Pierse Loftus facts for kids
Pierse Creagh Loftus (born November 29, 1877 – died January 20, 1956) was a British businessman and politician. He was born in Ireland but became a well-known public figure in Lowestoft and East Suffolk, England, for many years. He served in the British Parliament from 1934 to 1945 as the MP for the Lowestoft area.
Early Life and Work
Loftus was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland. When he was eight years old, he and his brother changed their last names to Loftus, using their grandmother's original family name.
He went to school at St. Augustine's School in Ramsgate and The Oratory School in Birmingham. After school, he worked in South Africa for three years. He even served with the Maritzburg Defence Force there in 1899.
In 1902, he returned to England. With his brother Jack, he bought a share in Adnams Brewery, a company that makes drinks in Southwold. During the First World War, he served as a captain in the Suffolk Regiment in France.
Starting in Politics
Loftus began his political career in local government. In 1922, he was elected to the East Suffolk County Council. The next year, he became the vice-chairman of the Lowestoft Conservative Association. By 1931, he was made an alderman on the council. This meant he was a senior member of the local government.
Time in Parliament
In 1934, the MP for Lowestoft, Gervais Rentoul, left his seat in Parliament. This led to a special election called a by-election. Pierse Loftus was chosen to be the candidate for the Conservative Party. He stood as a "National Conservative," meaning he supported the government at the time, which was a group of different parties working together.
He ran against candidates from the Labour Party and an independent Liberal. The election campaign focused a lot on problems faced by Lowestoft's fishermen. They were having a tough time because they could no longer sell their herring fish to Russia.
The election happened on February 15, 1934. Loftus won the seat with 48% of the votes. He beat the Labour candidate by 1,920 votes. Even though his winning margin was smaller than the previous MP's, Loftus was re-elected in the next general election in 1935 with over 60% of the votes.
He held his seat in Parliament until the 1945 general election. In that election, he lost to the Labour candidate, Edward Evans. While he was an MP, Loftus mainly focused on issues related to farming (agriculture) and fishing.
After leaving Parliament, he continued to be involved in public life. He was a Justice of the Peace (a local judge) in Suffolk for more than 25 years. From 1945 until he died, he was also the High Steward of Southwold. He later became the chairman of the Rural Reconstruction Association, a group that helped rural areas.
Family Life
Pierse Loftus was married two times. His first marriage was in 1910 to Dorothy Reynolds. They had two sons together. Dorothy passed away in 1943. In 1945, he married Eileen Elkington.
He died at his home in Southwold on January 20, 1956, when he was 78 years old.
