Robert Oswald Moon

Robert Oswald Moon FRCP JP (17 March 1865 – 28 July 1953), was a British physician, writer and Liberal Party politician.

Robert Oswald Moon

FRCP JP
Born17 March 1865
Died28 July 1953
Education

Background

He was born on 17 March 1865 in London, the youngest son of Robert Moon, a barrister.[1] He was educated at Winchester School and New College, Oxford. His medical training was at Guy's Hospital.[2] He married Ethel Waddington. They had one son and three daughters.[1] Ethel died in 1933.[3]

Medical career

In 1897 he became Surgeon to the Phil-Hellenic Legion in the Græco-Turkish War. In 1990 he was a Trooper in the Hampshire Yeomanry in South Africa. In 1901 he was Civil Surgeon for the Field Force in South Africa. In 1909 he was senior physician at the Western General Dispensary.[4] He wrote a number of books on medical subjects. In 1915 he was Chadwick Lecturer on Typhus in Serbia. In 1917 he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps with the temporary rank of Major.[3] He was a consulting physician to the Royal Waterloo Hospital and senior physician to the National Hospital for Diseases of the Heart.[5] He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1909.[6]

Political career
Marylebone East in the London County area, showing boundaries used for 1910

In November 1909 he was adopted Liberal candidate for the Marylebone East Division of London for the January 1910 General Election.[7] This was a seat that had always voted in a Conservative since it was created in 1885. He was Liberal candidate again for Marylebone East at the December 1910 General Election.[8] He did not contest the 1918 General Election. He was Liberal candidate for the Wimbledon Division of Surrey at the 1922 General Election.[9] This was another Unionist seat that they had won at every election since it was created in 1885. He did not contest the 1923 General Election. He was selected at the eleventh hour as Liberal candidate for the Oxford Division of Oxfordshire for the 1924 General Election.[10] This seat was a better prospect for a Liberal as the party had won the seat in 1922 and 1923 before losing it in a by-election early in 1924 back to the Unionists. In a difficulty election campaign for the Liberal party, he was able to do little more than retain second place;

General Election 1924[11] Electorate 27,139
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Bourne 12,196 57.3 +9.5
Liberal Robert Moon 6,836 32.1 -7.0
Labour F Ludlow 2,260 10.6 -2.5
Majority 5,360 25.2 +16.5
Turnout 78.5 -1.8
Unionist hold Swing +8.2

He was Liberal candidate again for Oxford at the 1929 General Election. With the Liberal party experiencing a mini-revival nationally he was unable to make this tell in Oxford and finished second again;

General Election 1929[11] Electorate 38,668
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Bourne 14,638 52.5 -4.8
Liberal Robert Moon 8,581 30.7 -1.4
Labour J L Etty 4,694 16.8 +6.2
Majority 21.8 -3.4
Turnout 6,057 72.2 -6.3
Unionist hold Swing -1.7

He did not stand for parliament again.[9]

Family

Moon married in 1901 Ethel Rose Grant Waddington, daughter of Major-General Thomas Waddington. They had a son, Penderel Moon, and four daughters.[12][13][14]

References
  1. "Robert Oswald Moon, D.M. Oxfd, F.R.C.P., J.P.". The Lancet. 262 (6780): 303. 8 August 1953. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(53)91153-2.
  2. "R. O. Moon, D.M., F.R.C.P." British Medical Journal. 2 (4831): 343–344. 8 August 1953. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4831.342-b. S2CID 220138025.
  3. ‘MOON, Robert Oswald’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 4 April 2014
  4. Dundee Courier, 6 Nov 1909
  5. The Times House of Commons, 1929
  6. "Lives of the fellows: Robert Oswald Moon". Royal College of Physicians. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  7. Dundee Courier, 6 November 1909
  8. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918, Craig, F.W.S.
  9. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  10. Cheltenham Chronicle, 13 December 1924
  11. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig
  12. Mason, Philip. "Moon, Sir (Edward) Penderel". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39897. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  13. "Robert Oswald Moon, RCP Museum". history.rcplondon.ac.uk.
  14. Kelly's (1943). Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes. Kelly's Directories. p. 1298.
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