Pierse Loftus

Pierse Creagh Loftus (29 November 1877 – 20 January 1956) was an Irish-born British businessman and Conservative Party politician. A notable figure in the public life of Lowestoft and East Suffolk for several decades, he sat in the House of Commons from 1934 to 1945 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lowestoft division of Suffolk.

Early life Loftus was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland. When he was eight years old, he and his brother changed their surnames to Loftus, adopting their grandmother's maiden name.

He was educated at St. Augustine's School in Ramsgate and at The Oratory School in Birmingham. In the First World War he served with the Suffolk Regiment in France, reaching the rank of captain. Loftus was selected as the Conservative candidate for the resulting by-election. The Conservative Party was part of the National Government, and Loftus stood as a "National Conservative", i.e. a supporter of the government, with the backing of the other parties in the government. He was opposed by the Labour Party and by an independent Liberal candidate. The campaign was dominated by the issues facing Lowestoft's fishermen, who had suffered from the loss of Russia as a market for herring.

Polling took place on 15 February, and Loftus won the seat over the Labour Party candidate, former Leyton West MP Reginald Sorensen, whom he beat by 1,920 votes. This was significantly below Rentoul's majority in the 1931 general election, but Loftus was re-elected in the 1935 election with over 60% of the votes,