Robert Mortimer Montgomery KC (October 1869 – 31 December 1948), was a British lawyer, school administrator, legal writer, and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician.

Early life and education

Montgomery was born the son of Rev. John Knowles Montgomery, Unitarian Minister, Chester, and Mary M’Alister of Holywood,‘MONTGOMERY, Robert Mortimer’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 201
accessed 4 Aug 2017
/ref>Walter H. Burgess, Unitarian Historical Society, ''Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society'' (1949), Vol. 16-17, p. 154-155. near Belfast. He was educated at

King's School, Chester The King's School, Chester, is a British co-educational independent day school for children aged 4 to 18. It is one of the seven 'King's Schools' established (or re-endowed and renamed) by King Henry VIII in 1541 after the Dissolution of t ...

, from 1880 to 1888, and

St Catherine's Society, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is the newest college admitting both undergraduate and graduate students. Tracing its roots back to 1868 (although th ...

,C.E. Green, editor, ''The Scots Law Times'', Part 3 (1914), p. 118. where he "distinguished himself as a university Soccer player".

Professional career

Montgomery was Called to Bar, Inner Temple, 1893. He authored "several volumes on matters of Law", particularly relating to

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

, including numerous editions of ''The Licensing Laws'', or ''Montgomery's Licensing Practice'', which by 1914 was described as a "well-known work". The book examined licensing laws relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors, and to theatres, music, dancing and billiards. In May 1906, he became a Governor of Channing School. He was appointed a KC in 1914,Sir Frederick Pollock, ed., ''The Weekly Notes'' (1926), Vol. 61, p. iv. and that same year became a member of the

Hibbert Trust The Hibbert Trust was founded by Robert Hibbert (Anti-Trinitarian), Robert Hibbert (1769–1849) and originally designated the Nontrinitarianism, Anti-Trinitarian Fund. It came into operation in 1853, awarded scholarships and fellowships, supports t ...

. He was elected Chairman of Channing School in December, 1920, an office which he held until a few years before his death. He was Recorder of Chester from 1926, and in 1929 became Chairman of the Hibbert Trust. In 1930, he was a member of a group of Canadian and European attorneys invited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

to visit the United States. During his time with the Hibbert Trust, he continued as Chairman of the Channing School, overseeing the temporary relocation of the school and its pupils to the West Country during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Montgomery formally resigned as chairman in 1944, thereafter remaining a Governor of the school until 1946. He was also continually re-elected as Chairman of the Hibbert Trust every year until December, 1948. In 1941, he published ''Montgomery's War Damage Act'', followed by supplements in 1942 and 1943, necessitated by amendments to the Act. In 1944, he was elected Treasurer of the Inner Temple.
The Law Journal
' (1949), Vol. 99, p. 12. Upon his death, he was eulogized in the ''Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society'' with the assertion that few men "have rendered more conspicuous service than Robert Mortimer Montgomery to culture in general and education in particular".

Political career

Montgomery was Liberal candidate for the

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

division of

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 ...

at the 1923 General Election. He was an independent Member of Committee on Holidays with Pay in 1938.

Electoral record

Personal life

In 1900 he married Mabel Ayrton. They had one son and one daughter. Mabel died in 1927, and in 1932 he married Zilla Mary Stevenson. They had two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Robert Mortimer 1869 births 1948 deaths Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Members of the Inner Temple