Francis Lucas

Colonel Francis Alfred Lucas (7 June 1850 – 11 December 1918) was a British company director and Conservative Party politician who lived in London and in Suffolk. He sat in the House of Commons from 1900 until his defeat in 1906. He died whilst a prospective candidate in the 1918 election and he was replaced by his wife, Alice Theresa Lucas.

Early life Lucas was the son of Sampson Lucas, of Gloucester Square, London. He was educated privately and then at University College London, after which he went into business, becoming a partner in Lucas, Nicholls and Company, a merchants firm with operations in London, Stockport and Manchester.

He was also an actively involved in the Volunteer Force, serving for 35 years as a member of the Artists Rifles, mostly as an officer.

He was also a governor of Christ's Hospital and of Guy's Hospital, and a Justice of the Peace for Suffolk, and at the 1900 general election he was elected as MP for Lowestoft, with a majority of over 20% of the votes. However, at the 1906 election, he was defeated by the Liberal candidate Edward Beauchamp, who won the seat with a 14% majority.

After his defeat in 1906, Lucas did not stand again in Lowestoft. He unsuccessfully contested the Kennington division of Lambeth at both the January 1910 and December 1910 elections, and at the 1918 general election he stood again in Kennington. Alice was nearly elected and she would have been the only woman MP from the 1918 election.