Constituency : Kirkcaldy Burghs 1922-23, Montrose Burghs 1924-32 ( from 1931 Liberal National )
Sir Robert won back Kirkcaldy Burghs for the National Liberals. The seat had been lost to Labour in a by-election in 1921. He won by 673 votes in a straight fight.
Robert was a military man who served in both the Boer War and the First World War, reaching the rank of Major-General. He was Director of Organisation and Deputy Adjutant-General at the War Office between 1917 and 1919. He was highly decorated and knighted in 1919. He retired in 1923.
In 1923 the former Labour MP defeated Robert by over 2,000 votes. In 1924 he switched seats to Montrose Burghs and had a comfortable victory over Labour. He held his seat in 1929 .
Robert was a whip for most of his time in the Commons although he resigned the chief whip post in 1930 after voting against the King's Speech.
Robert was the first Liberal to throw in his lot with Simon, resigning the Liberal whip with him in June 1931 over the government's proposed land tax. He enjoyed a crushing victory as a Liberal National in 1931. In 1932 he became chair of the new party's executive committee and was responsible for liaising with the Tories.
Robert stood down in 1932 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Hutchison. He was Paymaster-General between 1935 and 1938.
Robert was also a director of a bank and an insurance company.
He died in 1950 aged 76.
No comments:
Post a Comment