Richard John Soper

Richard John Soper (13 June 1878 – 23 January 1954) was a Liberal National politician in the United Kingdom who served as member of parliament (MP) for four years between 1931 and 1935.

When the Liberal Party split at the 1931 general election over Ramsay MacDonald's formation of a National Government, he supported the faction led by Sir John Simon, who had reached an electoral arrangement with the Conservative Party.

This meant that in Barnsley, where the Conservatives had finished in third place in 1929, they withdrew to enable Soper, a straight fight against the sitting Labour MP, John Potts.

Soper's parliamentary career ended when Potts re-gained the seat for Labour at the 1935 general election.

When Potts died, a by-election took place in Barnsley in 1938, but Soper did not contest the seat.