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 in ...

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 Gur ...

Volunteer 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 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 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 (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon ...

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 194 ...

, 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 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 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 f ...

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

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 Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

(MP), Arthur Comyns Carr. Five years later he was defeated when a swing to 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 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 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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