Richard Spooner (28 July 1783 – 24 November 1864) was a British businessman and politician. In his youth he was a
Radical reformer, but in later life he moved to the political right to become an
Ultra-Tory
The Ultra-Tories were an Anglican faction of British and Irish politics that appeared in the 1820s in opposition to Catholic emancipation. The faction was later called the "extreme right-wing" of British and Irish politics.James J. Sack"Ultra tori ...
.
Early life and family
Spooner was born at Birches Green,
Erdington
Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Warwickshire and located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutton Coldfield. It was also a council constituency, managed by its o ...
, and was the son of
Isaac Spooner, a banker and magistrate in nearby
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
. Following education at
Rugby School
Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
, he joined a banking company, where he was in partnership with
Thomas Attwood.
[ In 1804 he married Charlotte Wetherell, daughter of Nathan Wetherell, the ]Dean of Hereford
The Dean of Hereford is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Hereford Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Blessed Virgin Mary and St Eth ...
.[ He was involved in the civic life of Birmingham, helping to found the Mechanics Institute in 1820, of which he was the first president.][
]
Radical politics
In 1812 Spooner and Attwood led a campaign to repeal the orders in council
An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''King ...
introduced in 1807 as part of the government's campaign of economic warfare against France. The orders, which severely effected the trade of Birmingham were repealed later in the year.[
In March 1820 he contested the general election at ]Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on t ...
, Yorkshire. The constituency was a two-seat " pocket borough" in the hands of the Dukes of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, Willi ...
, who supported the Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
candidates. However, Spooner, running as a Radical, and Marmaduke Lawson, a Whig were elected. Three months later, the Tories managed to have the election of both MPs overturned on petition.[
In 1826 Spooner again stood for parliament at ]Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...
. While he had overwhelming support from the voters of Birmingham, he was unsuccessful.[ In December of the same year a parliamentary vacancy was caused, when Richard Ironmonger MP for Stafford died. Spooner was chosen as the Radical candidate to contest the ensuing ]by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
, but was defeated in a straight fight by the Whig, Thomas Beaumont.[ He was expected to contest the seat again at the next general election in 1830. Instead he stood at ]Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
, where his colleague Attwood had been requested to stand, but had declined. Once again, he failed to be elected.[
]
Move to the Tories
By 1832 Spooner's repeated electoral defeats led to his moving away from Radical politics. In that year he was asked to join the Birmingham Political Union, but declined the invitation. By the time of the 1835 general election he had made a complete change in his political views. The ''Birmingham Daily Post
The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with a circulation of 2,545 and distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a ...
'' described his conversion:
"...from having been a bold and uncompromising Liberal, became ultimately one of the most determined, immovable and obstructive members of the ultra-Tory party."
Member of parliament for Birmingham
In 1835 and 1841
Events
January–March
* January 20 – Charles Elliot of the United Kingdom, and Qishan of the Qing dynasty, agree to the Convention of Chuenpi.
* January 26 – Britain occupies Hong Kong. Later in the year, the first census of the i ...
Spooner stood as the Tory candidate against Birmingham's sitting Radical MPs. He was heavily defeated on both occasions.[ In 1844, ]Joshua Scholefield
Joshua Scholefield (23 May 1775 – 4 July 1844) was a British businessman and Radical politician. He was elected as one of Birmingham's two first members of parliament when the town was enfranchised as a result of the Reform Act 1832.
Born in Sh ...
, one of the town's members of parliament, died. Consequently, a by-election was held. Spooner was again the Tory candidate and was opposed by William Scholefield
William Scholefield (August 1809 – 9 July 1867) was a British businessman and Liberal politician. He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly growing industrial town of Birmingham in the mid-nineteenth century, serving as the firs ...
, son of the deceased MP, who was expected to hold the seat for the Radicals. However, the Liberal/Radical vote was split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
when a third candidate, Joseph Sturge
Joseph Sturge (1793 – 14 May 1859) was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (now Anti-Slavery International). He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions suppo ...
, entered the contest. Spooner was elected "most likely to his own astonishment" as the first Tory MP for Birmingham.[ It was noted that the "personal liking felt for the man was temporarily permitted to outweigh the general resentment at his political apostasy".][ At the next general election in 1847 the Liberals were reunited, and Spooner lost the seat to William Scholefield.][
]
Member of parliament for North Warwickshire
Having lost his seat at Birmingham in July 1847, Spooner was immediately nominated as a Conservative candidate for the two-member Northern Division of Warwickshire where polling was not held until August.[ On 16 August he was duly declared elected, along with his party colleague, ]Charles Newdigate Newdegate
Charles Newdigate Newdegate (14 July 1816 – 9 April 1887) was a British Conservative politician.
In Hansard the spelling is Newdegate.
Early life
He was the only son of Charles Parker Newdigate Newdegate of Harefield Park, Uxbridge, Middle ...
. He held the seat at the general elections of 1852
Events
January–March
* January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic.
* January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...
, 1857 and 1859
Events
January–March
* January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico.
* January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final ...
.[
Spooner was a member of the "Ultra" faction of the Tories. He was a proponent of ]protectionism
Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulatio ...
and a strong Anglican, opposing any measures of relief to Roman Catholics, "Dissenters
A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc.
Usage in Christianity
Dissent from the Anglican church
In the social and religious history of England and Wales, an ...
" or Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. In his later years he was considered a figure of fun, with his annual (and barely audible) speech denouncing the renewal of the grant to Maynooth Seminary treated with derision.[ In his obituary his later parliamentary contributions were summarised:
]"...every proposal which in his early life would have elicited his most strenuous approval, received in his old age his most vehement opposition".
In 1862 he became unwell, and ceased attending the Commons
The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...
. He delayed his resignation as the local Conservative organisation had no agreed candidate in the event of a vacancy.[ He lived in virtual retirement at Henwood Lodge, Leamington Spa, where he died in November 1864.] He was buried in the family vault at Elmdon.
References
*
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spooner, Richard
1783 births
1864 deaths
People from Birmingham, West Midlands
English businesspeople
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1847–1852
UK MPs 1852–1857
UK MPs 1857–1859
UK MPs 1859–1865
People educated at Rugby School
19th-century British businesspeople