Harold Baker (politician)

Harold Trevor Baker PC (22 January 1877 – 12 July 1960) was a British scholar and Liberal politician.

Baker in the 1920s

Background

Baker was born on Portsea Island, the son of Louisa and Sir John Baker, MP for Portsmouth. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. He received the Gaisford Prize in 1899. He was also a Craven Scholar, Hertford Scholar and an Eldon Scholar. He was President of the Oxford Union from 1900 to 1901. He was unmarried. In 1933 he was Fellow of Winchester College and Warden from 1936 to 1946.^[1]

Professional career

Baker was Called to Bar by the Inner Temple in 1903.^[2] He was Secretary to the Royal Commission on War Stores in South Africa. He was a Member of His Majesty's Army Council, European War, 1914 and Inspector of Quartermaster-General Services in 1916.^[1]

Political career

 

Baker in 1910

Baker was elected to the House of Commons for Accrington in the January 1910 general election. He served in the Liberal administration of H. H. Asquith as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1912 to 1914 and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1915. He was one of the few Liberal MPs of this period who opposed granting the vote to women.^[3] He was defeated at the 1918 general election when he faced both a Labour opponent as well as a Coalition government backed Unionist. He tried to win his seat back in 1922 but finished third. He did not stand for parliament again.^[4]

Electoral record

General election January 1910: Accrington^[5][6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Harold Baker	8,968	58.1	+1.3
	Conservative	Albert Henry Jessel	6,455	41.9	n/a
Majority			2,513	16.2	−2.3
Turnout			15,423	94.6	+11.7
Registered electors			16,297
	Liberal hold		Swing	n/a

General election December 1910: Accrington^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Harold Baker	8,129	55.7	−2.4
	Conservative	Ernest Gray	6,461	44.3	+2.4
Majority			1,668	11.4	−4.8
Turnout			14,590	89.5	−5.1
Registered electors			16,297
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.4

General election 14 December 1918: Accrington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Ernest Gray	13,808	47.2	+2.9
	Liberal	Harold Baker	8,378	28.6	-27.1
	Labour	Charles Roden Buxton	6,369	21.7	n/a
	National Democratic	William Hammond	738	2.5	n/a
Majority			5,430	18.6	30.0
Turnout			28,555	69.5	-20.0
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+15.0
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General election 15 November 1922: Accrington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Roden Buxton	16,462	44.3	+22.6
	Unionist	Ernest Gray	11,408	30.6	-16.6
	Liberal	Harold Baker	9,395	25.1	-3.5
Majority			5,054	13.7	32.3
Turnout				88.7	+19.2
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	+19.6

Baker died in Winchester in July 1960, aged 83.

References

1. "Baker, Right Hon. Harold Trevor". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
3. The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies 1897-1914 by Leslie Hume
4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1973, F. W. S. Craig
5. British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
6. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Harold Baker
• Portraits of Harold Trevor Baker at the National Portrait Gallery, London  

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Joseph Leese	Member of Parliament for Accrington January 1910 – 1918	Succeeded by Ernest Gray
Political offices
Preceded by Harold Tennant	Financial Secretary to the War Office 1912–1915	Succeeded by Henry Forster