1574 John Brunner

Constituency  : Leigh  1906-10, Northwich  1910-18, Southport  1923-4

John  took  over  from  C P Scott  in  representing  Leigh.

John  was  the  son  of  the  chemical  magnate  and  Northwich  MP  of  the  same  name. He  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  former  Battersea  MP  Octavius  Morgan.

John  spoke  for  the  eight  hour  day  in  the  mines  in  1906.

When  John's  father  stood  down  in  January  1910  John  Jr  switched  seats  to  succeed  him.  In  December  1910  his  majority  was  much  reduced  and  The  Manchester  Courier  remarked  that  "Brunnerism  has  sustained  a  blow  from  which  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  will  ever  recover".

John  was  defeated  by  a  couponed  Conservative  in  1918.

John  succeeded  to  his  father's  baronetcy  in  1919.

In  1922  John  switched  to  Southport  where  he  came  a  fairly  close  second  to  the  Tory.  He  had  a  narrow  victory  in  1923  but  was  decisively  beaten  in  1924.

John  stood  in  a  by-election  at  Cheltenham  in  1928  but  came  second  due  to  the  intervention  of  a  Labour  candidate.

John  was  the  grandfather  of  the  Duchess  of  Kent.

He  died  in  1929  aged  64.

1573 Harry Nuttall

Constituency : Stretford  1906-18

Harry  took  Stretford  from  the  Tories.

Harry  was  a  Mancunian  who  studied  at  Owens  College. He  was  an  import  and  export  merchant. He  was  President  of  the  Manchester  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  1905. He  stood  for  Stretford  in  1900.

Harry  was  opposed  to  Britain's  entry  into  World  War  One , writing "If  we  are  drawn  into  war it  will  be  a  disgraceful  failure  of  British  statecraft".

Harry  stood  down  in  1918.

He  died  in  1924  aged  75.

1572 Ryland Adkins

Constituency : Middleton  1906-18, Middleton and  Prestwich  1918-23

Ryland  took  Middleton  from  the  Tories.

Ryland  hailed  from  Northampton. He  was  educated  at  University  College, London  and  Oxford. He  became  a  barrister. He  was  a  Congregationalist. He  was  one  of  the  original  councillors  on  Northamptonshire  County  Council  in  1889.

Ryland  was  knighted  in  1911. He  was  also  appointed  Recorder  of  Northampton. This  necessitated  a  by-election  which  was  keenly  fought  on  the  issue  of  National  Insurance. Lloyd  George  sent  Ryland  a  public  letter  repudiating  the  Unionist  claims. Ryland  held  on  by  411  votes.

In  1912  Ryland  was  chosen  by  the  whips  to  move  an  amendment  to  the  motion  of  censure  on  the  Marconi  scandal.

Ryland  was  appointed  to  commissions  on  drunkenness, federal  devolution  and  old  age  pensions. He  was  a  member  of  the  Speaker's  Conference  on  Electoral  Reform. In  1918  he  made  a  speech  in  favour  of  the  alternative  vote.

Ryland  was  vice-chairman  of  the  Northamptonshire  Territorial  Forces  Association  and  played  an  important  part  in  recruiting  during  the  war. In  1915  he  wrote  to  Asquith  opposing  conscription, pointing  out  the  great  opposition  in  his  constituency.

Strangely, Ryland  received  the  coupon  in  1918  despite  having  voted  with  Asquith  in  the  Maurice  debate. He  won  the  new  seat  of  Middleton  and  Prestwich  comfortably  in  the  absence  of  a  Unionist  candidate. He  repaid  Lloyd  George  with  loyalty  in  the  new Parliament. In  1920  he  sent  Lloyd  George  a  letter  opposing  the  idea

In  1920  Ryland  was  appointed  Recorder  of  Birmingham  and  had  to  face  another  by-election. However  he  was  returned  unopposed  because  an  outbreak  of  smallpox in  the  constituency  necessitated  an  electoral  truce.

Despite  the  collapse  of  the  coalition  Ryland  didn't  face  a  Conservative  opponent  in  1922 and  held  on  comfortably. In  1923  they  did  contest  the  seat  and  defeated  Ryland  by  529  votes. In  1924  he  came  third.

He  died  of  gastric  flu  in  1925  aged  62.

1571 Edward Holden

Constituency : Heywood  1906-10

Edward  took  over  from  George  Kemp  at  Heywood.

Edward  was  the  son  of  a  calico  bleacher  from  Tottington. He  started  in  clerical  work  then  became  a  banker's  apprentice. He  studied  at  Owen's  College  at  night. In  1881, he  started  working  at  Birmingham  and  Midland  Bank  and  rose  through  the  ranks  as  it  expanded  rapidly  through  acquisitions. In  1898,  he  personally  arranged  the  acquisition  of  the  City  Bank  and  became  managing  director  of  the resulting  London, City  and  Midland  Bank. When  it  as  renamed  the Midland  Bank  in  1908,  he  became  its  chairman. By  his  death  it  was  the  largest  bank  in  the  world.

Edward  made  only  one  parliamentary  speech, an  assessment  of  the  final  balance  sheet  in  1906  which  was  rather  pessimistic.

In  1908  Edward  was  mooted  to  succeed  Asquith  as  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. This  prompted  a  threat  to  resign  from  the  Cabinet  from  Lloyd  George  who  then  took  the  position  himself.

Edward  was  created  a  baronet  in  1909. He  twice  refused  a  peerage.

Edward  stood  down  in  January  1910.

The  government  still  took  economic  advice  from  Edward  and  in  1915  he  went  to  New  York  to  stabilise  exchange  rates  and  negotiate  a  loan.

He  died  of  a  heart  attack  in  1919  aged  71.

1570 George Pollard

Constituency : Eccles  1906-18

George  took  Eccles  from  the  Tories.

George  was  from  Southport. He  was  educated  at  Oxford  and  Edinburgh  Universities. He  became  a  physician   and  assistant  to  the  Professor  of  Midwifery  at  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  Edinburgh. He  was  also  a  barrister. He  was  mayor  of  Southport  in  1897. He  stood  for  Southport  in  1892  and  Chatham  in  1895.

George  was  in  favour  of  the  abolition  of  the  Lords. In  a  debate  in  1907  he  made  the  point  that  "if  the  House of  Lords  always  acted  impartially , so  far  from  enjoying  the  regard  of  both  parties, it  would  now  be  sharing  the  hostility  of  both... To  one  great  party  in  the  State the  House  of  Lords  is  an  object  of  hostility  unmingled  with  respect;  to  the  other  it  is  an  object  of  contempt  tempered  with  a  recognition  of  its  utility  for  Party  purposes".

George  was  knighted  in  1909.

George  acted  as  medical  advisor  to  the  Ministry  of  Munitions  on  chemical  warfare. His  son  Thomas  was killed  in  1917.

George  stood  down  in  1918.

He  died  in  1937  aged  72.

1569 George Haddock

Constituency : North   Lonsdale  1906-12  ( Liberal  Unionist ) ; 1912-18  ( Conservative )

George  took  North  Lonsdale  from  Richard  Cavendish  who'd  defected  to  the  Liberals  over  Free  Trade. He  won  by  179  votes.

In  1907  the  Tory  Earl  of  Crawford  described him  as  "utterly  useless"  as  a  parliamentarian.

George  retained  the  seat  in  January  1910  by  69  votes. The  Liberals  demanded  a  recount  which  resulted  in  George's  majority  going  up  by  a  hundred. In  December  he  won  against  the  same  opponent  by  74  votes.

George  served  in  World  War  One  as  a  Major.

George  stood  down  when  the  seat  was  abolished  in  1918.

George  was  fond  of  hunting  and  shooting.

He  died  in  1930  aged  66.

1568 Alfred King

Constituency : Knutsford 1906-10

Alfred  took  Knutsford  from  the  Tories..

Alfred  was  the  son  of  a  former  mayor  of  Manchester. He  was  educated  at  a  school  in  Scarborough  and  Owen's  College, Manchester. He  owned  a  bleaching  and  finishing  works  at  Bollington. He  represented  the  village  on  Cheshire  County  Council. He  was  a  Quaker.

Alfred  was  a  pacifist  by  inclination  but  defended  the  government  against  the  "economists"  on  naval  disarmament  because  of  the  German  challenge.

Alfred  lost  the  seat  in  January  1910. He  and  his  family  retired  to  Windermere.

He  died  in  1920  aged  61.

1567 Dudley Stewart-Smith

Constituency : Kendal  1906-10

Dudley took  Kendal  from  the  Tories.

Dudley  was  the  son  of  a  merchant  operating  in  Hong  Kong. He  was  educated  at  London  University. He  became  a  barrister  and  was  also  on  the  Council  of  the  Victoria  and  Liverpool  Universities.

Dudley  was  defeated  in  January  1910  and  unsuccessfully  contested  Nottingham  East  in  December.

Dudley  was  knighted  in  1917.

Dudley  wrote  Law  of  Winding-Up  and  Reconstruction of  Joint-Stock  Companies.

He  died  in  1919  aged  62.

1566 Charles Schwann

Constituency  : Hyde  1906-10

Charles  took  Hyde  from  the  Tories.

Charles  was  the  son  of  the  MP  for  Manchester  North  of  the  same  name. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford. He  qualified  as  a  barrister  but  became  a  journalist, first  on  the  Bolton  Evening  News , then  the  Star  and  Evening  News  in  London.

Charles's  only  substantial  contribution  to  Parliament  was  a  colourful  speech  decrying  the  actions  of  the  House  of  Lords  in  1907, "We  regard  it  as  the  peasants  of  Styria  regard  the  vampire, stealing  from  its  grave  to  feed  on  the  life  blood of  Liberal  Bills  for  a  short  space, and  then  to  return  from  its  unhallowed  feast  to  its  unknown  resting  place".

Charles  stood  down  in  January  1910  to  pursue  a  literary  career. He  produced  a  number  of  humorous  novels  which  are  largely  forgotten  now.

In  1913  Charles's  father  obtained  a  licence  to  change  the  family  name  to  the  more  anglicised  Swann.

Charles  succeeded  to  his  father's  baronetcy  in  1929.

He  died  in  1962  aged  63.

1565 Geoffrey Howard

Constituency : Eskdale  1906-10, Westbury  1911-18, Luton 1923-4

Geoffrey  took  Eskdale  from  the  Tories'  Claude  Lowther.

Geoffrey  was  a  son  of  the  Earl  of  Carlisle  and  related  to  the  Stanleys  through  his  mother. He  was  educated  at  Cambridge. He  became  master  of  Castle  Howard  on  his  father's  death.

Geoffrey  called  for  the  expanded  provision  of  temperance  rooms  in  army  barracks.

Geoffrey  was  part  of  Asquith's  social  circle, often  played  host  to  him   and  became  private  secretary  to  the  parliamentary  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trade, Harold  Tennant. He  held  his  seat  in  January  1910  and  became  private  secretary  to  the  Prime  Minister  himself  but  lost  his  seat  back  to  Lowther  in  December  1910.

Geoffrey  ran  a  Liberal  Suffrage  Group  to  broaden  the  franchise.  He  antagonised  some  of  the  suffragettes  who  felt  that  his  work  was  actually  damaging  their  cause. He  brought  in  an  Adult  Suffrage  Bill  in  1909.

In  1911  Geoffrey  returned  to  Parliament  at  a  by-election  at  Westbury. He  was  appointed  Vice-Chamberlain  of  the  Household  and  held  the  post  until  1915. He  was  then  made  a  whip  until  1916.

As  an  Asquith  loyalist, Geoffrey  saw  the coupon  given  to  his  Unionist  opponent  in  1918. Labour's  intervention  probably  cost  him  the  seat.

In  1922  Geoffrey  contested  Cumberland  North  but  was  narrowly  defeated.

In  1923  Geoffrey  recaptured  Luton  for  the  Liberals  on  a  big  swing  but  lost  it  in  1924.

He  died  in  1935  aged  58.

1564 Hugh Fullerton

Constituency : Egremont  1906-10

Hugh  took  Egremont  from  the  Tories.

Hugh  was  from  Manchester  and  had  relatively  humble  origins. He  was  active  in  local  politics. He  wanted  to  stand  for  Ashton-under-Lyne  in  1900  but  lacked  the  financial  resources  necessary. As  Herbert  Gladstone's  diary  put  it  he  was  "deficient  in  position".He  was  a  member  of  the  Executive  of  the  National  Liberal  Federation.

Hugh  was  known  as  a  Radical.

Many  of  Hugh's  parliamentary  contributions  were  about  South  Africa.

Hugh  was  defeated  in  January  1910  by  111  votes  and  didn't  stand  in  December.

Hugh  stood  for  Royton  in  1918.

He  died  in  1922  aged  71.

1563 Arthur Stanley

Constituency : Eddisbury  1906-10

Arthur  took  Eddisbury  from  the  Tories.

Arthur  was  the  son  and  heir  of  Baron  Stanley. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford  and  became  a  barrister. In  1904  he  became  a  councillor  on  the  LCC.

Arthur  came  close  to  the  inner  circles  of  power  because  his  sister  Venetia  became  a  close  confidant  of  Asquith. Arthur  became  Parliamentary Secretary  to  the  Postmaster  General  Sydney  Buxton. Otherwise  he  made  little  impression  in  Parliament.

Arthur  was  defeated  in  January  1910. He  stood  again  in  December  and  got  exactly  the  same  number  of  votes , 4.976,  as   in  January.

In  1913  Arthur  was  appointed  Governor  of  Victoria. He  served  until  1920  but  returned  to  Britain  early  through  ill  health.

In  1923  Arthur  stood  in  Knutsford  but  failed  to  take  the  seat  by  80  votes.

In  1925  Arthur  succeeded  his  father  as  Baron  Stanley, Baron  Eddisbury  and  Baron  Sheffield, an  Irish  title.  

He  died  in  1931  of  actinomycosis  aged  55.

1562 Alfred Mond

Constituency : Chester  1906-10, Swansea 1910-18, Swansea  West 1918-23, Carmarthen  1924-6 , 1926-8  (Conservative )

Alfred  took  Chester  from  the  Conservatives  by  47  votes.

Alfred  was  born  in  Widnes, the  son  of  a  German  Jewish  chemist. He  was  educated  at  Cheltenham  College  and  Cambridge. He  then  studied  law  at  Edinburgh  University  and  became  a  barrister. He  then  joined  his  father's  business  Brunner,  Mond  and  Company  and  later  became  its  managing  director. He  also  had  interests  in  nickel  mining  and  he  was  a  director  of  the  National  Westminster  Bank. He  championed  research, amalgamation  and  rationalisation  and  industrial  co-operation.He  stood  in  SAlford  South  in  1900.

Alfred  was  a  supporter  of  the  "New  Liberalism"  and  constructive  social  reform.

Alfred  witched  to  the  less  marginal  seat  of  Swansea  in  January  1910. He  was  created  a  baronet  that  year.

Perhaps  stung  by  scurrilous  suggestions  in  the  Daily  Mail  that  his  pet  pigeons  were  used  as  carrier  pigeons  because  of  his  German  roots, Alfred  joined  the  Liberal  War  Committee  urging  a  more  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war. Alfred  supported  Lloyd  George  and  became  First  Commissioner  of  Works  in  1916, In  1921  he  was  promoted  to  the  Cabinet  as  Minister  of  Health.  He  had  to  jettison  most  of  his  predecessor  Christopher  Addison's  plans  for  housebuilding  and  slum  clearance.He  strongly  opposed  the  idea  of  fusion  between  the  Coalition  Liberals  and  the  Tories. He  urged  Lloyd  George  to  fight  a  radical  campaign  in  1922  and  backed  Liberal  reunion  thereafter.

Alfred  received  the  coupon  in  1918 but  was  still  opposed  by  a  Conservative  as  well  as  Labour. He  won  by  1.181 votes. In  1922  he  was  subjected  to  fierce  anti-semitic  campaigns  by  both  Labour  and  the  Tories  but  held  on  by  802  votes. In  1923  he  was  narrowly  defeated  by  Labour. In  August 1924  Alfred   returned  at  a  by-election  at  Carmarthen. He  offered  himself  as  a  possible  Chancellor  of  Exchequer  if  Asquith  tried  to  form  a  Liberal  government.

In  1921,  Alfred  visited  Palestine  and  became  an  ardent  Zionist.He  gave  money  to  organisations  promoting  Jewish  colonization  and  became  President  of  the  British  Zionist  Foundation. He  sat  on  the  board  of  the  Palestine  Electric  Company  securing  contracts  from  the  British  government. He  founded  the  town  of  Tel  Mond.

In  January  1926,  Alfred  found  Lloyd  George's  plans  to  nationalise  the  land  too  difficult to  square  with   his  anti-socialist  outlook  and  defected  to  the  Conservatives.

That  same  year  Alfred  mastered  the  merger  of  his  company  with  three  others  to  form  Imperial  Chemical  Industries.

Alfred's  last  contribution  to  public  life  was  the  founding  of  the  Mond-Turner  industrial  peace  conferences  which  won  him  some  trade  union  respect.

In  1928  Alfred  was  elevated  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Melchett.

Alfred  was  rather  blunt  and  tactless  and  a  poor  public  speaker but  impressed  with  his  energy  and  business  acumen.

He  died  in  1930  aged  62.

1561 Henry Vivian

Constituency : Birkenhead  1906-10, Totnes  1923-4

Henry  took  Birkenhead  from  the  Tories  as  a  Liberal-Labour  candidate..

Henry  was  a  carpenter's  son  from  Devon. He  was  educated  locally  and  became  a  carpenter's  apprentice. He  moved  to  London  and  became  an  active  trade  organiser  for  the  Society  of  Carpenters  and  Joiners. He  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Cooperative  movement. He  believed in  co-partnership  in  industry  and  profit-sharing. He  founded  the  Labour  Co  Partnership  Association  to  put  his  ideas  into  practical  action, influenced  by  the  garden  cities  movement. He  published  many  pamphlets  on  his  ideas.

Henry  did  not  support  female  suffrage. He  strongly  resisted  the  idea  that  all  trade  union  MPs  should  move  into  the  Labour  party. He  opposed  the  Unemployed  Workmen  Bill  calling  for  local  relief.

Henry  had  pacifist  leanings  and  in  1906  had  a  resolution  passed  calling  for  arms  limitation  to  be  on  the  agenda  at  an  international  conference  at  The  Hague.

Henry  sat  on  the  Royal  Commission  on  Housing  and  Town  Planning

Henry  held  on  in  January  1910  by  144  votes  but  with  the  left  urging  socialists  to  vote  against  him, he  lost  to  the  Conservatives  in  December.

Henry  went  to  Canada  to  expound  his  ideas  on  urban  planning.

In  1911  Henry  contested  South  Somerset, a  Liberal  seat  since  1885, in  a  by-election  which  seems  to  have  been  mainly  fought  on  the  issue  of  the  National  Insurance  Act. He  lost  by  148  votes.

In  1918  Henry  contested  Edmonton  where  he  came  third.

Henry  was  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  League  of  Nations  and  was  chair  of  the  local  branch  of  the  League  of  Nations  branch  in  Hornsey.

In  1922  Henry  contested  Northampton  against  Lloyd  George  supporter  Charles  McCurdy  but  came  third  with  less  than  10 %  of  the  vote.

Henry  briefly  returned  to  Parliament  by  recapturing  Totnes  from  the  Tories  in  1923 . He  made  a  long  speech  in  defence  of  Free  Trade  as  soon  as  he  got  there. The  Conservatives  regained  the  seat  in  1924.

He  died  in  1930  aged  62.

1560 Alfred Scott

Constituency : Ashton-under-Lyne  1906-10

Alfred  took  Ashton-under-Lyne  from  the  Tories.

Alfred  was  born  in  Manchester. He  was  educated  at  a  number  of  local  grammar  schools. He  became  a  Manchester  merchant  and  a  city  councillor. In  1900  he  challenged  Balfour  in  Manchester  East  on  a  radical  platform  supporting  abolition  of  the  Lords  and  nationalisation  or  municipalisation  of  land, railways  and  mines.

In  1907  Alfred  became  Vice-President  of  the  Association  of  Municipal  Corporations. He  supported  female  suffrage.

In  January  1910  Alfred  held  his  seat  despite  the  intervention  of  an  Independent  Labour  candidate. In  the December  election  he  was  narrowly  defeated  by  Max  Aitken, the  futiure  Lord  Beaverbrook.

Alfred  moved  to  London  where  he  became  an  alderman  on  the  LCC.

Alfred  contested  Darlington  against  a  couponed  Conservative  candidate  but  was  easily  defeated. He  stood  for  West  Ham  Stratford  in  1922  but  came  a  distant  third. His  last  attempt  to  return  to  Parliament  was  at  Finsbury  in  1923  when  he  again  came  third..

He  died  in  1939  aged  71.

1559 William Crossley

Constituency : Altrincham  1906-10

William  took  Altrincham  from  the  Tories. He  defeated  Disraeli's  nephew  Coningsby.

William  was  born  in  Northern  Ireland  and  educated  in  Dungannon  and  Bonn. He  started  work  at  a  machine  works  and  then  joined  his  brother  Francis  in  starting  an  engineering  firm. They  became  a  major  employer  in  Manchester.

William  was  created  a  baronet  in  1909.

William  was  defeated  by  119  votes  in  December  1910.

William  was  a  philanthropist. He  built  a  sanatorium at  Delamere  Forest. He  chaired  the  Manchester  Hospital  for  Consumption  and  Diseases. He  was  a  backer  of  the  Manchester  Ship  Canal.

William  was  teetotal  and  treasurer  of  the  United  Kingdom  Alliance.

He  died  in  1911  aged  67  after  an  operation.

1558 Herbert Craig

Constituency : Tynemouth  1906-18

Herbert  took  Tynemouth  from  the  Tories.

Herbert  was  the  son  of  the  former  Newcastle  MP, James  Craig. He  was  educated  at  Rugby  and  Cambridge  and  became  a  barrister. He  was  also  the  head  of  a  firm  of  export  merchants  and  shipbrokers.

Herbert  held  the  seat  both  times  in  1910  although  his  majority  was  steadily  eroded.

Herbert  served  in  the  Royal  Naval  Voluntary  Reserve  and  reached  the  rank  of  Commander  during  World  War  One.

Herbert  wanted  the  coupon  in  1918  but  because  he  had  been  absent  during  the  "Maurice"  debate  it  went  to  his  Conservative  opponent  instead. He  was  narrowly  defeated  in  a  five-cornered  contest.

Herbert  stood  again  in  1922  but  this  time  was  well  beaten  although  he  finished  ahead  of  Labour.

After  his  defeat  Herbert  occupied  himself  in  the  Royal  Naval  Volunteers.

He  died  suddenly  while  walking  down  Oxford  St  in  1934,  aged  64.

1557 John Robertson

Constituency : Tyneside  1906-18

John  took  Tyneside  from  the  Tories.

John  was  from  the  Isle  of  Arran. He  started  work  as  a  clerk  then  became  a journalist, rising  to  become  assistant  editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Evening  News. In  1878  he  attended  a  lecture  by  Charles  Bradlaugh  and  became  an  atheist, becoming  active  in  the  Edinburgh  Secular  Society. He  went  to  London  to  work  for  Bradlaugh  and  became  editor  of  the  National  Reformer  when  Bradlaugh  died  in  1891. In  1892  he  published  "The  Fallacy  of  Saving"  an  early  example  of  underconsumptionist  theory. He  stood  as  an  "Independent  Liberal"  in  Northampton  in  1895 ; he  came  sixth  but  his  intervention  probably  cost  the  Liberals  the  second  seat. In  the  early  twenitieth  century  he  published  books  arguing  against  the  historicity  of  Christ.

John   was  a  committed  radical  and  staunch  Free  Trader. He published  Trades  and  Tariffs  in  1908  which  outlined  the  case  in  terms  of  cheap  food  and  economic  growth. He  challenged  the tenets  of  political  economy, writing  in  The  Meaning  of  Liberalism  ( 1912 ) "laissez-faire .. is  quite  done  with  as  a  pretext  for  leaving  uncured  deadly  social  evils which  admit  of  curative  treatment  by  state  action."

John  became  parliamentary  secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trade  in  1911, holding  the  post  until  the  formation  of  the  coalition  government  in  1915.

John  contested  the  successor  seat  of  Wallsend  in  1918  but  came  a  distant  third  behind  the  NDP  candidate  and  Labour.

John  was  President  of  the  National  Liberal  Federation  from  1920  to  1923.

In  1923  John  contested  Hendon  and  came  second  to  the  Conservatives.

He  died  in  1933  aged  76.

1556 Thomas Cairns

Constituency : Newcastle-upon-Tyne  1906-08

Thomas  took  Newcastle  back  from  the  Tories  in  tandem  with  Labour's  Walter  Hudson.

Thomas  was  a  shipowner , the  chairman  of  Cairn  Line  Shipping. He  was  a  former  Lord  Mayor  of  the  city.

He  died  in  1908  aged  54.

1555 John Hills

Constituency  :  City  of  Durham  1906-12  ( Liberal  Unionist )  ; 1912-22 , Ripon  ( 1925-38 )  ( Conservative )

John  was  a  rare  new  Liberal  Unionist  MP  in  1906, holding  onto  the  seat  vacated  by  Arthur  Elliott.

John  was  the  son  of  a  Cumberland  landowner. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford.He  became  a  solicitor. He  married  Virginia  Woolf's  half-sister but  she  died  a  few  months  into  the  marriage,

John  volunteered  for  service  in  1914  and  was  a  captain  in  the  Durham  Light  Infantry  at  the  start  of  World  War  One. He  was  promoted  to  major  and  then  acting  lieutenant  colonel. He  was  wounded  in  1916.

John  was  briefly  Financial  Secretary  to  the  Treasury  under  Bonar  Law  in  1922  but  had  to  retire  when  he  failed  to  win  a  by-election  at  Liverpool  Edge  Hill  in  1923..

John  was  defeated  in  1922  but  returned  for  Ripon  in  1925.

In  1923  John  joined  the  board  of  Imperial  Airways.

John  was  a  keen  angler  and  published  a  number  of  books  on  fishing.

He died  in  1933  aged  71. He  was  about  to  be  created  a  baronet  so  the  title  went  to  his  five  year  old  son  instead. His  widow  was  later  a  Liberal  candidate.

1554 Owen Phillipps

Constituency : Pembroke  and  Haverfordwest  1906-10,  City  of  Chester  1916-22 ( Conservative )

Owen  took  Pembroke  and  Haverfordwest  from  the  Tories.

Owen  was  the  son  of  a  baronet  and  church  minister.  He  was  the  brother  of  the  Pembrokeshire  MP  John  Philipps. He  was  educated  at  Newton  College, Devon  and  became  an  apprentice  in  a  shipping  firm. In  1888  John  financed  him  setting  up  his  own  shipping  company  in  1888. It  rapidly  expanded   through  acquisition  and  dangerous  financial  practices  including  the  hiding  of  losses..

Owen  was  knighted  in  1909.

Owen  stood  down  in  December  1910 , hoping  to  stand  for  West  Carmarthenshire  instead  but  he  came  a  poor  third  in  the  selection  contest.

Owen  then  left  the  Liberal  party  and  returned  to  the  Commons  as  a  Conservative  at  a  by-election  at  Chester  in  1916.

In  1916  Owen  supported  the  introduction  of  Daylight  Saving  Time.

Owen  was  created  Baron Klysant  in  1923. The  following  year  he  became  chairman  of  Harland  and  Wolff.

In  1928  Owen's  company  defaulted  on  part  of  a  loan  repayment  to  the  Midland  Bank  and  the  government, a  major  client  became  concerned  about  the  finances. An  audit  found  £10m  liabilities  and  the  banks  removed  most  of  Owen's  powers. In  1931  it  came  to  light  that  Owen  had  been  paying  dividends  despite  trading  at  a  loss. Owen  was  charged  with  various  financial  offences  and  convicted  of  issuing  a  false  prospectus. He  was  sentenced  to  twelve  months  imprisonment.

He  died  in  1937  aged  74.

1553 David Davies

Constituency  :  Montgomeryshire  1906-29

David  took  over  from  Arthur  Humphreys-Owen  at  Montgomeryshire. He  was  close  to  being  a  Liberal  Unionist  like  his  grandfathert. He  opposed  home  rule  and  was  sympathetic  to  tariff  reform  but  he  clung  to  the  Liberals  on  the  temperance  issue. He  was  unopposed  and  the  local  Tories  thought  he  might  be  convinced  to  switch  sides.

David  was  the  grandson  of  the  Cardiganshire  MP  of  the  same  name. He  was  educated  at  Merchiston  Castle  School  and  Cambridge. He  was  a  millionaire  coalowner and  philanthropist. He  was  a  Calvinistic  Methodist   and  teetotaller. He  went  on  game  expeditions  and  observed  the  Russo-Japanese  War  from  the  ground  in  Japan.

Once  in  Parliament  David  went  his  own  way, voting  against  the  land  clauses  in  the  Peoples  Budget  and  voicing  his  opposition  to  Home  Rule.

In  1910  David  gave  £150,000  to  the  King  Edward  VII  Welsh  National  Memorial  fund  for  eradicating  tuberculosis  in  Wales.

In  1914  David  commanded a  battalion  of  the  Royal  Welsh  Fusiliers  in  France.

In  1916  David  became  disenchanted  with  the  war  effort  under  Asquith  and  helped  Addison  canvass  support  for  Lloyd  George. He  urged  the  latter  to  resign  to  help  bring  Asquith  down. He  became  Lloyd  George's  private  secretary  and  a  close  confidant.

However  once  Lloyd  George  had  become  Prime Minister  David  felt  he  had  carte  blanche  to  criticise  the  war effort  whenever  he  saw  fit  and  in  June  1917  he  was  dismissed  from  the  secretariat, Lloyd  George  suggesting  that  it  was  down  to  public  criticism  that  he  was  "sheltering"  a  man  of  military  fitness.

Nevertheless  David  was  still  offered  the  coupon  in  1918  as  a  government  supporter. Safe  in  his  entrenched  position  at  Montgomeryshire  he  took  delight  in  publicly  rejecting  it. He  was  still  elected  unopposed.

David  rarely  attended  Parliament  in  1918-22  but  described  the Coalition as  "this  new  order  of  shameless  opportunists"  and  sought  reunification  of  the  party. He  said  Lloyd  George  had " well  nigh  become  an  absolute  dictator".

David  easily  saw  off  a  Labour  challenge  in  1924.

In  1925-6   David  was  out  of  action  with  a  duodenal  ulcer  but  made  his  disapproval  of  the  coalowners'  intransigent  stand  known.

David  stood  down  in  1929, a  decision  mainly  influenced  by  disgust  at  Lloyd  George's  land  proposals   and  became  Baron  Davies.   He  disapproved  of  his  successor  Clement  Davies  ( who  he  had  not  supported  )  joining  the  Liberal  Nationals  and  put  pressure  on  him  to  rejoin  the  main  party  which  he  did  in  1938.

David  supported  the  League  of  Nations  and  in  1919  endowed  a  chair  in  international  politics  at  University  College  of  Wales  in  honour  of  Wilson. In   1932  he   founded  the  New  Commonwealth  Society to  promote  international  law  and  order. His  writings  on  the  subject  influenced  the  United  Nations  Charter. He  believed  in  the  power  of  international  force  and  opposed  appeasement.

David's  main  interests  were  Welsh  education  and  sports.

He  died  of  cancer  of  the  spine  in  1944  aged  64.

1552 John Rees

Constituency : Montgomery  1906-10, Nottingham  East  1912-22  ( Conservative )

John  took  Montgomery  from  the  Tories.

John  was  educated  at  Cheltenham  College  and  joined  the  Indian  Civil  Service. He  retired  in  1901. He  wrote  a  number  of  books  on  British  India  and  was  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Raj. He  had  interests  in  gold-mining  and  was  on  the  board  of  several  companies. He  was  chairman  of  the  British  Central  Africa  Company.

Shortly  after  his  defeat  in  December  1910, John  switched  allegiance  to  the  Conservatives  and  stood  for  them  in  the  Kilmarnock  Burghs  by-election  in  1911. The  following  year  he  was  elected  at  Nottingham  East.

John  made  many  parliamentary  contributions  about  India.

John  was  created  a  baronet  in  1919.

John's  wife  was  a  friend  of  George  Orwell  and  his  son  Richard, the  inspiration  for  Ravelston  in  Keep  the  Aspidistra  Flying.

He  died   in  1922  aged  67  after  falling  from  a  train  at  Chesterfield..

1551 Ivor Herbert

Constituency : South  Monmouthshire  1906-17

Ivor  took  South  Monmouthshire  from  the  Tories.

Ivor  was  the  grandson  of  former  Liberal  Cabinet  member  Benjamin  Hall. He  was  a  Catholic, He  joined  the  British  Army, serving  in  the  Grenadier  Guards. He  was  the  General  Officer  in  command  of  the  Canadian  militia from  1890  to  1895. In  1896  he  was  promoted  to  colonel. He  served  in  Egypt, Sudan  and  in  the  Boer  War. He  retired  with  the  rank  of  major  general.

Ivor  was  created  a  baronet  in  1907.

Ivor  tried  to  have  Oliver  Cromwell's  statue  removed  from  outside  Parliament.

Ivor  called  for  the  government  to  stand  firm  on  Ulster  in  July  1914.

Ivor  was  ambiguous  on  conscription, saying  different  things  to  different  audiences.
 
Ivor  was  created  Baron  Treowen in  1917.

1550 Lewis Haslam

Constituency : Monmouthshire  1906-18, Newport  1918-22

Lewis  took  Monmouthshire  from  the  Tories  despite  Labour  intervention.

Lewis  was  from  Bolton. He  was  educated  at  University  College, Bolton. He  was  a  wealthy cotton  manufacturer. He  patented  Aertex. He  stood  for  Westhoughton  in  1892  and  Stamford  in  1900.

Lewis  was  a   moderate  Liberal.  In  1916  he  joined  the  Liberal  War  Committee  , a  group  supporting  conscription. He  was  a supporter  of  Lloyd  George  and  received  the  coupon  in  1918.

Lewis  opposed  giving  the  Irish  Parliament  control  of  its  own  taxes  as  this  would  lead  to  similar  demands  from  Scotland  and  Wales.

Lewis  angered  local  Conservatives  with  his support  of  liquor  control in  1921  and  they  made  plans  to  oppose  him  regardless  of  any  national  pact  at  the  next  election.

In  1922  Lewis  went  on  a  tour  of  Germany  and  in  his  last  speech  to  the  Commons, reported  on  his  findings. He  called  for  a  large  reduction  in  German  reparations.

He  died suddenly  in  1922  aged  66. The  ensuing  by-election  helped  precipitate  the  end  of  the  Lloyd  George  Coalition  government.  

1549 John Williams

Constituency : Gower  1906-09 ; 1909-22 ( Labour )

John  succeeded  John  Thomas  at  Gower. He  was  not  the  official  Liberal  candidate  and  won  the  seat  as  an  Independent  Liberal.

John  was  a  miners  agent  and  a  close  associate  of  William  Abraham.He  was  a  Nonconformist  lay  preacher.

He  died  in  1922  aged  61.

1548 William Brace

Constituency : South  Glamorganshire  1906-10 ;  1910-18  Abertillery,  1918-20  ( Labour )

William  took  South  Glamorganshire  from  the  Tories  as  a  Liberal - Labour  candidate. The  local  Liberals  were  somewhat  reluctant  to  adopt  him  as  a  candidate  and  Herbert  Gladstone  had  to  personally  intervene  in  his  favour.

William  was  the  son  of  a  miner  and  had  a  rudimentary  education  before  going  into  the  mines  himself. He  was  soon  involved  in  trade  union  activities and  became  the  local  agent  for  the  South  Wales  Miners  Association. He  was  a  Monmouthshire  county  councillor. He  favoured  a  single  miners  union.  He  clashed  with  William  Abraham  over  the  sliding  scale  arrangement  and  Abraham  won  a  libel  case  against  him.In  1898  he  became  the  first  vice-president  of  the  South  Wales  Miners  Federation. He  was  a  committed  Christian.

In  1909  William  initially  ignored  the  instruction  from  the  MFGB  to  join  the  Labour  party  but  by  the  January  1910  election  he  had  become  a  Labour  man.

In  1912  he  became  president  of  the  SWMF.

In  1915,  William  became  Under-Secretary  of  State  for  the  Home  Department.

In  1918  William  was  unopposed  at  Abertillery   despite  standing  as  Labour  rather  than  Liberal  or  NDP.

In  1920,  William  resigned  his  seat  in  order  to  become  Labour  Advisor  to  the Ministry  of  Mines. He  disapproved  of  the  growing  militancy  in  the  coalfields. He  retired  from  the  post  in  1927.

He  died  in  1947  aged  82.

1547 Thomas Idris

Constituency : Flint  Boroughs  1906-10

Thomas  took  over  from  Herbert  Lewis  who  had  switched  to  the  county  seat.

Thomas  was  a  chemical  and  mineral  water  manufacturer. He  was  originally  Thomas  Williams  but  changed  his  surname  to  reflect  his  love  for  the  mountain  Cader  Idris ; he  was  already  using  the  name  for  his  mineral  water  business. He  was  a  benevolent  employer, Welsh  Nationalist  and  supporter  of  Welsh  disestablishment. He  was  one  of  the  original  Progressive  councillors  on  the  LCC.He  stood  for  Denbigh  Boroughs  in  1892  and  Chester  in  1900. He  was  Mayor  of  St  Pancras  in  1903-04.He  was  a  leading  supporter  of  the  garden  cities  movement. He  was  a   Baptist

Thomas  announced  as  early  as  1907  that  he  would  not  be  standing at  the  next  election  owing  to  the  indifferent  state  of  his  health..

He  died  in  1925  aged  82.

1546 Allen Edwards

Constituency : Denbigh  Boroughs  1906-10; East  Glamorgan 1910-18, East  Ham  South  1918-22 ( National  Democratic  Party ) 1922

Allen  took  Denbigh  Boroughs  from  the  Tories.

Allen  was  a  locally-educated  tailor's  son. Although  his  family  were  Anglican  he  became  a  fervent  Congregationalist  and  Welsh-speaking  champion  of  nonconformist  causes. He  started  work  in  a  solicitor's  office  and  became  a  barrister. He  worked  for  the  trades  unions  in  both  the  Taff  Vale  and  Osborne  cases. He  himself  became  involved  in  union  activities  especially  with  the  dockers  and  was  one  of  John  Burns'  chief  lieutenants  in  the  dock  strike  of  1889.  His  initial  ardour  for  a  general  strike  soon  faded  and  he  became  an  opponent  of  socialism. He  organised  demonstrations  in  Hyde  Park  for  striking  miners  and  laundresses. He  went  into  journalism  as  labour  editor  for  London  newspapers  The  Sun  and  then  The  Echo. He  was  a  member  of  the  Fabian  Society  and  became  a  Progressive  councillor  for  Islington. He  stood  for "Progressive  Labour"  at  Tottenham  in  1895  and  as  a  Liberal  at  Denbigh  Boroughs  in  1900.

Allen  was  defeated  by  8  votes  in  January  1910. In  December  he  stood  for  the  safer  East  Glamorgan  and  won  the  seat  despite  the  intervention  of  a  Labour  candidate.

In  1912  Allen  represented  the  Dockers  Union  at  the  Titanic  enquiry.

Allen  became  a  staunch  supporter  of  Lloyd  George  after  1916  and  used  his  connections  to  rally  Labour  support  for  the  war  effort. He  supported  the  British  Workers  League  and  when  his  own  seat  was  abolished  stood  for  them  under  the  new  name  National  Democratic  Party  in  1918.  Allen  seems  to  have  received  the  coupon  but  he  was  still  opposed  by  the  Unionists  and  by  Labour's  Arthur  Henderson.

Allen  was  chairman  of  the  NDP  in  Parliament  from  1918  to  1920. Thereafter, it  quickly  ran  out  of  steam  and  wound itself  up  in  1922, its  remaining  MPs  joining  Lloyd  George's  National  Liberal  organisation.

Allen  defended  the  seat  as  a  National  Liberal  but  came  third  behind  Labour  and  an  Asquithian  Liberal.

Allen  remained  with  the  Liberal  Party  until  1931  when  he  resigned  his  membership.

He  died  in  1938  aged  69.

1545 Llewelyn Williams

Constituency : Carmarthen  Boroughs  1906-18

Llewelyn  took  over  from  Alfred  Davies  at  Carmarthen. The  local  Liberals  were  dissatisfied  with  Davies  and  deselected  him  in  Llewelyn's  favour.

Llewelyn  came  from  a  prosperous  Congregationalist  family. He  was  educated  at  Llandovery  College  and  Oxford. He  became  politically  involved  in  the  late  1880s  and  was  prominent  in  the  Cymru  Fydd  movement  , being  appointed  its  South  Wales  organiser  by  Lloyd  George. He  accompanied  the  latter  on  a  tour  of  Canada  in  1899.  after  a  short  stint  as  a  teacher,  he  became  a  journalist  on  Liberal  supporting  newspapers  in  South  Wales and  gave  evidence  to  the  Welsh  Land  Commission  in  1894. In  1895  he  became  sub-editor  of  tthe  London  Star  and   tried  to  secure  nomination  in  a  number  of  Welsh  constituencies. Two  years  later  he  switched  to  law  and  became  a  barrister.  He  was  a  strong  supporter  of  Welsh  Disestablishment  and  an  opponent  of  the  Boer  War . He  supported  tenant  purchase  over  land  courts  and  criticised  the  University  of  Wales  as  too  elitist.

Llewelyn  was  a  radical  but  strongly  opposed  to  socialism.

Llewelyn's  maiden  speech  was  in  favour  of  Free  Trade.

Llewelyn  had  to  re-win  his  seat  in  1912  when  he  was  appointed  Recorder  of  Swansea.

In  1914  Llewelyn  thanked  the  Irish  party  for  helping  them  get  Welsh  disestablishment  through.

Llewelyn  reluctantly  supported  the  decision  to  go  to  war  in  1914  but  was  fiercely  opposed  to  conscription  in  1916  which  put  him  at  odds  with  his  former  ally  Lloyd  George.

Llewelyn's  seat  was  abolished  by  boundary  changes  in  1918  and  he  did  not  stand  in  the  election.

By  1921  Llewelyn  was  so  incensed  by  Lloyd  George's  government  that  he  decided  to  stand  in  the  Cardiganshire  by-election. Lloyd  George  had  persuaded  the  long-serving  incumbent  Matthew  Vaughan-Davies  to  take  a peerage  and  create  an  opportunity  for  his  private  secretary  Ernest  Evans. Llewelyn  standing  as  an  anti-Calition  Liberal, with  the  backing  of  the  local  party  after  a  fraught  selection  process,  made  the  contest  something  of  a  referendum  on  the  Prime  Minister. Llewelyn  called  him  a  "dictator"  and  "little  devil  who  plagues  us  so ". Evans  saw  him  off  fairly  comfortably   with  Tory  support  but  the  contest  caused  lasting  bitterness  and  division  within  the  Liberals  in  one  of  their  safest  seats. He  described  himself  as  an  "old  fashioned  Gldstonian  Liberal"  who  had  rejected  overtures  from  Labour  to  join  them.

Llewelyn  wrote  a  number  of  minor  works  in  Welsh.

After  the  by-election,  Llewelyn  made  some  attempt  at  reconciliation  with  Lloyd  George. He  died  in  1922  aged  55.

1544 Sidney Robinson

Constituency : Breconshire  1906-18, Brecon  and  Radnor  1918-22

Sidney  took  over  from  Charles  Morley  at  Breconshire.

Sidney  was  a  locally-educated  timber  merchant. He  was  a  Cardiff  town  councillor  from  1895  to  1901. He  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  1902  Education  Act. He  became  President  of  Cardiff Liberal  Association.

Sidney  supported  Lloyd  George  in  1916.

In  1918  Sidney's  constituency  was  merged  with  Radnorshire  represented  by  Francis  Edwards. Edwards  decided  to  retire  and  Sidney  was  unopposed.

Sidney  stood  down  in  1922.

He  died  in  1956  aged  93.