Sir Robert Inigo Tasker, TD, DL, JP (20 October 186828 February 1959) was a British

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

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 i ...

politician.

Architecture

Robert was the son of George Tasker, and following education at Ardingly College he joined his father's architectural practice in 1892. He became senior partner in the firm in 1916. He was a member of the Institute of Registered Architects and was on the council of the Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom.

Military service

Tasker held a commission in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

and

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

s between 1900 and 1920. He was appointed a second lieutenant in the 21st Middlesex Rifle Volunteers in 1900. In 1908 the unit became the 11th Battalion of the London Regiment (

Finsbury Rifles The Finsbury Rifles was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force and later Territorial Army from 1860 to 1961. It saw action at Gallipoli, in Palestine and on the Western Front during World War I. In World War II it served in the Anti-Aircraft (AA) ro ...

). Following the outbreak of

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, he reached the rank of major in 1916.

Politics

He was elected to the

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 March 1910, representing

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

as a member of the majority

Municipal Reform Party The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945 ...

, which was allied to the parliamentary

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 ...

. He resigned his seat in October 1914 when he entered active military service, returning to the council at the 1922 election. He remained a member of the council until 1937 and served as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

between 1930 and 1931. He was knighted in 1931 at the end of his term of office. In October 1935 he was granted the

freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

of the

Metropolitan Borough of Holborn The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was a metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras and the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead to form the London Boroug ...

. He was also a member of three livery companies of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

: the Paviors, Fan Makers and Gardeners. Tasker was an unsuccessful Conservative candidate at the 1923 general election, when he failed to be elected at Bethnal Green North East. Another election was held in 1924, and Tasker stood again, this time at

Islington East Islington East was a United Kingdom constituencies, constituency which returned one Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United ...

. In a three-cornered contest, Tasker defeated the sitting

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 ...

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 ...

(MP),

Arthur Comyns Carr Sir Arthur Strettell Comyns Carr (19 September 1882 – 20 April 1965) was a British Liberal politician and lawyer. Family and education Comyns Carr was the son of J. Comyns Carr, a dramatist and art critic. His mother, Alice Comyns Carr (1850� ...

. Five years later he was defeated when a swing to

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 ...

saw

Ethel Bentham Ethel Bentham, (5 January 1861 – 19 January 1931) was a progressive doctor, a politician and a suffragist in the United Kingdom. She was born in London, educated at Alexandra School and College in Dublin, the London School of Medicine for W ...

, one of his opponents in 1924, take the seat. In 1935 he was selected as Conservative candidate for the

constituency. Duly elected, Tasker was on the right wing of the Conservative Party, and frequently found himself at odds with the wartime National Government. The life of the parliament elected in 1935 was extended to ten years due to the

Second World War 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 ...

. Tasker had been confirmed as parliamentary candidate by Holborn Conservative Association in October 1944. However, in February 1945

Max Aitken William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), generally known as Lord Beaverbrook, was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics o ...

was adopted as candidate for the upcoming general election. Tasker described the situation as "quite irregular" as he had had no intention of withdrawing his candidature. However he did not contest the election, effectively retiring from politics.

Death

Sir Robert Tasker died, aged 90, on 28 February 1959. His funeral was held at Hawkinge Crematorium,

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

on 6 March.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tasker, Robert 1868 births 1959 deaths People educated at Ardingly College Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1935–1945 Members of London County Council London Regiment officers Deputy Lieutenants of the County of London Knights Bachelor Volunteer Force officers in Middlesex units British Army personnel of World War I Municipal Reform Party politicians English justices of the peace