Sir Percy John Pybus, 1st Baronet, (25 January 1880 – 23 October 1935) 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.

Business career

Having completed an engineering apprenticeship John Pybus joined electrical engineers Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company when aged 26. During World War I he was appointed managing director. Phoenix became a major constituent of the amalgamation of businesses named

English Electric The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes. It initially specialised in industrial el ...

in 1918 and Pybus became a joint managing director with two others. He was appointed managing director of English Electric in March 1921 and chairman in April 1926. He was a member of many boards of directors including ''The Times'' newspaper and chairman of others including Phoenix Assurance.Sir John Pybus, M.P. ''The Times'', Thursday, 24 Oct 1935; pg. 16; Issue 47203 In October 1928 he was selected as Liberal candidate for the Harwich Division.Ashton By-Election. '' The Times'', Monday, 22 Oct 1928; pg. 9; Issue 45030 He remained a director of English Electric.

Parliament

Pybus was first elected at the May 1929 general election, as the Liberal Member of Parliament for

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. In 1931, when Labour Prime Minister

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

split the party and formed a National Government. Pybus was one of the Liberal MPs to receive a ministerial post but then left to help form the breakaway Liberal National Party. Re-elected in Harwich at the 1931 general election as a Liberal National, Pybus served as Minister of Transport from 1931 until 1933.

Honours

Created a

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the British Empire in 1917 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 ...

, of Harwich in the County of Essex, in January 1934, and died on 23 October 1935, just weeks before the

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

general election. His title became extinct on his death.

References

External links

* 1880 births 1935 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 Pybus, Sir Percy, 1st Baronet National Liberal Party (UK, 1931) politicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Secretaries of state for transport (UK) {{England-Liberal-UK-MP-stub