1385 Horace Farquhar

Constituency  : Marylebone  West  1895-1898  ( Liberal  Unionist )

Horace  won  Marylebone  West  for  the  Liberal  Unionists  after  the  Liberals  substantially  reduced  the  Conservative  majority  in  1892. Horace  was  the  only  Liberal  of  any  sort  to  hold  the  seat.

Horace  was  the  fifth  son  of  a  baronet. His  family  were  not  particularly  wealthy  so  he  started  out  as  a  junior  civil  servant. He  rose  to  become  a  manager  for  the  firm, Forbes, Forbes  & Co  who  were  involved  in  the  Indian  trade. He  left  them  to  become  a  shareholder and  partner  in  the  private  bank  of  Sir  Samuel  Scott. He  also  became  a  director  in  the  British  South  Africa  Company  despite  a  huge  conflict  of  interest  as  a  shareholder  in  the  Exploration  Company  looking  for  mining  rights  in  lands  controlled  by  the  BASC. He  had  to  resign  after  the  Jameson  Raid. He  oversaw  the  merger  of  Scott's  with  Parr's  whose  board  he  joined. He  married  the  widow  of  one  of  the  Scott  family  which  brought  him  a  fortune. In  1889  he  was  elected  to  the  London  County  Council   as  a  "Moderate"  ( i.e.  one of  the  Unionist  parties ). In  1892  he  was created a  baronet  in  his  own  right. He  became  president  of  the  London  Municipal  Society  in  1894.

Horace  was  a  major  contributor  to  party  funds  and  argued  his  way  to  being  elevated  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Farquhar  in  1898. His  stepson  won  the  by-election  unopposed  as  a  Conservative.      

Horace  had  been  a  long  time  friend  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  so  he  was  immediately  appointed  Master  of  the  Household  when  he  became  Edward  VII. He  became  a  lord  in  waiting in  1907  , retaining  the  post  when  George  V  came  to  the  throne. He  was  made  Lord  Steward  of  the  Household  in  1915. In  1917  he  was upgraded  to  a  viscount.

Horace  was  appointed   treasurer  of  the  Conservative  and  Unionist  party  on  its  creation  in  1912 . He  was  sacked  by  Bonar  Law  after  handing  over  money  to  Lloyd  George  which  he  said  had  been  donated  to  the  coalition  rather  than  the  party.  Coincidentally  he  was  upgraded  to  an  earl  in  1922.

He  died  in  1923  aged  79. He  was  found  to  be  bankrupt  on  his  death.