Joseph Compton-Rickett

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = Sir Joseph Compton-Rickett

| honorific-suffix = DL

| image =

| image_size =

| smallimage =

| alt =

| caption = Joseph Rickett in 1915

| office = HM Paymaster General

| term_start = 1916

| term_end = 1919

| primeminister = David Lloyd George

| predecessor = Arthur Henderson

| successor = Tudor Walters

| office1 = Member of Parliament
for Scarborough

| term_start1 = 7 August 1895

| term_end1 = 8 February 1906

| predecessor1 = Sir George Sitwell, Bt

| successor1 = Walter Rea

| office2 = Member of Parliament
for Osgoldcross

| term_start2 = 8 February 1906

| term_end2 = 25 November 1918

| predecessor2 = Sir John Austin, Bt

| successor2 = John Stephenson Rowntree

| office3 = Member of Parliament
for Pontefract

| term_start3 = 14 December 1918

| term_end3 = 30 July 1919

| predecessor3 = Frederick Handel Booth

| successor3 = Walter Forrest

| birth_name = Joseph Rickett

| birth_date = 13 February 1847

| birth_place = London, England, UK

| death_date = 30 July 1919 (aged 72)

| death_place = UK

| party = Liberal Party

}}

Sir Joseph Compton-Rickett, DL PC (13 February 1847 – 30 July 1919), was a British Liberal Party politician. He was also an industrialist (until 1902), lay preacher, and writer. He wrote poetry and fiction, as well as on such topics as popular philosophy. He sometimes wrote under the pseudonym Maurice Baxter.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2KuBAAAQBAJ&q=Joseph+Rickett+who+also+wrote+as+by+Maurice+Baxter&pg=PA543|title=The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction|first=John|last=Sutherland|date=13 October 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317863335|access-date=6 May 2017|via=Google Books}}

Background

He was born in London as Joseph Rickett, the eldest son of Joseph Rickett, of East Hoathly. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Bath. In 1868 he married Catharine Sarah Gamble (1847–1933). They had ten children. There were four sons and four daughters living when he died in 1919.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GS4_uG484cC&pg=PA306|page=306|title = A Guide to the Papers of British Cabinet Ministers 1900-1964|isbn = 9780521587433|editor1 = Hazlehurst, Cameron|editor2 = Whitehead, Sally|editor3 = Woodland, Christine|year = 1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press }}
In 1907 Joseph Compton-Rickett and his wife had five living daughters and four living sons. {{cite journal|title=Rickett, Joseph Compton|journal=Who's Who|year=1907|page=1484|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yEcuAAAAYAAJ&pg=1484}} He was knighted on 24 December 1907.{{cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28092/page/8979|title=The London Gazette|date=24 December 1907|quotation=Issue:28092|page=8979|website=Thegazette.co.uk|access-date=2017-05-06}} He assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Compton in 1908.

In 1911 he was appointed to the Privy Council.[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U194919 'COMPTON-RICKETT, Rt Hon. Sir Joseph'], Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press (April 2014)]; accessed 5 May 2017.

Professional career

He was in business and interested in various commercial undertakings.{{cite book|chapter=Joseph Compton Rickett|title=Some Scarborough Faces (Past and Present): Being a Series of Interviews. Illustrated with Photographs|year=1901|pages=100–102|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j5fkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA100}} (with photo on p. 100) In 1902, he retired from the chairmanship of several coal trade companies to devote himself to his political career.

Political career

File:Sir_Joseph_Compton-Rickett.jpg

He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Scarborough from 1895–1906. He had gained the seat from the Conservatives in 1895 and held it in the 1900 election. In early 1903 he announced his intention to step down as a candidate in this constituency at the next election, stating that he ′desired a constituency in which his attention will not be distracted by local controversies from the political and social problems which keep him in public office.′{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Election Intelligence |date=28 January 1903 |page=6 |issue=36989}} He was then Member of Parliament for Osgoldcross from 1906–1918. In 1906 he re-gained the seat that had been Independent Liberal since 1899. He held office in the Coalition Government of David Lloyd George as Paymaster General from 1916 to 1919. In 1917 he served as a Charity Commissioner.

He was Member of Parliament for the Pontefract constituency that largely absorbed Osgoldcross from 1918 until his death aged 72 the following year.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} For the execution of his will, Sir Joseph's eldest son, Arthur Compton-Rickett, was appointed the public trustee.

=Electoral record=

{{Election box begin|title=General election 1906: OsgoldcrossBritish parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Joseph Rickett

|votes = 8,482

|percentage = 66.1

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Granville Wheler

|votes =4,358

|percentage = 33.9

|change = n/a

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 4,124

|percentage = 32.1

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 12,840

|percentage =

|change =

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

|winner = Liberal Party (UK)

|loser = Independent Liberal

|swing =

}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election January 1910: Osgoldcross

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Joseph Compton-Rickett

|votes = 9,517

|percentage = 66.3

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Gerald de la Pryme Hargreaves

|votes =4,840

|percentage = 33.7

|change =

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 4,677

|percentage = 32.6

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes =

|percentage =

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Liberal Party (UK)

|swing =

}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election December 1910: Osgoldcross

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Joseph Compton-Rickett

|votes = 8,518

|percentage = 66.2

|change = -0.1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Malcolm Campbell-Johnston

|votes =4,347

|percentage = 33.8

|change = +0.1

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 4,171

|percentage = 32.4

|change = -0.2

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes =

|percentage = 70.4

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Liberal Party (UK)

|swing = -0.1

}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=Pontefract General Election, 1918F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949 p520

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Joseph Compton-Rickett

|votes = 8,561

|percentage = 62.9

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Isaac Burns

|votes = 5,047