Captain Harold Richard Adams (8 October 1912 – 25 June 1978) was a British Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Balham and Tooting from 1945 to 1950, and Wandsworth Central from 1950 to 1955.

Early life and military career

Born on 8 October 1912, the son of A. Adams, he was educated at

Emanuel School Emanuel School is a private, co-educational day school in Battersea, south-west London. The school was founded in 1594 by Anne Sackville, Lady Dacre and Queen Elizabeth I and today occupies a 12-acre (4.9 ha) site close to Clapham Junction ...

and studied at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. He was a lecturer in Economics and Business Administration.Stenton and Lees ''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament'' vol. iv p. 1 He married twice, firstly to Joyce Love in 1938, with whom he had two daughters; the marriage was dissolved in 1955, and he married secondly to Peggy Fribbins in 1956. He began his political career on

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

borough council, where he was a member from 1938 to 1940, but this was interrupted by the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He joined the

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ( ...

in 1940, and saw service with the 25th Army Tank Brigade in North Africa and Italy, before ending the war serving on the staff in Land Forces Adriatic.

Political career and later life

Having fought

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

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 ...

, he was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Balham and Tooting, part of his home district of Wandsworth, in the 1945 general election. He was an assistant

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

from 1947, and became a

Lord Commissioner of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords (or Ladies) Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second ...

in 1949, a post he held until 1951. Balham and Tooting was dissolved for the 1950 general election, and Adams stood in the redrawn Wandsworth Central constituency, succeeding

Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1940 and ...

as its Member of Parliament. He was re-elected for the same seat in the 1951 general election, but chose to stand down in the 1955 election, being succeeded in the now-marginal seat by the Conservative Michael Hughes-Young. Adams died on 25 June 1978.

References

Citations

Bibliography

*"ADAMS, (Harold) Richard." In ''Who Was Who 1897-2006''. *Obituary in ''The Times'', 6 July 1978 * Stenton, M., Lees, S. (1981). ''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament'', volume iv (covering 1945–1979). Sussex: The Harvester Press; New Jersey: Humanities Press.

External links

{{commonscat, Richard Adams (British politician) 1912 births 1978 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies East Surrey Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War II UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 People educated at Emanuel School Members of Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council Ministers in the Attlee governments, 1945–1951