Sir Thomas Arthur Bramsdon (27 February 1857 – 29 September 1935)
was a British solicitor from
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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politician who was elected for four non-consecutive terms as a
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 o ...
(MP) for Portsmouth constituencies.
Early life
Bramsdon was born on 27 February 1857 in
Portsea, Portsmouth
Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. Portsea Island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth.
Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all th ...
, the son of John and Emma Bramsdon.
[1861 Census RG09/634 Folio 86, Page 27, Schedule 161: Portsea Island - Portsmouth Municipal Borough - 40, Hertford Street, Portsea, Portsmouth] In the
1861 Census his father was described as a retail brewer living at 40 Hertford Street, Portsea and Thomas is listed as a four-year-old Scholar.
In the
1871 Census Bramsdon is living with his widowed mother at 350 Commercial Road, Portsea and is described as a 14-year-old solicitor's clerk.
[1871 Census RG10/1129 Folio 5, Page 4, Schedule 23: Portsea Island - Portsmouth Municipal Borough - Commercial Road, Portsea, Portsmouth]
Bramsdon was educated at Esplanade House School, in Portsmouth, and admitted as a solicitor in 1878, practising in the local firm of Bramsdon and Childs. He later became a
Justice of the Peace and Coroner for Portsmouth, and was at one time President of Coroners' Society for England and
Wales. He also served as Chairman of the Governors of the Royal Portsmouth, Portsea, and Gosport Hospital, as a Governor of Portsmouth Grammar School, and for six years was Chairman of the Portsmouth School Board.
In 1880 he married Mary Anna Adelaide (''née'' Reid), the only daughter of Captain Charles Auguste Reid of the 20th Bengal Infantry.
Political career
He was first elected to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
at a
by-election in May 1900 for the
Borough of Portsmouth following the resignation of the Liberal MP
Walter Clough. However, he lost his seat five months later in a very closely fought contest at the
general election in October 1900. Two Liberal candidates and two
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 in ...
s had contested the two seats, with the Conservatives winning both seats; but although Bramsdon won the lowest number of votes, his 24.2% share was only fractionally below that required to win a seat.
At the
1906 general election, Bramsdon and
Sir John Baker retook both seats for the Liberals, but and Bramsdon was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed in July 1909.
He and his fellow Liberal candidate were defeated again in
January 1910, and Bramsdon did not stand in the
December 1910 election.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Bramsdon was out of Parliament but accepted several war-related public appointments. He was Vice-Chairman of Portsmouth District
Recruiting Committee from 1914 to 1918, was appointed as National Service Commissioner for Portsmouth and East Hampshire in 1917.
However, at the post-
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
general election in December 1918, the two-seat Portsmouth constituency was replaced by three single-member divisions, and Bramsdon stood in
Portsmouth Central. He faced both a
Labour Party and a
Coalition Conservative
The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...
opponent, but although the "
coalition coupon
The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...
" issued to supporters of the Conservative-dominated (but Liberal-led)
Coalition Government was enough to secure victory in many seats, Bramsdon won Portsmouth Central with a large majority and over 50% of the votes.
At the
1922 general election, Portsmouth Central saw a closely fought 4-way contest, with Labour, Conservative, Liberal and
National Liberal
National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism).
A seri ...
candidates all winning over 20% of the votes. The Conservative
Frank Privett won with a majority of only 7 votes over the National Liberal, but Bramsdon's third-place was only 2.0% of the votes behind the winner.
The following year, at the
general election in December 1923, the rift in the Liberal Party had been healed, and Bramsdon regained the seat. That was his last term in
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
; he did not contest the
1924 general election.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bramsdon, Thomas Arthur
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
1857 births
1935 deaths
UK MPs 1895–1900
UK MPs 1906–1910
UK MPs 1918–1922
UK MPs 1923–1924
People from Portsea, Portsmouth
Knights Bachelor