Robert Armitage (politician)

Robert Armitage (22 February 1866 – 10 February 1944) was Member of Parliament for Leeds Central, England, from 1906 to 1922[1] and Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1904–05.[2][3]

Robert Armitage
Armitage in 1922
Member of the United Kingdom Parliament
for Leeds Central
In office
1906-1922
Preceded byGerald William Balfour
Succeeded byArthur Wellesley Willey
Personal details
Born(1866-02-22)February 22, 1866
DiedFebruary 10, 1944(1944-02-10) (aged 77)
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge

Background

Armitage was a son of William James Armitage and Emily Nicholson of Farnley, Leeds. He was the nephew of Edward Armitage and Thomas Rhodes Armitage, the uncle of Robert Selby Armitage, and second cousin once removed of Edward Leathley Armitage. He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1888. He first married in 1891, Caroline Katharine Ryder, a daughter of Dudley Henry Ryder of Westbrook-Hay, Hemel-Hempstead.[4] They had three sons and four daughters. She died in 1933. He then married in 1936, Mrs Mary Dorothea Russell, widow of Rev. E. Bacheler Russell.[5] He lived at Farnley Hall, Leeds.[6]

Career

Armitage was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 1889.[7] He was director of several mining companies including Brodsworth Main Colliery Company, Llay Main Colllieries, Markham Main Colliery and Wagon Finance Corporation.[8]

Politics
Armitage c1906

Armitage served as Lord Mayor of Leeds from 1904–05 and Deputy Lord Mayor from 1905–06, 1906–07 and 1908–09.[5] He was a Justice of the peace for the City of Leeds.[4] He gained Leeds Central from the Conservative in 1906, the first time the Liberals had won the constituency. He was comfortably re-elected in both 1910 elections. He supported the wartime Coalition government. At the 1918 election he received endorsement by the government and did not get a Unionist opponent and was easily re-elected. At the 1922 election he stood as a candidate of the official Liberal party rather than as a National Liberal supporter of Lloyd George. As a result he not only faced a Labour party opponent but a Unionist opponent and lost his seat, finishing third. He did not stand for parliament again.

Electoral record
General election 1906 : Leeds Central[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Armitage 4,188 57.3 +15.0
Conservative Gerald Balfour 3,119 42.7 −15.0
Majority 1,069 14.6 n/a
Turnout 7,307 82.2 +9.0
Registered electors 8,893
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +15.0
General election January 1910 : Leeds Central[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Armitage 3,987 54.2
Conservative John Gordon 3,366 45.8
Majority 621 8.4
Turnout 87.9
Liberal hold Swing
General election December 1910 : Leeds Central[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Armitage 3,519 52.6 -2.6
Conservative John Gordon 3,169 47.4 +2.6
Majority 350 5.2 -5.2
Turnout 79.9 -8.0
Liberal hold Swing -2.6
General election 1918 Leeds Central[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Liberal Robert Armitage 11,474 70.6 +18.0
Independent Ernest Terry 2,634 16.2 n/a
Co-operative Party Joseph Smith 2,146 13.2 n/a
Majority 8,840 54.4 +49.2
Turnout 16,254 37.4 −42.5
Registered electors 43,496
Liberal hold Swing n/a
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
General election 1922 : Leeds Central[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Arthur Willey 14,137 50.0 n/a
Labour Henry Slesser 7,844 27.8 +14.6
Liberal Robert Armitage 6,260 22.2 −58.4
Majority 6,293 22.2 n/a
Turnout 28,241 66.1 +28.7
Registered electors 42,738
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing n/a

References
  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
  2. "Obituaries: Mr Robert Armitage". The Times. 11 February 1944. p. 7.
  3. "Lord Mayors & Aldermen of Leeds since 1626" (PDF). leeds City Council. Archived from the original (pdf) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  4. Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1922
  5. (2007, December 01). Armitage, Robert, (22 Feb. 1866–10 Feb. 1944). WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. Ed. Retrieved 27 Mar. 2019, from http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-221967.
  6. "Robert Armitage". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  7. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  8. Durham Mining Museum page cached at Google Archived 21 November 2012 at Archive.today
  9. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  10. Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Gerald William Balfour		 Member of Parliament for Leeds Central
1906–1922		 Succeeded by
Arthur Wellesley Willey
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