Mont Follick
Dr. Mont Follick (b. 31 December 1887 Cardiff[1]; unmarried; died 10 December 1958[2]) was a British Labour Party politician, a campaigner for spelling reform, polyglot and advocate of decimal currency. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Loughborough from 1945 to 1955, having previously held the post of Professor of English at the University of Madrid in Spain.[3] In 1949 and again in 1952 he introduced private member's bills in the UK parliament for the reform of English spelling.
Follick was educated at the Sorbonne, Halle (Dr Phil) and Padua. He served as secretary to the Aga Khan, Sir Robert Philp (Premier of Queensland) and Mulay Hafid (Sultan of Morocco). He stood unsuccessfully for the Parliamentary constituencies of Ashford (1929), East Surrey (1931) and West Fulham (1935)[4] before his successful bid for Loughborough in 1945.[5]
Follick was also the founder and proprietor of the Regent School of Languages (destroyed by enemy action, but now part of the University of Westminster). On his death, he bequeathed the substantial sums raised by this venture to found and endow a professor's chair of Comparative Philology "in which spelling reform (not merely the teaching of reading) should form a principal part".[6] The bequest was finally accepted by the University of Manchester, and a chair bearing Follick's name is still in existence.
His publications include The Adam’s Lottery, 1919; Influence of English, 1934; Facing Facts, 1935; Efforts of Chance, 1938; English Grammar for Foreigners, 11 editions; and The Twelve Republics, 1952.[7]
Follick was a member of the Fabian Society, FRGS, and FRSA. He was also the inventor and patentee of the Geodok system of teaching geography.[8]
References
- ^ http://ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U237322/FOLLICK_Mont?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0
- ^ "Historical list of MPs: constituencies beginning with "L", part 4". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
- ^ Obituary, Time magazine, 22 December 1958
- ^ Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Vol. IV, Stenton & Lees
- ^ http://ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U237322/FOLLICK_Mont?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0
- ^ Spelling Progress Bulletin, Vol. XV, 1975
- ^ http://ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U237322/FOLLICK_Mont?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0
- ^ http://ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U237322/FOLLICK_Mont?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0
External links
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