Harry Selley
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Sir Harry Ralph Selley (9 December 1871 – 24 February 1960)[1] was a British master builder[2] and Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Battersea South in London from 1931 to 1945.
Career
Selley was born in Topsham, Devon, and became a builder's apprentice. He rose to run his own business, and estimated that he had been responsible for the building of more than 25,000 house in London and its suburbs.[2]
Politics
A member of the London County Council from 1925 to 1937,[2] he first stood for Parliament at the Battersea South by-election in February 1929, when he lost by 2.1% of the votes to the Labour Party candidate, William Bennett.[3] He contested the seat again at the general election in May 1929, cutting Bennett's majority to only 1.1%,[3] and at the 1931 general election he defeated Bennett with a majority 36.2%.[3][4]
He was re-elected in 1935,[5][3] and held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election.[6] He was knighted in 1944.[7]
Family
Selley was married in 1896 to Eleanor Kate Westcott, daughter or Thomas Westcott. They had a son a daughter, and after her death in 1935 her married again in 1939 to Margaret Avelyn (Sheila), the widow of Joseph Hendrick.[2]
After his death in 1960, at the age of 88, his estate was valued at £63,204.[8]
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
- ^ a b c d "Obituaries: Sir Harry Selley, Master Builder". The Times. 25 February 1960. p. 21.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b c d Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 4. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ^ "No. 33769". The London Gazette. 6 November 1931.
- ^ "No. 34223". The London Gazette. 26 November 1935.
- ^ "Retiring M.P.s At Farewell Dinner". The Times. 14 June 1945. p. 8.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "No. 36393". The London Gazette. 22 February 1944.
- ^ "Latest Wills". The Times. 12 May 1960. p. 9.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help)
External links
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