Sir Robert Inigo Tasker, TD, DL, JP (20 October 186828 February 1959) was a British architect and Conservative politician.

Architecture

Robert was the son of George Tasker, and following education at

Ardingly College Ardingly College () is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located near Ardingly, West Sussex, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Woodard Corp ...

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 Volunteer and Territorial Forces between 1900 and 1920. He was appointed a second lieutenant in the

21st Middlesex Rifle Volunteers The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles was an infantry regiment of the Volunteer Force and Territorial Force of the British Army from 1798 to 1921; it saw active service in the Boer War and World War I as part of the London Regiment. Hist ...

in 1900. In 1908 the unit became the 11th Battalion of the

London Regiment London Regiment may refer to two infantry regiments in the British Army: * London Regiment (1908–1938) The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (renamed the Territorial Army in 1921). The ...

( Finsbury Rifles). Following the outbreak of war, he reached the rank of major in 1916.

Politics

He was elected to the London County Council in March 1910, representing Holborn as a member of the majority Municipal Reform Party, which was allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party. 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. He was also a member of three livery companies of the City of London: the Paviors, Fan Makers and

Gardeners A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner supplem ...

. 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 Member of Parliament (MP), Arthur Comyns Carr. Five years later he was defeated when a swing to Labour saw Ethel Bentham, one of his opponents in 1924, take the seat. In 1935 he was selected as Conservative candidate for the Holborn constituency. Duly elected, Tasker was on the right wing of the Conservative Party, and frequently found himself at odds with the wartime

National Government A national government is the government of a nation. National government or National Government may also refer to: * Central government in a unitary state, or a country that does not give significant power to regional divisions * Federal governme ...

. The life of the parliament elected in 1935 was extended to ten years due to the Second World War. Tasker had been confirmed as parliamentary candidate by Holborn Conservative Association in October 1944. However, in February 1945 Max Aitken 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