Robert Perks
British politician
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0f/Robert_Perks.jpg/220px-Robert_Perks.jpg)
Sir Robert William Perks, 1st Baronet (24 April 1849 – 30 November 1934) was a British Liberal politician.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Robert_William_Perks_Grave.jpg/150px-Robert_William_Perks_Grave.jpg)
He was the son of George Thomas Perks (1819 – 1877), a Wesleyan Methodist preacher. He was educated at Kingswood School and at King's College London (1867–71). He then qualified as a solicitor, and became a partner of Henry Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton . [1]
He was elected to Parliament at the 1892 general election as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Louth . Perks was a prominent member of the Liberal Imperialists and its successor the Liberal League , in both organisations acting as treasurer. He was made a baronet in 1908, and retired from Parliament at the 1910 general election .
In 1898, Perks proposed the creation of the Wesleyan Methodist Twentieth Century Fund (also known as the 'One Million Guinea Fund') which aimed to raise one million guineas (£1.1s. or £1.05) to build a church in Central London. The fund had raised £1,073,682 by the time it closed in 1909, part of which was used to purchase the former Royal Aquarium site for the construction of the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster . [2]
In 1932 at the age of 83 Perks was elected vice-president of the Methodist Conference as the man most responsible for Methodist Union. [3]
He died in 1934 aged 85 and is buried in Brookwood Cemetery . His son succeeded him in the baronetcy. His daughter, Edith Mary, married Sir Bertram Allen in 1908.
References
- ↑ "PERKS, Robert William" . Who's Who . Vol. 59. 1907. p. 1386.
- ↑ "Wesleyan Historic Roll an introduction" . mywesleyanmethodists.org.uk . Retrieved 10 January 2019 .
- ↑ Lenton, John H. "Perks family" . A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland . Retrieved 13 June 2021 .
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Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by |
Member of Parliament
for
Louth
1892 – 1910 |
Succeeded by |
Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
New creation |
Baronet
(of Wykham Park) 1908–1934 |
Succeeded
by
Robert Perks
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