Ivor Davies

Ivor Roland Morgan Davies CBE (August 12, 1915 – 1986) was a British Liberal Party politician, journalist and United Nations Association administrator. Politically, his chief claim to fame was his decision in October 1938 to withdraw as Liberal candidate at the Oxford by-election along with the Labour candidate Patrick Gordon-Walker to allow an independent, Popular Front, anti-Munich candidate, A. D. Lindsay, the Master of Balliol, to challenge the government candidate Quintin Hogg.

He was born at Pontrhydygroes, Cardiganshire, in August 1915, the son of an Edinburgh Congregationalist minister. He was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh and graduated with honours in history at Edinburgh University.

While at Edinburgh University, he was President of the Liberal Club and editor of their magazine. He was Chairman of the University Liberal Club from 1935-38. He was President of the Union of University Liberal Societies from 1937-38. He wrote on political and social questions. In 1938 when Jo Grimond resigned as Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate for Aberdeenshire Central, Davies was selected to replace him for a general election expected to take place in 1939. However, in 1938 when a parliamentary vacancy opened at Oxford, and the incumbent Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate withdrew, Davies was selected by Oxford Liberals to contest the Oxford by-election, 1938. His only real connection with Oxford was that he had presided at a Liberal students’ conference there earlier that year. Davies started his campaign but knew that the Conservative candidate would certainly hold the seat if the anti-government vote was split between himself and the Labour candidate. He offered to withdraw if the Labour candidate also withdrew in order for the two parties to support a joint candidate. This duly happened, but the Conservative still retained the seat against the political climate of Neville Chamberlain and his visit to Munich to meet Adolf Hitler. Davies resumed his role as prospective candidate for Aberdeenshire Central and eventually had the chance of contesting the seat at the 1945 General Election, but came third;

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