Robert Parkinson Tomlinson (20 May 1881 – 3 June 1943) was a British corn merchant and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician.

Family and education

Tomlinson was born at

Poulton-le-Fylde Poulton-le-Fylde (), commonly shortened to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,264. There is evidence of human habitation ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the son of William and Agnes Ormond Tomlinson. He was educated at Poulton-le-Fylde Grammar School and Claremont College,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. He never married.''Who was Who'', OUP 2007. In religion Tomlinson was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

. He was sometime President of the Methodist Local Preachers Mutual Aid Association and in 1938/39 he served as vice-president of the Methodist Conference.''The Times'', 4 June 1943.

Career

Tomlinson set himself up in business and founded Parkinson and Tomlinson, corn and oatmeal millers and seed merchants in

The Fylde The Fylde () is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hills t ...

district. He was regarded as an expert on agricultural questions.

Politics

Local politics

Perhaps drawn to Liberalism through his

nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

religious beliefs, Tomlinson took an early interest in public affairs. At the age of just 24 years he was elected to Poulton-le-Fylde

Urban District Council In England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local gove ...

and remained a member until the time of his death. On six occasions he was Chairman of the council and for thirty years was Chairman of the Finance Committee. He also sat on many other committees.

Other public appointments

Tomlinson served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in Poulton-le-Fylde. He was sometime vice-chairman of Fylde Water Board, Chairman of

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,268 ...

and Fylde Joint Hospital Board, a member of Lancashire County Licensing Committee, a member of the Quarter Sessions Appeals Committee, and a member of the Lancashire

Agricultural Wages Board The Agricultural Wages Board was a non-departmental government body which regulated wages for farm workers under the Agricultural Wages Act 1948, until it was abolished in the Conservative led government's " bonfire of the quangos" after the Enterp ...

Parliamentary candidate

First stood for Parliament at the 1923 general election as Liberal candidate in Fylde in

but was beaten by 3,280 votes in a straight fight with sitting Conservative MP Lord Stanley.

1928 Lancaster by-election The 1928 Lancaster by-election was a parliamentary by-election held in England for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons constituency of Lancaster (UK Parliament constituency), Lancaster on 9 February 1928. Vacancy The by-el ...

He was next a candidate at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

at Lancaster on 9 February 1928 caused by elevation to peerage of

Sir Gerald Strickland Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland, (24 May 1861 – 22 August 1940) was a Maltese and British politician and peer, who served as Prime Minister of Malta, Governor of the Le ...

Tomlinson won by a majority of 1,829 over his

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

opponent Herwald Ramsbotham with

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

in third place. Turnout was 82% And Tomlinson overturned a Conservative majority from the previous election of 4,158.''The Times'', 11 February 1928.

1929–1935

Tomlinson was unable to hold the seat at the 1929 general election however, with Ramsbotham gaining it for the Conservatives, albeit by the small margin of 437 votes.F. W. S. Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results''; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949, p. 399. Tomlinson did not contest the 1931 general election but did try again in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

, this time finding himself again in second place although this time behind by 13,578.

Death

Tomlinson died at Cliffdale, Thurnham, in Lancashire on 3 June 1943, aged 62 years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomlinson, Robert Parkinson 1881 births 1943 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians UK MPs 1924–1929 People from Poulton-le-Fylde Politics of Lancashire British Methodists