Frank Bowles, Baron Bowles

Francis George Bowles, Baron Bowles (2 May 1902 – 29 December 1970) was a British solicitor and politician. A long-serving Member of Parliament (MP), Bowles served briefly as a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, but is perhaps best known for agreeing to give up his safe seat to make way for Minister of Technology Frank Cousins.

The son of an analytical chemist, Bowles was educated at Highgate School and the University of London where he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws and the London School of Economics where he became a Bachelor of Economic Science. He was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 1925. He worked for Pearl Assurance Ltd as their in-house solicitor; his grandfather had been Chairman of the company).

Originally a Liberal, Bowles soon shifted his allegiances to the Labour Party in 1924 while at the LSE. He fought the constituency of Hackney North in the 1929 general election, losing by 866 votes. He fought it again at the two succeeding elections of 1931 and 1935, in that case losing by 1,080.

Bowles was then chosen to fight the Preston by-election of November 1936. This was a highly marginal constituency, and the local Constituency Labour Party had wanted Bowles to fight it at the 1935 general election (Bowles refused as he had already committed to Hackney). He led an energetic campaign calling for the whole of Lancashire to be declared a Special Area for government assistance. On polling day, Bowles was defeated by 1,605 votes, while Florence White of the Spinsters' Pensions Association took 3,221.

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