Reginald Logan Rait

Reginald Rait

Reginald Logan Rait (January 1902 – 1975), was a British Pattenmaker and Liberal Party politician. He was notable for being the youngest candidate to stand at the 1923 UK General Election.

Background

He was born in Kingston, Surrey^[1] to George Logan Rait and Alice Heleanor Rait.^[2] He was educated at Charterhouse School, Godalming and University College, Oxford. He lived in Surbiton Hill, Surrey.^[3]

Political career

In 1922 Rait was an Oxford delegate on Hungarian self-determination at Budapest. He was Liberal candidate for the Isle of Thanet division of Kent at the 1923 General Election. He was aged 21, the youngest candidate in the country.^[4] The constituency had returned a Unionist candidate at every election since it was created in 1885. Rait came to within 48 votes of taking the seat and recorded the highest percentage poll for a Liberal candidate in the constituency;

General Election 1923: Isle of Thanet[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Esmond Cecil Harmsworth	13,821	50.1	-11.1
	Liberal	Reginald Logan Rait	13,773	49.9	+11.1
Majority			48	0.2	-22.2
Turnout				69.5	+1.1
	Unionist hold		Swing	-11.1

After the election in February 1924 he was re-adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for the Isle of Thanet.^[6] However, he did not contest the seat at the following general election in October 1924. He did not stand for parliament again.^[7]

Professional career

He was a Pattenmaker. In 1958 he was Master of the livery of the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers.^[8]

He died in London, in 1975 at the age of 73.^[9]

References

1. ancestry.co.uk
2. http://www.myheritage.com
3. The Liberal Yearbook - 1926
4. The Illustrated London News 1 Dec 1923
5. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
6. Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, Kent, 23 February 1924
7. British parliamentary election results 1918-1983, Craig, F.W.S.
8. http://www.pattenmakers.co.uk
9. ancestry.co.uk