John Worthington

Sir John Vigers Worthington (28 December 1872 – 16 June 1951) was a British surgeon and businessman, who later went into politics. After securing a remarkable election victory he served in Parliament in the early-1930s, being an unpaid assistant to Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. His mining constituency suffered particular difficulties in the depression and despite his efforts to help, he was defeated in his bid for re-election. Medical training Worthington's family came from Lowestoft, Suffolk, and his father was a surgeon. He was sent to public school, beginning at Woodbridge School and then at Haileybury. Worthington initially sought to follow his father's profession, studying medicine at London Hospital Medicine School. In 1892 Worthington won a £3 prize in practical anatomy; he qualified as a surgeon in 1895 by taking the conjoint diploma. He found employment as an assistant demonstrator in anatomy at the school, and was also official surgeon to the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. Business career Dissatisfied with medicine as a career, in 1901 Worthington left to join Dunlop Rubber Company with whom he remained for 20 years. He worked as a technical superintendent of factories, and in March 1916 was appointed as a Director of the company; he also became a Director of Dunlop America. He was technical superintendent of the company for two years, but owing to ill health he was forced to resign from that position and from his directorships in October 1920. He was later associated with the Moran Tea Company. Politics According to Worthington's obituary in The Times, he was dissatisfied with the economic policies of the Labour government, a dissatisfaction which increased after the report of the May Committee. He decided to stand for Parliament and joined with the group of Labour Party members who supported Ramsay MacDonald's decision to form the National Government. After a general election was called in October 1931, Worthington was adopted as the National Labour candidate for Forest of Dean division; simultaneously the division's adopted Conservative Party candidate Richard Tufnell, withdrew from the election. Worthington had a straight fight with the sitting Labour MP, David Vaughan, and succeeded in winning the election with a majority of 1,524, regarded as an "outstanding result" by The Times; four years later it was described as the most remarkable victory in the West of England.