Sir Frederic Mackarness Bennett (2 December 1918 – 14 September 2002) was a British journalist, author,
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
and
Conservative
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 civiliza ...
politician who served as a
Member of Parliament for 35 years. He was appointed a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
in 1985, and a
Deputy Lieutenant for
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
in 1990. He was also
Lord of the manor
Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...
of
Mawddwy
Mawddwy is a Community (Wales), community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, and is 88.3 miles (142.2 km) from Cardiff and 172.8 miles (278.0 km) from London. In 2011 the population of Mawddwy was 622 with 59.5% of them able to speak We ...
in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.
Early years
The second son of Sir
Ernest Nathaniel Bennett, (died 1947) of Cwmllecoediog,
Aberangell, Wales, by his wife Marguerite (née Kleinwort), Bennett was educated at
Westminster School
Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...
, and
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
, and was called to the
English Bar in November 1946.
He subsequently practised as an Advocate in the
High Court of Southern Rhodesia from March 1947, and in 1947 he made the first overland car journey from South Africa to England.
[
From 1947 to 1949 he was an Official Observer in the ]Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...
, becoming diplomatic correspondent for the ''Birmingham Post
The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a succession of distinguished ...
'' from 1950 to 1952.[ Later a director in various financial and industrial institutions in the United Kingdom and overseas, he was also an ]underwriter
Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liability ...
at Lloyd's.
Military
In 1939 Bennett enlisted in the Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles.
History
Origins
In the 1790s, following the ...
. He was commissioned as an officer into the Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in 1940; commended for gallantry in 1941; was Military Experimental Officer in the Petroleum Warfare Department, 1943–1946, then released to reserve with the permanent rank of Major.
Political career
At the 1945 general election, Bennett was an unsuccessful candidate in the Burslem constituency, in Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
. At the 1950 general election, he stood in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, again unsuccessfully.[
The following year, at the 1951 general election, he was finally elected to the ]House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
as Member of Parliament (MP) for Reading North. When that constituency was abolished for the general election in May 1955, Bennett stood for in election in the new Reading seat, but lost by 238 votes to Labour's Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo (9 July 1908 – 6 May 1993), commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour Member of Parliament. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons. He was a member of Na ...
, the outgoing MP for the abolished Reading South constituency.[
In October 1955, the MP for ]Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...
, Charles Williams, died after more than thirty years as the town's MP. Bennett was selected as Conservative candidate for the resulting by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
, which he won with a majority of over 10,000 votes. He represented Torquay until the constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when he was returned to Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
for the new Torbay constituency. He held that seat until he retired from the Commons at the 1987 general election.[
'']The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' described Bennett as an "unabashed, not to say pugnacious right-wing conservative". He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Reginald Maudling
Reginald Maudling (7 March 1917 – 14 February 1979) was a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1962 to 1964 and as Home Secretary from 1970 to 1972. From 1955 until the late 1960s, he was spoken of as a prospecti ...
from 1953 to 1955; to the Minister of Supply 1956–1957; the Paymaster General
His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party.
History
The post was ...
1957–1959; to the President of the Board of Trade
The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centur ...
, 1959–1961. He was Leader of the UK Delegation, and Chairman of the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
and Western European Union
The Western European Union (WEU; , UEO; , WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (alliance) , Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 Treaty of Brussels. The WEU implement ...
Assemblies, 1979–1987. He was also sometime chairman of the European Democrats
The European Democratic Group, more commonly known as European Democrats, was a conservative political group that operated in the European Parliament between 1979 and 1992. At its height in July 1979, it had 63 MEPs.
Ideologically, ED was mor ...
political group in the Council of Europe.[
Bennett headed the list of the Secretariat for the ''European Freedom Campaign'', an anti-communist group established in London at an Inaugural Rally at Westminster Central Hall on 10 December 1988. This group's co-ordinating committee consisted almost exclusively of representatives from countries behind the ]Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...
.
In 1997, Bennett announced he would vote for the Labour Party in that year's general election, saying that because of the reforms of New Labour
New Labour is the political philosophy that dominated the history of the British Labour Party from the mid-late 1990s to 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The term originated in a conference slogan first used by the ...
, the party were "no longer Marxist socialists".
Other interests
Bennett had wide-ranging interests: he was a member of The Primrose League, and their guest of honour at a dinner held on 5 March 1979 in the Cholmondely Room, House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
, hosted by The Lord Mowbray and Stourton. He was sometime President of the Anglo-Turkish Society - he had an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Istanbul, 1984, and was granted the Freedom of the City of Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
in 1992. He was a member of the Anglo-Polish Society, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Estonian Association, the Anglo-Jordanian Society, the Pakistan Society, and was a Vice-President of the European-Atlantic Group. Between 1959 and 1984 - the year he was also made a Freeman
Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to:
Places United States
* Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Freeman, South Dako ...
of the City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
- he attended twenty of the yearly Bilderberg Group
The Bilderberg Meeting (also known as the "Bilderberg Group", "Bilderberg Conference" or "Bilderberg Club") is an annual off-the-record forum established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally ...
conferences. He was a member of the group's Steering Committee. He was the recipient of a small catalogue of foreign honours and awards of merit.
In 1976, Bennett assisted George Kennedy Young in creating the private army 'Unison'.
Personal life and death
He married in 1945, Marion Patricia, daughter of Major Cecil Burnham, OBE, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh).
In 1997, Bennett listed his residence as Aberangell.[ He died there on 14 September 2002, aged 83.][
]
Publications
* Bennett, Frederic, ''Speaking Frankly'', London, 1960.
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''Détente and Security in Europe'', London, 1976.
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
- Fear is the Key'', London, 1978.
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''China and European Security'', London, 1979, (2nd ed. 1980).
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''Reds under the Bed, or the Enemy at the Gate - and Within'', London, 1979, (3rd edition, 1982).
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''Impact of Individual & Corporate Incentives on Productivity and Standard of Living'', London, 1980.
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''Electoral Reform'', London, 1996.
* Bennett, Sir Frederic, ''Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
- Still Speaking Frankly'', London, 1997.
References
* ''Dod's Parliamentary Companion 1973'', 160th edition, published by Sell's Publications Ltd., Epsom, Surrey.
* Black, A & C, ''Who's Who 2000'', London,
* Crookes, John, with Alison Green (editors), ''Debrett's People of Today 2001'', 14th annual edition, London,
* Obituary
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Frederic Mackarness
1918 births
2002 deaths
20th-century British journalists
20th-century English businesspeople
20th-century English lawyers
20th-century English male writers
20th-century English non-fiction writers
British Army personnel of World War II
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Deputy lieutenants of Greater London
English barristers
English male journalists
English male non-fiction writers
English political writers
Insurance underwriters
Knights Bachelor
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group
Middlesex Yeomanry officers
People educated at Westminster School, London
People from St Davids
Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class
Royal Artillery officers
UK MPs 1951–1955
UK MPs 1955–1959
UK MPs 1959–1964
UK MPs 1964–1966
UK MPs 1966–1970
UK MPs 1970–1974
UK MPs 1974
UK MPs 1974–1979
UK MPs 1979–1983
UK MPs 1983–1987
People from Dinas Mawddwy