Thursday 26 July 2018

1978 Graham White




Constituency : Birkenhead  East 1922-24, 1929-45

Graham  produced  another  excellent  result  for  the  Asquithians, coming  from  third  place  in  1918  to  take  the  seat  from  the  Unionist  though  he  was  helped  by  Labour's  withdrawal.

Graham  was  educated  at  Birkenhead  School  and Liverpool  University. He  became  a member  of  Birkenhead  Town  Council  in  1917. Graham  was  prepared  to  support  Lloyd  George  in  1918  but  the Conservative received  the  coupon.

Graham  was  a  firm  internationalist  and  served  on  the Executive  Committee  of  the League  of  Nations Union.

Graham increased  his majority  in  1923  but  Labour's  intervention  cost  him  the seat  in  1924. He  managed to  recapture  it  in  1929 in  a  close  three-cornered  contest.

In  1930,  Graham  was  a member of  the  Indian  Round  Table  Conference. When  the National  Government  was  formed  in  1931  he became  Assistant Postmaster-General. The Tories  did  not  field a  candidate  against  him  in  the election  and  he  had  a  crushing victory. Graham  followed  Samuel  in  quitting  the National  Government  and  going  into  opposition. He  easily  held  on  in  1935  when  the Tories  re-entered  the  fray.

Graham  declined  to  be the  Liberal  whip  in  1935. He  served  on  parliamentary  committees  on  rent,  national  expenditure, naval  welfare  and  broadcasting. In  1945  he  visited Buchenwald  concentration  camp.

In  1945  Graham  was  defeated by  Labour. He  came  third in  the new Bebington  seat  in  1950. He  was  President  of  the Liberal  Party  in  1954-55. He continued  to  serve on  a number  of  public bodies.

He  died in  1965  aged 84.

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