David Austick (8 March 1920 – 9 February 1997) was a British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician and bookshop owner. At a by-election in July 1973 caused by the death of the sitting Conservative MP Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott, Austick was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, gaining the seat from the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

by a majority of 946 votes. However, it was a short-lived success. In the February 1974 general election, Austick lost by 4,335 votes to the new Conservative candidate

Keith Hampson Keith Hampson (born 14 August 1943) is a former Conservative party politician in the United Kingdom. Hampson was educated at King James I Grammar School, Bishop Auckland, where he was head boy, the University of Bristol and HarvardMatthew Par ...

after seven months as an MP. Austick was never again elected an MP, but he also served as a district and county councillor in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and was one time Chairman of the Liberal Candidates' Association. He later became Executive Chairman of the

Electoral Reform Society The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) is an Advocacy group, independent advocacy organisation in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It seeks to replace first-past-the-post voting with proportional representation, advocating the si ...

.The Times, 14 November 1985

References

*''Times Guide to the House of Commons October 1974'' *

External links

*
Examples of Austick's election material
1920 births 1997 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in Leeds UK MPs 1970–1974 {{England-Liberal-UK-MP-stub

See also

References

External links