1656 Stephen Collins

Constituency : Kennington  1906-18

Stephen  took  Kennington  from  the  Tories.

Stephen  was  from  Swanage. He  started  work  as  a  quarry  boy  before  moving  to  London. He was  a  Progressive councillor  on  London  County  Council  and  an  alderman  on  Lambeth  Borough  Council. He  was  a  Congregationalist  and  teetotaller. He  was  a  temperance  campaigner  active  in  many  organisations.

In  1908,  Stephen  was  duped  into  letting  two  suffragettes  into  Parliament  who  chained  themselves to  railings

Stephen  was  knighted  in  1913.

Stephen  stood  down  in  1918.

He  died  in  1925  aged  77