Robert Forgan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Forgan (1891-January 8, 1976) was a British politician who was a close associate of Oswald Mosley.
Educated up to doctorate level at Aberdeen Grammar School and Cambridge, Forgan entered local politics as a member of Glasgow council after seeing active service in World War I. Initially a member of the Independent Labour Party, he was elected to Parliament for Renfrewshire West in the 1929 general election. An early triumph saw him secure the installation of a ventilation system into the House of Commons, although after this he became a fairly marginal figure. Forgan was one of the signatories of the 'Mosley Memorandum' which outlined his political vision and he followed Mosley into the New Party when it was set up soon afterwards. He was appointed to a council for policy and strategy formation that was set up to decide the running of the party. At the 1931 general election, Forgan polled 1,304 votes in Renfrewshire West in what represented one of the better results for the New Party in a disappointing election.
A close supporter of Mosley, Forgan followed him into the British Union of Fascists and was initially Director of Organisation. This administrative role did not prove suitable and soon he became an important background figure, arranging private functions with leading businessmen in an attempt to secure support for Mosley and organising the January Club to this end. As a result of his work, Forgan was promoted to deputy leader. He held that position until 1934 when he left the BUF because of their drift towards anti-Semitism. He took no further role in politics.
