Victor Grayson
| Albert Victor Grayson | |
|---|---|
Albert Victor Grayson c.1908
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| Member of Parliament for Colne Valley |
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In office 18 July 1907 – January 1910 |
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| Preceded by | James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale |
| Succeeded by | Charles Leach |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 August 1881 Liverpool |
| Died | Unknown |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Independent Labour Party |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
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| Service/branch |
 New Zealand Army
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| Battles/wars | |
Albert Victor Grayson (born 5 September 1881, disappeared 28 September 1920) was an English socialist politician of the early 20th century. A Member of Parliament (MP) from 1907 to 1910, he is most notable for sensational by-election victory at Colne Valley in 1907, and for his unexplained disappearance in 1920.
Albert Victor Grayson was born in Liverpool, the seventh son of William Grayson, a Yorkshire carpenter, and Elizabeth Craig, who was Scottish. He became an apprentice engineer in Bootle. He joined the Independent Labour Party and toured the country giving lectures, becoming a well-known orator despite having a stammer. In 1907 he stood as an Independent Labour candidate in the 1907 Colne Valley by-election, having been nominated by the local branch of the Independent Labour Party. He won a sensational, albeit narrow, victory. Grayson was paid an allowance by the ILP but refused to sign the Labour Party constitution.
Grayson rarely attended the House of Commons and began to develop a drinking problem. After losing his seat in the January 1910 general election, and failing even to retain his deposit when standing for Kennington, he continued his lecture tours but suffered a mental breakdown in 1913.
Writing of Grayson in an article on British radical politics in Pravda, V.I. Lenin noted that Grayson was "a very fiery socialist, but one not strong in principles and given to phrase-mongering."
Grayson alienated many of his left-wing colleagues by backing Britain's entry into World War I and turning his oratorical skills to recruiting soldiers. He served briefly in the New Zealand Army and was wounded. After the war, Grayson attempted to resurrect his political career.
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