and Liberal Party politician.

Early life

Born in Newington in north Kent, Jackson was the son of John Jackson of Sittingbourne, a surveyor, and his wife Harriet née Tress of

Upchurch Upchurch is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England. It is situated just off the A2 road, between Rainham and Sittingbourne. History Upchurch lay on a pre-Roman trackway; the many linking roads are the result of Ro ...

. Following education at Elm House School in Sittingbourne, he spent some time as a merchant seaman, before being admitted as a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

in 1872. He practised in that Sittingbourne, Greenwich and London. As of 1895, he was practising at Thorner's Chambers, Ingham Court, 167

Fenchurch Street Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...

London County Council

He entered politics when he was elected to represent Greenwich on the first

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

in January 1889. He was a member of the majority Progressive Party on the council, which was allied to the parliamentary Liberal Party. He was re-elected in 1892. On the council he took a particular interest in progressing the construction of the Blackwall Tunnel. He lost his county council seat in 1895 to a member of the Conservative-backed Moderate Party, largely due to the intervention of an Independent Labour Party candidate.

1900 general election

Jackson contested the 1900 general election as the Liberal Party's candidate at Greenwich, standing against the sitting Conservative MP

Lord Hugh Cecil Hugh Richard Heathcote Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Baron Quickswood PC (14 October 1869 – 10 December 1956), styled Lord Hugh Cecil until 1941, was a British Conservative Party politician. Background and education Cecil was the eighth and youngest ...

. Jackson failed to be elected, with Cecil retaining the seat by a majority of nearly 2,000 votes.

Greenwich Borough Council

Jackson was a member of the Greenwich Vestry and Board of Works. In 1900 the vestry was abolished and the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

was divided into twenty-eight metropolitan boroughs, with the first elections to the new borough councils held 1 November 1900. Jackson was elected to Greenwich Borough Council as a Progressive Party councillor, representing the South Ward. He was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Greenwich in 1902–1903.

Member of parliament

At the general election of 1906 Jackson again stood at Greenwich in opposition to Lord Hugh Cecil. The Conservative vote was split between Cecil, who advocated

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

and

Ion Hamilton Benn Captain Sir Ion Hamilton Benn, 1st Baronet, CB, DSO, TD (31 March 1863 – 12 August 1961) was a British politician and businessman. He was a Conservative member of parliament from 1910 to 1922. Early life, family and business career Benn was ...

who stood as an advocate of Tariff Reform. Jackson won the seat for the Liberals with a majority over Benn 1,341 votes. Cecil finished a poor third. Jackson only served one term in parliament, and was defeated by Benn at the next election in January 1910.

Later life

Jackson resumed his legal practice. He eventually retired to

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

, where he died in June 1938, aged 88. Following a funeral at St Alfege Church, Greenwich, he was buried in

Shooters Hill Shooter's Hill (or Shooters Hill) is a district in South East London within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It borders the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point in t ...

Cemetery.

Personal life

Jackson and his wife, Mary Ann, née Bell, had nine children, one of whom died in infancy. Their sixth,

William Henry Jackson William Henry Jackson (April 4, 1843 – June 30, 1942) was an American photographer, Civil War veteran, painter, and an explorer famous for his images of the American West. He was a great-great nephew of Samuel Wilson, the progenitor of Ame ...

, was an Anglican priest who served as a missionary in Burma (now

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

), and invented

Burmese Braille Burmese Braille is the braille alphabet of languages of Burma written in the Burmese script, including Burmese and Karen. Letters that may not seem at first glance to correspond to international norms are more recognizable when traditional roma ...

. Not long after the birth of William, the family moved to Stobcross Lodge, at Crooms Hill,

, where they remained for around two decades. Mary Ann's death in late July or early August 1931 preceded that of William, which was in December that year.

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Richard Stephens 1850 births 1938 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 Members of London County Council Progressive Party (London) politicians Members of Greenwich Metropolitan Borough Council People from Newington, Swale Mayors of places in Greater London