Richard Cornthwaite Lambert

The son of the Reverend Richard U Lambert, vicar of Christ Church, Bradford on Avon, Somerset and his wife Agnes née Stanton, he was educated at Shrewsbury School and Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with honours in history.{{cite web |title=LAMBERT, Richard Cornthwaite |work=Who Was Who |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U212529 |date=December 2007 |access-date=7 February 2012}}

He travelled widely in Europe and the Middle East before being called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1892. He practised law on the Midland Circuit.{{cite news |title=Obituary: Mr R. C. Lambert |newspaper=The Times |page=9 |date=6 November 1939}} In 1893 he married Lilian Burman of Four Oaks, Warwickshire, with whom he had 3 children. One of his sons was Richard S. Lambert, who was to become editor of The Listener.

He joined the Liberal Party. He sat on the Executive Committee of the London Liberal Federation. He stood as a Liberal candidate at Sheffield Ecclesall in 1906, at Sheffield Attercliffe at a by-election in 1909, and Portsmouth in January 1910.{{cite book

| title = British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 | edition = 2nd

| last = Craig | first = F. W. S. | year = 1989

| author-link = F. W. S. Craig

| orig-year = First published 1974

| publisher = Parliamentary Research Services | location = Chichester

| pages = 171, 183, 186

| isbn = 0-900178-27-2

}}

In 1907 he attempted to win a London County Council seat at West Islington for the Liberal-backed Progressive Party but was unsuccessful. However, in March 1910 he was elected to the London County Council at the second attempt;

Image:IslingtonWest1885.png

He was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cricklade at the general election in December 1910,{{cite book

| title = British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 | edition = 2nd

| last = Craig | first = F. W. S. | year = 1989

| author-link = F. W. S. Craig

| orig-year = First published 1974

| publisher = Parliamentary Research Services | location = Chichester

| page = 415

| isbn = 0-900178-27-2

}}

In 1913 he stood down from the London County Council. He was a pacifist. During the Great War he opposed the introduction of conscription into the armed services. He joined the Union of Democratic Control, a group of Liberal and Labour MPs who opposed military influence in government. In 1917 he wrote and had published 'The Parliamentary History of Conscription in Great Britain'. In 1918 he joined the Labour Party.The Downfall of the Liberal Party, 1914–1935 by Trevor Wilson

The Cricklade constituency was abolished at the 1918 general election, and Lambert did not stand for Parliament again.{{cite book

| title = British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 | edition = 3rd

| last = Craig | first = F. W. S. | year = 1983

| author-link = F. W. S. Craig

| orig-year = First published 1969

| publisher = Parliamentary Research Services | location = Chichester

| isbn = 0-900178-06-X

}}

In 1922 he became librarian at the Athenaeum Club, London, holding the post until 1935.

{{Election box begin |

| title=General election 1906: Sheffield Ecclesall

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Conservative Party (UK)

| candidate = Samuel Roberts

| votes = 5,856

| percentage = 52.1

| change = -8.9

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Party (UK)

| candidate = Richard Lambert

| votes = 5,392

| percentage = 47.9

| change = +8.9

}}

{{Election box majority|

| votes = 464

| percentage = 4.2

| change = -17.8

}}

{{Election box turnout|

| votes =

| percentage = 87.1

| change = +14.1

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

| winner = Conservative Party (UK)

| swing =

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

| title=1909 Sheffield Attercliffe by-election

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Labour Party (UK)

| candidate = Joseph Pointer

| votes = 3,531

| percentage = 27.5

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Conservative Party (UK)

| candidate = Sydney Charles King-Farlow

| votes = 3,380

| percentage = 26.2

| change = -20.6

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Party (UK)

| candidate = Richard Lambert

| votes = 3,175

| percentage = 24.6

| change = -28.6

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Independent Conservative

| candidate = Arnold Muir Wilson

| votes = 2,803

| percentage = 21.7

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box majority|

| votes = 151

| percentage = 1.3

| change = -5.1

}}

{{Election box turnout|

| votes =

| percentage = 77.3

| change = -1.9

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

| winner = Labour Party (UK)

| loser = Liberal Party (UK)

| swing = N/A

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

| title=General election January 1910: Portsmouth (2 seats)

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Conservative Party (UK)

| candidate = {{Y}}Charles Beresford

| votes = 16,777

| percentage = 28.80

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Unionist Party

| candidate = {{Y}}Bertram Falle

| votes = 15,592

| percentage = 26.76

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Party (UK)

| candidate = Thomas Bramsdon

| votes = 12,397

| percentage = 21.28

| change = -1.31

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Party (UK)

| candidate = Richard Lambert

| votes = 9,965

| percentage = 17.10

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Labour Party (UK)

| candidate = William Sanders

| votes = 3,529

| percentage = 6.06

| change = -11.52

}}

{{Election box turnout|

| votes = 58,260 (30,100 voted)

| percentage = 89.41

| change = +6.59

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

| title=London County Council election, 1910: Islington WestLondon Municipal Notes, 1913

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Progressive Party (London)

| candidate = {{Y}} Richard Lambert

| votes =3,193

| percentage =

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Progressive Party (London)

| candidate = {{Y}} Henry Lorenzo Jephson

| votes =3,172

| percentage =

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Municipal Reform Party

| candidate = H J Clarke

| votes =2,542

| percentage =

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Municipal Reform Party

| candidate = F Russell Davies

| votes =2,524

| percentage =

| change =

}}

{{Election box majority|

| votes =

| percentage =

| change =

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

| winner = Progressive Party (London)

| loser = Municipal Reform Party

| swing =

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

| winner = Progressive Party (London)

| loser = Municipal Reform Party

| swing =

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

| title=General election December 1910: CrickladeBritish parliamentary election results, 1885–1918 (Craig)

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Party (UK)

| candidate = Richard Lambert

| votes = 6,937

| percentage = 50.5

| change = +2.7

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

| party = Liberal Unionist Party (UK)

| candidate = Thomas Calley

| votes =6,809

| percentage = 49.5

| change = -2.7

}}

{{Election box majority|

| votes = 128

| percentage = 1.0

| change = 5.4

}}

{{Election box turnout|

| votes =

| percentage = 90.4

| change =

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

| winner = Liberal Party (UK)

| loser = Liberal Unionist Party (UK)

| swing = +2.7

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Hansard-contribs | mr-richard-lambert | Richard Lambert}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|uk}}

{{s-bef|before=Thomas Calley}}

{{s-ttl

| title = Member of Parliament for Cricklade

| years = December 1910 – 1918

}}

{{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}}

{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Richard Cornthwaite}}

Category:1868 births

Category:1939 deaths

Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge

Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Members of the Inner Temple

Category:Members of London County Council

Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cricklade

Category:People educated at Shrewsbury School

Category:Progressive Party (London) politicians

Category:UK MPs 1910–1918