Harry Thorneycroft (21 February 1892 – 7 March 1956)[1] was a British hairdresser and Labour Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1942 to 1955.

He was educated at an elementary school, and began work in a hairdresser's shop at the age of 9. He later became President of the National Federation of Hairdressers.[2]

During the First World War, he served overseas with the Royal Field Artillery. He was elected to Manchester City Council in 1923, and became an alderman in 1939.[3]

Thorneycroft unsuccessfully contested the borough of Blackpool at the 1935 general election,[4] and was elected to Parliament seven years later at a Manchester Clayton by-election in October 1942 after the death of the Labour MP John Jagger.[5] During the Second World War, the parties in the coalition government did not contest by-elections when vacancies occurred in seats held by their coalition partners, but in the Clayton by-election Thorneycroft was opposed by an independent candidate, Major Hammond Foot. Thorneycroft received a letter of support signed by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the leaders of the other coalition parties.[6] He was the first Labour candidate to receive such a letter,[6] and won the seat with 93.3% of the votes.[5]

He held the seat until the constituency was abolished for the 1955 general election,[1] when he retired from Parliament.[3]

From 1945 to 1947, he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India and Burma.[3] He was then PPS to Arthur Henderson, the Secretary of State for Air, from 1947 until the Labour Government left office in 1951.[3]

He died in hospital in London[2] on 7 March 1956, aged 64.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
  2. 1 2 "Mr. Harry Thorneycroft, Former Labour M.P. And Alderman". The Times. London. 8 March 1956. p. 14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Stenton, Michael; Lees, Stephens (1981). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume IV, 1945–1979. Brighton: The Harvester Press. p. 370. ISBN 0-85527-335-6.
  4. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 93. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  5. 1 2 Craig, page 186
  6. 1 2 "Clayton By-Election". The Times. London. 17 October 1942. p. 2.
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