Robert Armitage (22 February 1866 – 10 February 1944) was Member of Parliament for

Leeds Central Leeds Central was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The constituency first existed from 1885 until it was abolished in 1955. It was recreated in 1983. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Revie ...

, England, from 1906 to 1922 and

Lord Mayor of Leeds The Lord Mayor of Leeds (until 1897 known as the Mayor of Leeds) is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council. By charter from Charles I of England, King Charles I in 1626, the leader of the gov ...

in 1904–05.

Background

Armitage was a son of William James Armitage and Emily Nicholson of Farnley, Leeds. He was the nephew of

Edward Armitage Edward Armitage (20 May 1817 – 24 May 1896) was an English Victorian-era painter whose work focused on historical, classical and biblical subjects. Family background Armitage was born in London to a family of wealthy Yorkshire industrialist ...

and

Thomas Rhodes Armitage Thomas Rhodes Armitage (2 April 1824 – 23 October 1890) was a British physician, and founder of the Royal National Institute of Blind People. He was born at Tilgate in Sussex into a family of wealthy Yorkshire industrialists, the son of Ja ...

, the uncle of Robert Selby Armitage, and second cousin once removed of Edward Leathley Armitage. He 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

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1888. He first married in 1891, Caroline Katharine Ryder, a daughter of Dudley Henry Ryder of Westbrook-Hay, Hemel-Hempstead.Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1922 They had three sons and four daughters. She died in 1933. He then married in 1936, Mrs Mary Dorothea Russell, widow of Rev. E. Bacheler Russell.(2007, December 01). Armitage, Robert, (22 Feb. 1866–10 Feb. 1944). WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. Ed. Retrieved 27 Mar. 2019, from http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-221967.

Career

Armitage was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1889. He was director of several mining companies including

Brodsworth Brodsworth is a village and civil parish in the City of Doncaster district in South Yorkshire, England. Situated about five miles north-west of Doncaster city centre, the parish also includes Scawsby. According to the 2001 census, it had a popul ...

Main Colliery Company,

Llay Llay (; meaning meadow; ) is a village and Community (Wales), community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It borders several other villages including Gwersyllt and Gresford. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census, the total population of ...

Main Colllieries,

Markham Main Colliery Markham Main Colliery was a coal mine in Armthorpe, on the eastern edge of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It could be seen, and was a landmark, from the nearby M18. History Plans for the pit started in June 1913 when Earl Fitzwilliam l ...

and Wagon Finance Corporation.Durham Mining Museum page cached at Google

Politics

Armitage served as Lord Mayor of Leeds from 1904–05 and Deputy Lord Mayor from 1905–06, 1906–07 and 1908–09. He was a Justice of the peace for the City of Leeds. He gained Leeds Central from the Conservative in 1906, the first time the Liberals had won the constituency. He was comfortably re-elected in both 1910 elections. He supported the wartime Coalition government. At the 1918 election he received endorsement by the government and did not get a Unionist opponent and was easily re-elected. At the 1922 election he stood as a candidate of the official Liberal party rather than as a

National Liberal National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism). A serie ...

supporter of

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

. As a result he not only faced a Labour party opponent but a Unionist opponent and lost his seat, finishing third. He did not stand for parliament again.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armitage, Robert Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Lord mayors of Leeds Businesspeople from Leeds Politicians from Leeds 1866 births 1944 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at Westminster School, London Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies