Peter Raffan

Peter Wilson Raffan (1863 – 23 June 1940) was a British Liberal politician. Raffan came from Newbridge, Monmouthshire, and in 1910 was chairman of the Monmouthshire County Council.[1] When a general election was called in January 1910, P W Raffan was selected as Liberal candidate for Leigh in south Lancashire. John Brunner, the sitting Liberal member of parliament, had chosen to stand in Northwich.

Peter Raffan
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North
In office 6 December 1923 – 9 October 1924
Preceded by	Patrick Ford
Succeeded by	Patrick Ford
Majority	2,835
Member of Parliament for Leigh
In office 15 January 1910 – 26 October 1922
Preceded by	John Brunner
Succeeded by	Henry Twist
Personal details
Born	1863
Died	23 June 1940
Political party	Liberal

The constituency contained a large number of coalminers, and Raffan was opposed not only by the Conservatives, but by Thomas Greenall of the Labour Party, who was a leader of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation. Leigh was one of the few seats where Labour and Liberals ran against each other.[2] Raffan won the seat easily. In the Commons Raffan became secretary of the Land Values Group who sought reform in property taxation.[3] He supported women's suffrage, disestablishment of the Church in Wales and the temperance movement.[4][5][6]

At the 1918 general election Raffan was re-elected at Leigh as a Liberal and received the "coupon" despite being an opponent of the Coalition Government.[7] At the 1922 election he stood unsuccessfully for election as a Liberal at Ayr Burghs.[8][9]

At the succeeding 1923 general election he successfully contested Edinburgh North for the Liberals, unseating the Unionist MP, Patrick Johnstone Ford. He only held the seat for one year, with Ford regaining the seat in the 1924 general election.

References

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

1. Candidates and Constituencies, The Times, 1 January 1910, p.6
2. P F Clarke, Lancashire and the New Liberalism, Cambridge, 1971
3. Avner Offer, Property and Politics 1870 - 1914, Cambridge, 1981
4. Woman suffrage, The Times, 7 February 1912, p.7
5. Welsh Disetablishment, The Times, 19 December 1911, p.4
6. Temperence Reform, The Times, 10 February 1921, p.7
7. The Downfall of the Liberal Party by Trevor Wilson
8. "Wee Free" Plans, The Times, 21 October 1922
9. "The Times" List of Candidates, The Times, 27 October 1922, p.8

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Peter Raffan