Background
Dobbs was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
Dobbs was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
He served as a Rushden Urban District Councillor between 1906 and 1910 and a Leeds City Councillor from 1923 to 1929, then as Alderman in Leeds 1929-1936. Dobbs was Leader of Labour Group on Leeds City Council between 1931 and 1936 as well as a magistrate. Dobbs worked as National Organiser for the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives 1936-1945.
Dobbs stood for Parliament on several occasions, in Altrincham at the 1929 general election and in Leeds North East at the 1931 and 1935 general elections.
He was elected as Member of Parliament for Smethwick in the Labour landslide of 1945, defeating the Conservative incumbent, Roy Wise. However, having been elected on 26 July 1945, Dobbs was killed in a car accident the next day, 27 July 1945.
Attempting to avoid a child, Dobbs" car was in collision with a military vehicle in Doncaster, and he was killed instantly. His passenger, Mistress Elsie Marshall, died later in hospital.
Although there have been occasions when MPs were elected posthumously, Dobbs" term was the shortest actually served since World World War World War II He was succeeded as Member of Parliament for Smethwick by Labour"s Patrick Gordon Walker, who held the seat for the next 19 years.
38th United Kingdom Parliament]
He is the Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) who served the shortest term since the Second World War — just one day. He was well-known at senior levels of the Labour Party, a member of the National Executive Committee 1936-1945 and Chair of the Labour Party 1942-1943.