Herbert Looker

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Herbert William Looker (2 December 1871 - 13 December 1951) was the Conservative MP for the South East Essex constituency from 1924 to 1929.

Looker was born 2 December 1871 in St Ives, Huntingdonshire. He was educated privately before joining a London firm of solicitors; he was managing clerk from 1894 to 1895. In 1895 he moved to Hong Kong to join a firm of solicitors there, becoming a partner in Deacon, Looker and Deacon.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.151804/page/n1725|title=Who's Who 1944|date=1944|publisher=The Macmillan Company|location=New York|pages=1675}} Following his retirement in 1919 he returned to England to live in Great Baddow, near Chelmsford{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000516/19240314/051/0005|title=Mr H W Looker - Prospective Unionist Candidate|date=14 March 1924|work=Chelmsford Chronicle|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=8322|page=5|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} and began a political career.

On 6 October 1921 he was selected to fight the Hull Central constituency by the Central Hull Conservative Council.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19211007/180/0008|title=Opponent for Commander Kenworthy at Hull - Mr H W Looker Adopted|date=7 October 1921|work=The Yorkshire Post|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=23175|page=8|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} The following year he was defeated by the incumbent Labour MP Joseph Kenworthy by 15,374 votes to 12,347 in the 1922 General Election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19221116/017/0005|title=Declaring the Polls|date=16 November 1922|work=Hull Daily Mail|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=11585|page=5|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}}

Two years later, on 12 March 1924 Looker was unanimously selected to be the Conservative Candidate for South East Essex. The general election was held later that year and this time Looker defeated the incumbent Labour MP Philip Hoffman by 19,731 votes to 13,820.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000516/19241031/051/0005|title=The General Election|date=31 October 1924|work=Chelmsford Chronicle|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=8355|page=5|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} While an MP he was a regular contributor to parliamentary debates.{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-herbert-looker/index.html|title=Mr Herbert Looker (Hansard)|website=Historic Hansard|via=UK Parliament|access-date=1 March 2019}}

On 8 May 1929 Looker was again unanimously selected to be the Conservative candidate to fight the next election. This time though it was to be a three-horse race with the addition of a Liberal candidate which the Conservatives knew made the chance of regaining the seat more difficult.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000516/19290510/097/0011|title=South-East Essex - Conservative Candidate Adopted|date=10 May 1929|work=Chelmsford Chronicle|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=8591|page=11|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} Their fears were realised when the Labour candidate, Jack Oldfield, won the constituency with a majority of just 626, receiving 18,756 votes. Looker received 18,130 votes, and the Liberal candidate, George Thomas Veness, 13,030 votes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000516/19290607/146/0007|title=The General Election - Essex Results|date=7 June 1929|work=Chelmsford Chronicle|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=8595|page=7|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}}

Some time after his election defeat he moved to Forest Row, Sussex. Here, in April 1933, he was elected to the Withyham Division of East Sussex County Council.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000483/19330407/516/0022|title=Sussex County Council Election - Yesterday's Voting at Withyam|date=7 April 1933|work=Kent & Sussex Courier|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=5076|page=22|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} He remained there until his death on 13 December 1951.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002169/19520201/113/0011|title=Legal Notices - Herbert William Looker deceased|date=1 February 1952|work=Crawley and District Observer|access-date=1 March 2019|issue=3668|page=11|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}}