Graem Peters has kindly submitted details of people in Politics who - though not having direct links to Calderdale - mention Calderdale in the potted biographies below
| Cllr Arnold Gelder JP | 29 May 1894-1977 |
He was born in Halifax. During World War One he served in France and Mesopotamia.
He was Managing Director of a Halifax based Tyre Distribution Company.
In 1936 he was elected as a Liberal to Halifax County Borough Council, representing West ward. Although there was no electoral co-operation between the parties in Halifax, he gained the ward in a two-party contest with Labour.
He was a founder member of the National Federation of Old Age Pensioners, serving as President of the Halifax branch. He was Vice Chairman of the Halifax Council Health Committee.
In September 1944 he was adopted as Liberal candidate for Halifax for the general election. His Liberal predecessor in 1935 polled 16% in coming third. In July 1945 Gelder was in a three-party contest. He came third with 26%, finishing less than 200 votes behind the sitting Tory. He did not run for parliament again.
In November 1945 when the whole Halifax Council came up for re-election, West ward was a two-party contest between Liberal and Labour. Gelder topped the poll, being elected alongside a Labour candidate. He was part of a group of 21 Liberals who were the second largest group on the council.
He was appointed a Justice of the Peace. He was President of Halifax Liberal Association. In 1948 he was re-elected to Halifax Council. He was Chairman of Halifax Development Committee.
In October 1951 when the Liberals did not run a candidate in Halifax for the general election, he endorsed the Conservative candidate. In May 1952 he was defeated in the Halifax Council elections, ending sixteen years continuous service.
In 1977 he died in Halifax.
| Cllr Frank Sykes |
In 1903 he became a Methodist Lay Preacher. He was a master decorator.
In 1925 he was elected to Halifax Borough Council as an Independent, representing Copley ward. In 1928 he was re-elected to Halifax Council as a Liberal against both Tory and Labour opponents. In October 1931 he was Independent Liberal candidate for Halifax at the general election.
Halifax Liberal Association chose not to field a candidate against the National Government incumbent. He stood on a platform of opposition to the National Government. He came third polling 4%. He did not stand for parliament again.
In November 1931 he was re-elected to Halifax Council as a Liberal. In 1934 he was again re-elected to Halifax Council as a Liberal. In 1936 he resigned his council seat.
| Cllr Harry Dawson JP |
He was elected to Huddersfield City Council.
He was appointed a Justice of the Peace.
In 1918 he was Liberal candidate for Elland at the general election. He was chosen in place of Charles Trevelyan who subsequently decided to defend his seat as an Independent.
A couponed Unionist and a Labour man made the election a four-way affair. Dawson came second polling 30%, just 1,889 votes behind the Unionist. He did not stand for parliament again.
| William Haughton Sessions JP | 21 June 1878-30 October 1966 |
He was born in York, the only son of William Sessions and Mary Haughton of York.
He was educated at Ackworth School.
In 1899 he became a partner in the family's firm of William Sessions Ltd. In 1901 he was a printer's stationer. In 1902 he became the firm's managing partner.
In 1909 he married Edith Mary Kaye in York.
In 1911 he was a Letterpress Printer. He became the Chairman of the family printing business.
In 1923 he was Liberal candidate for Thirsk & Malton at the general election. This was a Tory seat that no Liberal had contested in 1922. In a two-way contest he polled 37.5%.
In 1924 he was again Liberal candidate for Thirsk & Malton at the general election. Again he came second in a two-way contest, managing to poll 34.3%, which was not bad for 1924.
In 1929 he was Liberal candidate for Elland at the general election. Elland had been Liberal in 1923 but the party came third in 1924 in a close contest between Labour and Tory. Sessions avoided the squeeze, increasing the Liberal vote share in the process to the point that he nearly came second. He did not stand for parliament again.
He was a Master Printer and Managing Director.
The family lived at
In 1966 he died in York aged 88.
| Cllr John Wilson |
He was a Chartered Accountant.
He was elected to Elland Urban District Council.
In 1945 he was Liberal candidate for Elland at the general election. He was the first Liberal candidate to contest the division since 1929. He was in a three-party contest.
During the campaign he blamed the Tories for the events that led to the war and criticised Churchill for trying to hoodwink the voters. He came third polling 20% of the vote. He did not run for parliament again.
He lived at Hammerstones Road, Elland [1945]
| Frank Roebuck JP |
He was appointed a Justice of the Peace.
In 1922 he was National Liberal candidate for Sowerby at the general election. He was in a four-way contest against Unionist, Labour and the anti-coalition Liberal Arnold Williams. Roebuck came fourth with 7% while Williams finished second. He did not stand for parliament again.
| Thomas George Graham | 1871 |
In 1895 he married Martha Ann Addy, the eldest daughter of Joseph Addy of Leeds.
He was a journalist, leader writer and editor for 29 years. He published political booklets.
He was Liberal candidate for Blaydon, Co Durham in 1918, standing against an incumbent couponed Liberal MP and a Labour candidate and coming third with 11% of the poll. He was Liberal candidate for the East Nottingham by-election of 29 June 1922. He came third with 20%. He was Liberal candidate for Wallsend in 1922. He opposed sitting MP, Matthew Turnbull Simm, who had been elected with the Coupon in 1918 in the National Democratic and Labour Party interest, gaining over 50% of the poll. This time Simm was running as a Lloyd George backed National Liberal. Labour and Conservative candidates made it a four cornered contest. Labour gained the seat with Graham coming third with 9.5%. Simm's vote collapsed and he came bottom with just 6%.
Graham was Liberal candidate for Clapham in 1923, coming third in a three cornered contest with 25% of the poll. He was Liberal candidate for Sowerby in 1929, again coming third in a three cornered contest, this time with 31% of the poll. He did not stand for parliament again.
He lived at 68 Pathfield Road, Streatham SW16 [1927, 1935]
| Douglas Eugene Moore | December 1895-1967 |
He was educated at Doncaster. He spoke nine languages.
In World War One he served in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
He was Honorary Secretary of the Yorkshire League of Young Liberals.
In 1920 he entered the steel trade. He was a manufacturer and exporter of cutlery and electro-plate. He was senior partner of a Sheffield Export Company. He was Chairman of Bexley the Finance and Organisation Committee of the Independent Trader's Alliance. He was a member of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers. He was President of the Sheffield branch of the Workers' Educational Association.
He was a Freeman of Doncaster.
He was President of Sheffield District Liberal Council.
In July 1945 he was Liberal candidate for Sowerby at the general election. No Liberal had stood here since 1929. During the campaign he claimed
We intend to swim forward on the crest of the wave to victory
He came third polling 18%.
He was Honorary Secretary of Yorkshire Area Liberal Federation. He was Chairman of the Yorkshire Liberal Candidates' Association. He was a member of Liberal Party Council. In 1948 he served a year as President of the National League of Young Liberals. In October 1948 he was adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for Richmond, Yorkshire.
In 1950 he was Liberal candidate for Richmond at the general election. In 1945 his predecessor had come second with 27% of the vote. In 1950 Moore came third with 18%.
In 1951 he was Liberal candidate for Bridlington at the general election. In 1950 his predecessor was former Liberal MP, George Wadsworth. Wadsworth had represented part of the division before it was created in 1950. Wadsworth came second polling 31%. In 1951 Moore dropped to third with 13%. He did not run for parliament again.
He lived at 26 Steade Road, Sheffield [1949]
In 1967 he died in Hastings aged 71.
| Sqn-Ldr John (Goldthorp) Walker DFC JP MA | 27 June 1912-15 August 2009 |
He was born in Spenborough a son of Cyril Gordon Walker.
His uncle was Liberal candidate Ronald Fitz-John Walker. Following his father's death in 1918 he was raised by his uncle.
He was educated at Uppingham School and Queen's College, Cambridge where he obtained a Master of Arts in Economics. At Cambridge he became President of the University's Liberal Society.
He joined the family business of James Walker and Sons Ltd, Blanket manufacturers of Holme Bank Mills, Mirfield and became a Director and joint owner.
In 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the Army, based at Dover with an artillery unit. He transferred to the Royal Air Force. From Cardiff he searched for U-boats protecting naval traffic. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was posted to the Far East. He was demobbed with the rank of Squadron Leader.
In 1948 he married Frances Margaret Shaw. They had two sons.
He was Vice-President of the Yorkshire Area Liberal Federation. He was President of the Dewsbury League of Young Liberals. In February 1949 he was adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for Keighley at the general election. His Liberal predecessor in 1945 polled 21% in coming third. In 1950 Walker was in a three-party contest. He came third polling 15% of the vote.
In 1951 he was Liberal candidate for Sowerby at the general election. His Liberal predecessor in 1950 polled 16% in coming third. Walker was in a three-party contest where both his opponents had run here the year before when the election was close. Unsurprisingly, the Liberal vote was squeezed and he came third polling 11% of the vote, losing his deposit.
He was Joint Secretary of the Yorkshire Area Liberal Federation.
In 1955 he was again Liberal candidate for Sowerby at the general election. He was in a three-party contest. He came third polling 16% of the vote, pushing up the Liberal share by 4.6%.
In 1957 he was appointed a justice of the Peace for Batley and Dewsbury. He was Deputy-Chairman of the Yorkshire Area Liberal Federation. In 1959 he was again Liberal candidate for Sowerby at the general election. He was in a three-party contest. He came third polling 17% of the vote, another small increase in a division that was an established Tory/Labour battleground constituency.
He was Chairman of Spenborough British Legion.
In 1960 he was President of Brighouse and Spenborough Liberal Association during the by-election campaign in a division the Liberals did not contest. The local Liberals had been part of the breakaway National Liberal organisation. His support for the official party saw a Liberal contest the division in 1964 for the first time. However, in 1964 Sowerby went uncontested and he did not stand for parliament again. He was President of Dewsbury Liberal Association. He was President of Batley and Morley Liberal Association.
In 2009 he died aged 97.
He lived at Tanfield House, 226 Spen Lane, Gomersal, Leeds [1950]
Further reading:
https://beemeadowcroft.uk/obits/walkerJG.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/05/john-walker-obituary
http://branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/spenborough/branch-information/past-presidents/john-g-walker
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