Sir Richard James Meller (1872 - 23 June 1940) was a British
barrister and
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 in ...
politician.
He was born in London, the son of Richard Meller. He was called to the bar at the
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...
in 1904, and became an expert in insurance law. In 1912 he was appointed by the government to the post of official lecturer on National Health Insurance. He later became secretary of the Prudential Approved Societies.
He entered politics in 1919 when he was elected to
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...
, later becoming a county
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
, vice-chairman in 1939-1940 and was elected chairman of the council two months before his death.
[
In 1920 he was chosen as ]Coalition Conservative
The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...
candidate for a parliamentary by-election at Dartford. He came in a poor third place when a swing against the government saw John Mills
Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...
of the Labour Party take the seat.
Two years later he was again a candidate at a by-election, this time at Camberwell North. The Coalition Government in power since 1916 was beginning to unravel, and the election was a straight fight between Meller for the Conservatives and Charles Ammon of the Labour Party, neither of whom claimed to support the coalition.
Ammon was comfortably elected as public opinion turned against the coalition following the swingeing cuts of the Geddes Report.
At the ensuing 1923 general election Meller was elected as Conservative 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 o ...
for his home constituency of Mitcham
Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It h ...
. He held the seat at all subsequent elections until his death. He was knighted in 1933.[
In 1937, he was named as charter ]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 ...
for the new Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington
Beddington and Wallington was, from 1915 to 1965, a local government district in north east Surrey, England. It formed part of the London suburbs, lying within the Metropolitan Police District and the London Passenger Transport Area. In 1965 it wa ...
, which formed part of the Mitcham constituency.
Personal life
Richard Meller married Jeanie Sibley in 1897, and they had three sons.[ He died at a nursing home in ]Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a location
* Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire
* ...
in June 1940, aged 67.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meller, Richard James
Members of the Middle Temple
1872 births
1940 deaths
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Deputy Lieutenants of Surrey
Members of Surrey County Council
UK MPs 1923–1924
UK MPs 1924–1929
UK MPs 1929–1931
UK MPs 1931–1935
UK MPs 1935–1945