Magnay, Thomas
1876-1949

WM local preacher and Liberal politician, born on 14 September 1876. As a result of a rousing speech at a Young Liberal Conference in London in 1911 he was asked to consider standing for Parliament. He went to pray for guidance in the nearest church, St. Paul's Cathedral, where the text of the sermon was 'Go Home', and so decided not to stand. In 1931 he was elected as a National Liberal for Gateshead, mainly with Conservative support and retained the seat until 1945. He had little confidence in Lloyd George and diverged from him at the time if the General Strike in 1926, believing his Council of Action was a disreputable stunt. In 1931 the Liberal Party had divided over whether or not to support Ramsay MacDonald's National government and Magnay decided to support the government. He died on 3 November 1949.

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Entry written by: DCD
Category: Person
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