Quick Facts
Biography
Reginald Logan Rait (January 1902 – 1975), was a British Pattenmaker and Liberal Party politician. He was notable for being the youngest candidate to stand at the 1923 UK General Election.
Background
He was born in Kingston, Surrey to George Logan Rait and Alice Heleanor Rait. He was educated at Charterhouse School, Godalming and University College, Oxford. He lived in Surbiton Hill, Surrey.
Political career
In 1922 Rait was an Oxford delegate on Hungarian self-determination at Budapest. He was Liberal candidate for the Isle of Thanet division of Kent at the 1923 General Election. He was aged 21, the youngest candidate in the country. The constituency had returned a Unionist candidate at every election since it was created in 1885. Rait came to within 48 votes of taking the seat and recorded the highest percentage poll for a Liberal candidate in the constituency;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Esmond Cecil Harmsworth | 13,821 | 50.1 | -11.1 | |
| Liberal | Reginald Logan Rait | 13,773 | 49.9 | +11.1 | |
| Majority | 48 | 0.2 | -22.2 | ||
| Turnout | 69.5 | +1.1 | |||
| Unionist hold | Swing | -11.1 | |||
After the election in February 1924 he was re-adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for the Isle of Thanet. However, he did not contest the seat at the following general election in October 1924. He did not stand for parliament again.
Professional career
He was a Pattenmaker. In 1958 he was Master of the livery of the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers.
He died in London, in 1975 at the age of 73.
