Major Daniel Hopkin MC (July 1886 – 30 Aug 1951)[1] was a British soldier, barrister and Labour Party politician.

Early life

Hopkin was born in Llantwit Major in South Wales, the son of a farm labourer who died in 1893 when Daniel was seven. After elementary school, he was a teacher in Llantwit Major School until 1905, when he left to study at Carmarthen Training College. He then won an exhibition to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he read law.[2][3]

During the First World War, Hopkin served as an officer with the Royal Fusiliers. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 for conspicuous gallantry.[4][5] After the war ended he spent "four years in business in Cairo" before training to become a barrister, where he served on the South Wales Circuit.[3] He rejoined the army at the start of the Second World War in 1939.[3]

Politics

He was elected at the 1929 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen in South Wales, becoming the first Labour MP for the historically Liberal Party-held seat. He had narrowly failed to win the seat at a by-election in 1928, and his slender majority in 1929 was overturned by the Liberals the 1931 general election, as Labour's share of the vote nationally plummeted when the party split over Ramsay MacDonald's decision to form a National Government with the Conservative Party.[6]

Hopkin regained the seat with a large majority at the 1935 general election, and held it until his resignation in 1941 to become a Metropolitan Police magistrate.[6]

His son Sir David Hopkin (1922–1997) was also a Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate for over 20 years, rising to Chief Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, but is probably best known as the Chairman and later President of the British Boxing Board of Control.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "House of Commons constituencies beginning with "C" (part 2)". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ "Names associate with Llantwit Major". Llantwit Major Local History Society. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 "HOPKIN, Major Daniel". Who's Who & Who Was Who. Vol. 2022 (online ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ↑ "Issue 29824". The London Gazette. 14 November 1916. p. 18. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "Issue 34761". The London Gazette. 26 December 1939. p. 10. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  6. 1 2 Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 551. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  7. ↑ Mee, Bob (12 September 1997). "Obituary:Sir David Hopkin". The Independent. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
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