Sir Sidney Job Pocock (20 September 1855 – 1931) was a British businessman, magistrate, writer,
Liberal Party politician and an authority on prisons.
Background
Pocock was born the son of Abraham Pocock and Lydia née Keevil of Stanford Park,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
.
In 1890 he married Annie Cousens (d.1900). They had one son and three daughters.
In 1915 he married Kate Ethel Lankester (d.1925).
Pocock was knighted in 1912. On 28 April 1931 he died at Surbiton Hall, Kingston upon Thames, at the age of 76.
["Sir Sidney Job Pocock." Times ondon, England30 Apr. 1931: 16. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.] His probate was resworn the next year at . His columnar gravestone at Wimbledon is surmounted by a cornice and large shrouded urn or amphora.
Professional career
Pocock inherited an interest in farming. He made his career as a businessman. He was prominent in the dairy industry. In 1907 he was appointed 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 ...
for
Middlesex and presided over the
Spelthorne
Spelthorne may refer to:
* Borough of Spelthorne, a local government district in the county of Surrey, England
* Spelthorne (UK Parliament constituency), Surrey constituency in the British House of Commons
* Spelthorne College, was a single-cam ...
Petty Sessions. His experiences as a Magistrate led him to take a particular interest in the prison system. He visited many prisons, recording his observations and experiences which he had published in 1930, under the title 'The Prisoner and the Prison'.
Political career
Pocock was a member of the
Eighty Club, a political London gentlemen's club which had a strong association with the Liberal Party. He was Liberal candidate for the
Uxbridge division of
Middlesex at the 1906 General Election. Uxbridge was a safe Conservative seat, so much so that no Liberal candidate contested the previous general elections in 1895 and 1900. The Liberals swept to power nationally and the tide nearly took Pocock into parliament. He lost by just 145 votes. Four years later, at the January 1910 General Election, he once again contested Uxbridge but this time the Conservative won comfortably. Later that year, he switched constituencies and was Liberal candidate for the
Devizes division of
Wiltshire at the December 1910 General Election. Devizes was a better seat for the Liberals, they had won it in 1906. The Conservatives had won it back in January 1910. Pocock was unable to wrestle the seat back and the Conservative held on by just over 700 votes.
He did not stand for parliament again.
[British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig]
Electoral record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pocock, Sidney Job
1855 births
1931 deaths
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
English justices of the peace