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 ...
in 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