Sir John Barran, 2nd Baronet

Sir John Nicholson Barran, 2nd Baronet (16 August 1872 – 8 July 1952) was a British Liberal Party politician.

Sir John Barran Baronet
Member of Parliament for Hawick Burghs
In office 5 March 1909 – 14 December 1918
Personal details
Born	16 August 1872
Died	8 July 1952
Political party	Liberal Party

Background and family

Barran was the son of John Barran (1844–1886) and the grandson of Sir John Barran, 1st Baronet. His mother was Eliza Henrietta Nicholson, daughter of Edward Nicholson. He was educated at Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge,^[1] and succeeded his grandfather in the baronetcy in 1905.

He married firstly, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston on 18 November 1902, Alice Margarita Parks, daughter of Reverend Leighton Parks, rector of Emmanuel church.^[2] They had three sons and one daughter. After his first wife's death in 1939, he married secondly in 1946 Esther Frances Fisher, daughter of New Zealand politician Frank Fisher.

His eldest son Sir John Leighton Barran (1904–1974) succeeded in the baronetcy. His youngest son Sir David Barran became a prominent businessman and served as Managing Director and Chairman of Shell.

Barran died in July 1952, aged 79.

Political career

Barran was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election in March 1909 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hawick Burghs.

1909 Hawick Burghs by-election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir John Barran	3,028	54.7
	Liberal Unionist	Halford John Mackinder	2,508	45.3
Majority			520	9.4
Turnout				92.8
	Liberal hold		Swing

He was re-elected with a large majority in January 1910

January 1910 general election: Hawick Burghs

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir John Barran	3,261	59.0	+4.3
	Liberal Unionist	James Edward Graham	2,268	41.0	−4.3
Majority			993	18.0	+8.6
Turnout				91.7	−1.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.3

He was returned unopposed in December 1910.^[4] He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister H. H. Asquith from 1910 to 1916. After the war he tried unsuccessfully to return to parliament, standing as Liberal candidate for Kingston upon Hull North West at the general elections of 1922, 1923 and 1924.^[5]

1922 general election: Kingston upon Hull North West^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Albert Lambert Ward	14,904	57.1
	Liberal	Sir John Barran	11,204	42.9
Majority			3,700	14.2
Turnout
	Unionist hold		Swing

1923 general election: Kingston upon Hull North West^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Albert Lambert Ward	12,674	50.2
	Liberal	Sir John Barran	12,559	49.8
Majority			115	0.4
Turnout				73.7
	Unionist hold		Swing

1924 general election: Kingston upon Hull North West^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Albert Lambert Ward	15,072	53.3
	Liberal	Sir John Barran	8,080	28.5
	Labour	Ferdinand Louis Kerran	5,151	18.2
Majority			6,992	24.8
Turnout				81.2
	Unionist hold		Swing

Apart from his political career he was a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding of Yorkshire.