Sir Eric Errington, 1st Baronet (17 March 1900 – 3 June 1973) was a British barrister and Conservative Party

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

(MP) from 1935 to 1945, and from 1954 to 1970.

Early life

Sir Eric Errington was born on 17 March 1900 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, and was educated at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist ...

Liverpool College Liverpool College is a school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, Headmasters' Conference (HMC). History Liverpool College was the first of man ...

and Trinity College,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

he served in the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordo ...

in 1918. He was called to the Bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in 1923.

Politics

In the 1929 general election, Errington was an unsuccessful candidate in Hanley for the Conservative Party. He fought Liverpool Scotland in the

1931 general election Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir ...

, becoming one of the few Conservative candidates to be defeated in the election. He was elected to

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor J ...

for the

Aigburth Aigburth () is a suburb of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Garston, Mossley Hill, and Toxteth. Etymology The name Aigburth comes from Old Norse ''eik'' and ''berg'', meaning ''oak-tree hill ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a max ...

. Having served his 'apprenticeship' in unfavourable seats, Errington had an opportunity in a winnable seat in the 1935 general election. He managed to win

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. Historically part of Lancashire, Bootle ...

, and sat in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

for ten years. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he enlisted in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and served from 1939 to 1945. In the Labour landslide 1945 general election, however, Errington lost his seat. Out of Parliament Errington remained involved in Conservative politics and was made Chairman of the North Western Area of the National Union in 1946 (a position he held until 1951). In 1948 he became a Justice of the Peace in Liverpool, an appointment facilitated by political party membership. In 1952 he became Chairman of the Executive Committee of the

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...

. He was knighted in the 1952 Queen's Birthday Honours List. Abandoning Liverpool, Errington became MP for

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alde ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

in an October 1954 byelection. He held the safe seat until he retired in 1970. He was involved in business and was President of the National Federation of Property Owners from 1956 to 1959, and of the Hire Purchase Trade Association in 1965. From 1961, Errington's seniority in Parliament brought him the Chairmanship of the Estimates Sub-Committee on Home Affairs. He was also President of the Wessex Provincial Area of the National Union from 1962 to 1965. In 1963 he was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. He died on

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a Local government in Wales, principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strai ...

aged 73.

Personal life

Sir Eric Errington married Marjorie Bennett, the daughter of Aida Grant Bennett, on 12 September 1924. They had three children together with the eldest, Geoffrey Fredrick Errington inheriting the Baronetcy in 1973 after his death. The Dowager, Lady Errington passed away five months and twenty days after the death of her husband Sir Eric Errington Bt.

References

* Who's Who of British MPs, vol. 4, Harvester Press, 1981.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Errington, Eric 1900 births 1973 deaths Gordon Highlanders officers Conservative Party (UK) councillors in Liverpool Politicians from Glasgow Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 People educated at Mill Hill School British Army personnel of World War I Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor English justices of the peace People educated at Liverpool College