Alfred Bakewell Howitt

Sir Alfred Bakewell Howitt CVO (11 February 1879 – 8 December 1954)[1] was an English medical doctor who became a Conservative Party politician.

Howitt was born in Nottingham, the youngest son of Dr Francis Howitt, a doctor from an old Quaker family whose relatives included the anthropologist Alfred William Howitt. He was schooled at Epsom College and then graduated in natural sciences from Clare College, Cambridge, [2] before training as a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital in London. After several years as a hospital doctor in London, he served during the First World War in France as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, before returning to London in 1919 and practising as a physician in Berkeley Square.[3]

Contents

Political career

Howitt first stood for Parliament at the 1929 general election in Preston, where he failed to win either of the two seats.[4] He was unsuccessful again at the Preston by-election in July 1929.[4]

Howitt entered the House of Commons on his third attempt, when he was elected at the 1931 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Reading in Berkshire.[5] He was re-elected in 1935 and held the seat until he stood down at the 1945 general election.[5]

In Parliament, Howitt worked with doctors in other political parties, and was chairman of the Parliamentary Medical Committee in 1943.[3]

Honours

He was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in April 1928,[6] and knighted in the New Years Honours in 1945, for political and public services.[7]

References

  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
  2. ^ Howitt, Alfred Bakewell in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary: Alfred Bakewell Howitt". British Medical Journal: 1489. 18 December 1945. PMC 2079909. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2079909. Retrieved 2 June 2010. 
  4. ^ a b Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 220. ISBN 0-900178-06-X. 
  5. ^ a b Craig, op. cit, page 222
  6. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 33390. p. 3851. 1 June 1928. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  7. ^ "New Years Medical Honours". British Medical Journal 1 (4383): 23. 6 January 1945. PMC 2056708. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2056708. Retrieved 2 June 2010. 

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Somerville Hastings
Member of Parliament for Reading
19311945
Succeeded by
Ian Mikardo