Gordon Lang

{{Short description|Welsh politician and Congregationalist minister (1893–1981)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific_prefix = The Reverend

|name = Gordon Lang

|image =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1893|02|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Monmouth, Wales

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1981|06|20|1893|02|25|df=y}}

|death_place = Chepstow

|death_cause =

| alma_mater = Cheshunt College

|party = Labour Party

|constituency_MP1 = Oldham

| predecessor1 = William Wiggins
Duff Cooper

| successor1 = Anthony Crommelin Crossley
Hamilton Kerr

|parliamen1 =

|majority1 =

|alongside1 = James Wilson

|term_start1 = 1929

|term_end1 = 1931

|constituency_MP2 = Stalybridge and Hyde

|predecessor2 = Horace Trevor-Cox

|successor2 = Fred Blackburn

|parliament2 =

|majority2 =

|term_start2 = 1945

|term_end2 = 1951

|profession = Minister of religion

}}

Gordon Lang (25 February 1893 – 20 June 1981) was a Welsh Congregationalist minister and Labour Party politician.{{cite news |title=Obituary: Rev Gordon Lang |newspaper=The Times |page=16 |date=24 June 1981 }} He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Oldham from 1929 until 1931, and for Stalybridge and Hyde from 1945 until 1951. He was related to his namesake, Cosmo Gordon Lang, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time Gordon Lang was first elected to parliament.{{cite book |title=The Times House of Commons 1929 |date=1929 |publisher=The Times Office |location=London |page=54}}

Lang was born in Monmouth, and attended the town's grammar school and Cheshunt College. He combined his pastoral work with political activity including being the honorary secretary of the United Europe Movement and a leading member of the Proportional Representation Society.

MP for Oldham

In 1929 he was nominated as one of two Labour candidates for the two-seat Oldham constituency along with James Wilson.{{cite news |title=Lancashire Seats. Five Candidates At Oldham |work=The Times |page=7 |date=18 May 1929 }}{{cite news |title=General Election: Nominations |newspaper=The Times |page=8 |date=21 May 1929 }} The general election saw a large swing to the Labour Party, and Lang and Wilson were elected, unseating the two sitting members (one Conservative and one Liberal.){{cite news |title=Lancashire Seats. Disappointed Liberals |newspaper=The Times |page=6 |date=1 June 1929 }}

Following the collapse of the second minority Labour Government and the formation of a National Government, a further general election was held in 1931.{{cite news |title=Lancashire Seats. Clear Issue At Oldham |work=The Times |page=17 |date=19 October 1931 }} Lang and Wilson defended their seats against two National Government candidates, but were heavily defeated.{{cite news |title=The General Election First Returns, Polling In The Boroughs |newspaper=The Times |page=6 |date=28 October 1931 }} Lang stood at Oldham again at the next general election in 1935, but failed to regain the seat for Labour.{{cite news |title=General Election: List Of Nominations |newspaper=The Times |page=8 |date=5 November 1935}}

MP for Stalybridge and Hyde

In 1937, Philip Dunne, the Conservative MP for Stalybridge and Hyde retired due to ill health. Lang was chosen to contest the ensuing byelection, which was a straight fight with Horace Trevor-Cox, Conservative and National Government candidate.{{cite news |title=Party Activity At Stalybridge. The Defence Issue |newspaper=The Times |page=8 |date=7 April 1937}} Lang came close to winning the seat, reducing the Conservatives' majority from the 1935 general election of 5,081 votes to just 334.{{cite news |title=By-Election Results |newspaper=The Times |page=8 |date=30 April 1937}}

With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, elections were postponed. It was not until 1945 that another general election was held. Lang and Trevor-Cox were again the candidates of the Labour and Conservative parties respectively, joined by a Liberal candidate, Donald Burden.{{cite news |title=Labour Hopes At Stockport. Effect Of Liberal Vote. Predominance Of Women |newspaper=The Times |page=8 |date=3 July 1945}} The 1945 general election resulted in a Labour landslide victory, where the first majority Labour government was formed, and Lang was comfortably elected with a majority of 4,370 votes.{{cite news |title=The New House Of Commons. List Of Members, Constituencies And Parties |newspaper=The Times |page=8 |date=10 August 1945}} He retained the seat at the next general election in 1950.{{cite news |title=Conservative Hopes In Cheshire. Local Election Pointer |newspaper=The Times |page=5 |date=14 February 1950}} The result of the election was a reduced Labour majority, and another general election was called in 1951 to increase it. Lang announced that he would not contest the election due to ill health, and retired from the House of Commons.{{cite news |title=News in Brief |newspaper=The Times |page=26 |date=24 June 1981}}

After politics

Lang continued in his ministry, and was appointed chaplain to the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain. He died at his home in Chepstow in June 1981, aged 88.{{cite news |title=Deaths |newspaper=The Times |page=4 |date=28 April 1951}}