Walter Perkins (Stroud MP) facts for kids

Sir Walter Robert Dempster Perkins, also known as Robert Perkins, (born 3 June 1903 – died 8 December 1988) was an important politician in England. He was a member of the Conservative Party, one of the main political groups in the United Kingdom.

Robert Perkins: A Life in Politics

Robert Perkins was a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is a person elected by the public to represent them in the House of Commons. This is where laws are made and important decisions for the country are discussed.

Becoming an MP for Stroud

Perkins first became an MP for the area called Stroud in Gloucestershire. This happened in May 1931 during a special election called a by-election. A by-election takes place when an MP leaves their job before the next main election. In this case, the previous MP, Sir Frank Nelson, had resigned.

Winning General Elections

After winning the by-election, Robert Perkins was re-elected in the main national elections. These are called general elections. He won again in October 1931 and then again in 1935. This showed that people in Stroud trusted him to represent them.

Facing New Challenges

In the 1945 general election, Robert Perkins lost his seat. He was defeated by a candidate from the Labour Party named Ben Parkin. However, Perkins did not give up.

A Close Victory and Retirement

In the 1950 general election, Perkins and Ben Parkin both ran for a new area called Stroud and Thornbury. Robert Perkins won this election by a very small number of votes, only 28 more than Parkin! They ran against each other again in 1951, and this time Perkins won with a much larger lead of 1,582 votes.

Robert Perkins decided to retire from being an MP in 1955. Before he retired, he was given a special honour in February 1954. He was made a knight, which means he could use the title "Sir" before his name.