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Alfred Roberts (18 April 1892 – 10 February 1970) was a grocer, a lay preacher, an alderman and a Mayor of Grantham. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In religious organizations the laity comprises all persons who are not Clergy. An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Grantham is a Market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. He was the father of Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom

Roberts was born in Ringstead and grew up in Northamptonshire. Ringstead is a small village situated in Northamptonshire, England and is located approximately 15 miles north-east of Northampton in the Nene Valley Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants He was the fifth of seven children born to Benjamin Ebenezer Roberts and Ellen Smith. His bad eyesight meant he could not enter the family trade of shoemaking. He left school at thirteen in order to help support his family and moved to Grantham where he gained a job as an apprentice in a grocery store; he had originally wanted to become a teacher. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. When World War I broke out in 1914, Roberts, "a deeply patriotic man",[1] applied to enlist in the army six times but was rejected because of his poor eyesight. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Four years after living in Grantham, Roberts met Beatrice Ethel Stephenson through the local Methodist church, which he attended every Sunday. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations They married on May 28, 1917 and had two daughters: Muriel (1921-2004) and Margaret (born 1925). Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year In 1919 they bought the grocery shop and in 1923 Roberts opened a second shop. He took one week off work every year to compete in the annual bowls tournament at Skegness. Bowls (also known as Lawn Bowls or Lawn Bowling) is a precision Sport in which the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical Balls Skegness is a seaside town and Civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. He was a religious man and also a routine lay preacher who met prominent Methodists such as Leslie Weatherhead and Donald Soper. Leslie Dixon Weatherhead (1893-1976 was an English Christian theologian in the liberal Protestant tradition Donald Oliver Soper Baron Soper ( 31 January 1903 &ndash 22 December 1998) was a prominent Methodist minister, Socialist

Roberts was an "old-fashioned liberal"[2] who believed strongly in individual responsibility and sound finance. He had read and admired John Stuart Mill's On Liberty. John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 &ndash 8 May 1873 British Philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential On Liberty is a philosophical work by 19th century English Philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859 He came from a family that traditionally voted Liberal but he believed that the Liberal Party had embraced collectivism and that the Conservatives stood for the old liberalism. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party Collectivism is a term used to describe any moral political or social outlook that stresses human Interdependence and the importance of a Collective, rather than The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. [3] His daughter Muriel recalled that Roberts "was always a Liberal at heart". [4] In the 1935 general election, Roberts helped the local Conservative candidate Victor Warrender to win the seat. Results |} Total votes cast 20991488 All parties shown Conservatives include Ulster Unionists Seats won by the Independent Labour Party (ILP are Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender 1st Baron Bruntisfield MC PC ( 23 June 1899 – 14 January 1993) was a Conservative Grantham was a Parliamentary constituency in Lincolnshire, England.

In 1927 Roberts was elected to the Grantham town council as an independent. He was also a part-time Justice of the Peace, president of the Chamber of Trade, President of Rotary, a director of the Grantham Building Society, a director of the Trustee Savings Bank, chairman of the local National Savings Movement, a governor of the local boys and girls grammar schools and chairman of the Workers' Educational Association. A Justice of the Peace ( JP) is a Puisne Judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace A chamber of commerce (also referred to in some circles as a board of trade) is a form of Business network. Rotary International is an organization of Service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds and in particular those who have previously missed During the Second World War he was Chief Welfare Officer, directing civil defence. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Civil defense or civil defence (see spelling differences) is an effort to prepare Civilians for Military attack [5] He soon became Chairman of the Finance and Rating Committee, and in 1943 he was elected by the council as an Alderman and then served as the Mayor of Grantham from November 1945 to 1946, in which he presided over the town's victory celebrations. An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions In his inaugural speech Roberts called for a large programme of expenditure to rebuild the roads, public transport, health and social services for children and to "build houses by the thousand. "[6]

On May 21, 1952 Roberts was voted out as Alderman by the first Labour majority on the council and as the vote was taken he proclaimed: "It is now almost nine years since I took up these robes in honour, and now I trust in honour they are laid down. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the "[7] When his daughter Margaret recalled this event over thirty years later during an interview with Miriam Stoppard she said it was "very emotional" and wept on television. Miriam Stoppard MD DSc FRCP DCL (née Stern and subsequently Miriam Moore-Robinson born 12 May 1937 is a British [8]

Roberts retired and sold his business in 1958 but continued to preach and remained active in the Rotary Club. Rotary International is an organization of Service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world After Beatrice died in 1960 Roberts remarried in 1965 to Cecily Miriam Hubbard. Roberts died in 1970.

Notes

  1. ^ Margaret Thatcher, The Path to Power (HarperCollins, 1995), p. 4.
  2. ^ Ibid, p. 21.
  3. ^ Ibid, p. 65.
  4. ^ John Campbell, Margaret Thatcher: The Grocer's Daughter (Jonathan Cape, 2000), p. 11.
  5. ^ Ibid, p. 12.
  6. ^ Hugo Young, One of Us (Pan, 1990), p. 10.
  7. ^ Thatcher, p. 21.
  8. ^ Young, p. 308.

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External links

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