Sidney Robinson (6 January 1863 – 6 December 1956) was a Liberal Party politician and Timber trader.

Background

He was the fourth son of John Robinson, of Backwell House, Somerset. He was educated at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist me ...

. He married in 1887, Catherine Flora Grant of Cardiff. She died in 1935.

Business career

In 1880 he moved to Cardiff and worked in the timber trade with Messrs. John Grant & Co. He subsequently bought the company and then became a partner with T.W. David. They renamed the business Robinson, David & Co. He was elected President of the Bristol Channel Timber Importers Association.

Political career

In 1895 he was elected as a Liberal to Cardiff Town Council representing Splott Ward. He stood down from the Council in 1901. He opposed the Conservative Government's Education Bill which drew him back into Cardiff politics. He became President of Cardiff Liberal Association. He was elected to the House of Commons at his first attempt, at the

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting ele ...

, for the Breconshire constituency. He had been selected in succession to Liberal MP,

Charles Morley Charles Morley may refer to: *Charles Morley (Liberal politician) (1847–1917), British Member of Parliament (MP) for Breconshire *Charles Morley (Hindon MP), MP for Hindon (UK Parliament constituency), Hindon *Charles Morley of Morley Harps *Cha ...

who had held the seat since 1895. In 1907 he was appointed 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 ...

to serve in Glamorgan. He was re-elected at both the January 1910 and December 1910 elections. From 1911 he served as a

in Wiltshire and Somerset. For the 1918 General Election there were boundary changes that merged Robinson's Breconshire constituency with the Radnorshire constituency of his Liberal colleague Sir Francis Edwards to form the new Brecon and Radnorshire constituency. Robinson was chosen by the new local Liberal Association to contest the seat and Edwards retired from parliament. Robinson's candidacy was further endorsed by

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

and the Coalition Government, which was enough to deter any other candidate from standing. With the approach of the 1922 general election, Robinson retired from parliament at the age of 59. Resident in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, after his retirement from national politics he assumed a number of roles with local charities.

Election results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Sidney 1863 births 1956 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Councillors in Wales People educated at Mill Hill School