1015 Peter Esslemont

Constituency : East  Aberdeenshire  1885-92

Peter  took  over  from  Alexander  Hamilton-Gordon,  easily  defeating  a  Conservative  challenge.

Peter  was  a  local  farmer's  son. He  was  educated  at  Belhevie  Public  School. He  was  head  of    of  a  warehousing  firm  and  director  of  the  Scottish  Employer's  Liability  Company. He  helped  found  the  Liberal  Association  in  1877. He  was  President  of  the  local  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Lord  Provost  of  Aberdeen  from  1880  to  1883. He  was  a  United  Presbyterian  and  advanced  Liberal.

Though  not  allied  to  the  Crofters's  Party, Peter  expressed  support  for  their  cause  in  his  maiden  speech.

Shortly  after  being  re-elected  in  1892  he  resigned  the  seat  to  become  Chairman  of  the  Fisheries  Board  for  Scotland.

He  died  in  1894 aged  60.

1014 Robert Finlay

Constituency : Inverness  Burghs  1885-92 ,1895-1906, Edinburgh  ad  St  Andrews  Universities  1910-12 ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist ) 1912-6  Conservative   

Robert  took  over  at  Inverness  Burghs when  Charles  Fraser-Mcintosh  decided  to  contest  the  county  seat  instead. He  saw  off  a  strong  challenge  from  an independent  Liberal, Walter  McLaren.

Robert  was  a  doctor's  son. He  studied  medicine  at  Edinburgh  Academy  and  Edinburgh  University  but became  a  barrister  instead.

Robert's  first  speech  was  moving  the  second  reading  of  a  Bill  to  reunite  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  Scotland.

Robert  went  over  to  the  Liberal  Unionists  in  1886.  He  was  opposed  by  Robert  Peel  now  reunited  with  Gladstone.  The  latter  described  Robert  to  Peel  as  " one  of  the keenest  and  most  vehement  adversaries  to  the  policy  which  you  and  I  think  to  be  recommended  by  the  broad  principles  of  justice  and  by  clear  dictates  of  expediency".  He   represented  "Toryism  of  the  worst  type,  the  Toryism  which  breaks  up  Empires,  the  Toryism  of  George  III  and  Lord  North ". Robert  won  by  273  votes.

Shortly  after  his  re-election  Robert  was  involved  in  the  high  profile Campbell  divorce  case  which  made  his  reputation.

 He  lost  his  seat  in  1892  by  53  votes  but  regained  it  in  1895  and  became  Solicitor-General  in  Salisbury's  government . He  was  knighted  on  appointment.

In  1900  Robert  became  Attorney General  for  England  and  Wales. He  represented  the  British  Empire  in  a  number  of  international  arbitrations.

Robert  lost  his  seat  in  1906  before  returning  in  January  1910  for  the university  seat.

In  1912  Robert  represented  the  White  Star  Line  at  the  Wreck  Commission  on  the  Titanic  sinking.

In  1916  Robert  was  created  Baron  Finlay  in  order  to  become  Lord  Chancellor  in  Lloyd  George's  government. He  retired  in  1919  and was  upgraded  to  Viscount. He  joined  the  Court  of  Arbitration  in  The  Hague  and  then  a  judge  in  the  Permanent  Court  of  International  Justice  established  by  the  League  of  Nations.

Robert  created  the  Nairn  Golf  Club.

He  died  in  1929  aged  86.

1013 Roderick Macdonald

Constituency  : Ross  and  Cromarty  1885-92

Roderick  was  another  independent  Liberal  allied  to  the  Crofters  cause. He  displaced  the  recent  by-election  victor  Ronald  Ferguson  despite  the  latter's  conversion  to  the  crofter's  cause  in  the  wake  of  the  Third  Reform  Act.  The  Scotsman  fulminated  that  his  victory  was  down  to "illiterates"  who  couldn't  read  English  and  "knew  nothing  of  politics".

Roderick  was  the  son  of  a  crofter  from  Skye. He  was  educated  at  Glasgow  University. He  briefly  taught  at  a  Free  Church  School  before  studying  medicine  and  becoming  a  doctor. He  worked  as  a  surgeon  in  the  East  End  of  London. He  was  treasurer  of  the  London  Crofter's  Aid  and  Defence  Fund.

Roderick  spoke  against  the  Crofters  ( Scotland )  Bill  in  1886  but  generally  he  was  a  fairly  silent  advocate  of  the  cause.

In  1887  Roderick  was  appointed  a  coroner  in  Middlesex  and  presided  over  the  inquest  into  the  death  of  one  of  Jack  the  Ripper's  victims. The  inquest  was  quickly  concluded  and  some  Ripper  writers  have  accused  him  of  colluding  with  the  authorities  in  a  cover-up.

Roderick  supported  reform  of  the  House  of  Lords.

In  1890  he  married the  grand-daughter  of  Spencer  Perceval.

Roderick  stood  down  in  1892.

He  died  of  cancer  in  1894  aged  54.

1012 John Cameron

Constituency  : Wick  Burghs  1885-92

John  was  a  candidate  from  the  Highland  Law  Reform  Association  standing  as  an  independent  Liberal. He  also  had  the  support  of  the  Wick  Radical  Workingmen's  Association. He  unseated  the  sitting  Liberal  John  Pender.

John  was  educated  at  Sharp's  Insitution  Perth  and  started  working  as  a  scientist  for  the  Inland  Revenue  ( no  I'm  not  sure  how that  worked ). He  studied  at  the  Royal  School  of  Mines  and  worked  both  there  and  at  the  Inland  Revenue  Laboratory  at  Somerset  House. In  1879  he  set  up  in  business  on  his  own  as  a  mining  consultant.

John  did  not  commit  himself  to  the  Crofter's  Party  but  sympathised  with  their  aims  and  criticised  the  Crofters  ( Scotland )  Bill  in  1886  for  not  going  far  enough.

John  stood  as  the  official  Liberal  candidate  in  subsequent  elections.

John  was  defeated  in  1892,  Pender  reclaiming  the  seat  as  a  Liberal  Unionist.

He  died  in  1912  aged  63.

1011 Gavin Clark

Constituency  : Caithness  1885-1900

Gavin  won  Caithness   as  an  Independent  Liberal  sponsored  by  the  Highland  Land  League, an  organisation  supporting  the  rights  of  crofters  in  the  far  north  of  Scotland. He  was  one  of  five  successful  candidates  in  1885  who  formed  the  Crofters  Party  in  Parliament  but  were  generally  supportive  of  ( and  eventually  absorbed  by ) the  Liberals.  Gavin  beat  the  official  Liberal  who  was  the  son  of  the  retiring  MP  John  Sinclair.

Gavin  was  a  doctor  educated  at  Edinburgh  University  and  King's  College  London.

Gavin  was  actually  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  Gladstone  and  was  the  official  Liberal  candidate  in  1886, 1892 and  1895. In  1888  he  was  a  founding  Vice-president  of  the  Scottish  Labour  Party. He  was  an  early  advocate  of  Scottish  devolution   , frustrated  by  the  slow  passage  of  private  legislation  affecting  Scotland.

Gavin  was  honorary  secretary  of  the  Transvaal  Independence  Committee  and  wrote  the  pamphlet  The  Transvaal  and  Bechuanaland.  He  denounced  the  annexation  of  Burma  as  "a  kind  of  freebooting  expedition".

Gavin  joined  Lloyd  George's  dubious  gold  mining  venture.

By  1900  Gavin  had  fallen  out  of  favour  with  the  local  party  over  his  pro-Boer  views   and  came  a  poor  third  in  the  1900  election. He  stood  for  Labour  in  1918  in  Glasgow  Cathcart.

He  died  in  1930  aged  84.

1010 Leonard Lyall

Constituency : Orkney  and  Shetland  1885-1900

Now  we  come  to  the  Liberal  victors  in  the  1885  general  election. It  was  one  of  the  strangest  campaigns  of  the  century. Gladstone's  government  hadn't  made  it  to  the  finishing  post , going  down  on  an  amendment  to  the  budget  in  June  1885  when  Parnell's  party  voted  with  the  Tories. A  minority  administration  under  Lord  Salisbury  took  over  with  Parnell's  tacit  blessing. This  situation  was  not  conducive  to  a  disciplined  Liberal  campaign  and  Chamberlain  and  Hartington  went  out  in  the  country  promoting  their  very  different  versions  of  Liberalism  with  Gladstone  holding  the ring  somewhere  between  them. In  the  meantime  Parnell  , still  thinking  he  could  extract  more  concessions  from  Salisbury,  urged  Irish  voters  in  Britain  to  vote  for  the  Conservatives   and  a   rough  electoral  pact  between  the  Liberals  and  Nationalists  in  Ulster  broke  down.

The  result  was  something  of  a  stalemate. The  Liberals  were  down  from  352  to  335  and  that  included  16  who  stood  as  independent  from  the  party. Big  gains  in  London  were  offset  by  big  losses  in  the  South  East; the  significant  difference  was  in  Ireland  where  they  lost  all  their  seats. Parnell's  party  went  up   by  the  same  margin  but  this  left  him  in  the  position  where  he  could  put  the  Liberals  in  or  out  but  couldn't  sustain  the  Tories.

Leonard  took  over  from  Samuel  Laing  in  Orkney  and  Shetland.

Leonard  was  the  son  of  a  colonel  and  nephew  of  Charles  Lyell  the  famous  geologist. He  gave  some  lectures  on  geography  at  the  University  of  Aberystwyth  in  the  1870s..

Leonard  assiduously  raised  local  issues  in  Parliament.

Leonard  was  created  a  baronet  in  1894  and  became  Baron  Lyell  in  1914.

He  died  in  1926  aged  75. His  son  Charles  also  became  a  Liberal  MP  but  predeceased  him.

1009 Ferdinand de Rothschild

Constituency  : Aylesbury 1885-98

Ferdinand  took  over  at  Aylesbury  when  his  brother-in-law  Nathan  Rothschild  went  to  the  Lords. He  was  the  last  Liberal  to  be  elected  under  the  1868  franchise.

Although  born  in  Paris  Nathan  was  the  son of the  Austrian  Baron  Anselm  von  Rothschild   and  inherited  his  title  in  1874. He  moved  to  London  as  a  young  man  and  became  a  British  subject. When  his  wife  died  in  1866  he  founded  and  endowed  the  Evelina  Hospital  for  Sick  Children  in  Southwark  in  her  memory. He  was  Treasurer  of  the  Jewish  Board  of  Guardians  in 1868  and  1875  and  Warden  of  the  Central  Synagogue  in  1870. He  had  a  large  estate  in  Buckinghamshire  to  which  the  Prince  of  Wales  was  a  frequent  visitor. The  Queen  visited  in  1890.  He  built  a  lot  of  houses  for  his  employees.

Ferdinand  spoke  on  behalf  of  destitute  immigrants  in  1894.

Like  the  rest  of  his  family  Ferdinand  went  into  the  Liberal  Unionists  in  1886.

In  1894  Ferdinand  visited  Prussia  and  the  Empress  Frederick  told  her  mother  Queen  Victoria  that  " he  is  an  excellent  gardener  and  a  good  botanist  and  has  a  good  deal  of  artistic  knowledge  and  taste".

Ferdinand  was  a  keen  art  collector . He  had  a  huge  collection  of  Renaissance  objets d'art  which  he  willed  to  the  British  Museum (  of  which  he  was  a  Trustee )  as  the  "Waddesdon  Bequest". Nathan  thought  of  him  as  effeminate  and  pretentious  because  he  took  no  interest  in  the  banking  business.

He  died  on  his  59th  birthday  in  1898.

That  concludes  our  look  at  the  by-election  victors  of  1880-85.

1008 William Sinclair

Constituency : Antrim  1885 ; Falkirk  Burghs 1886-92 ( Liberal Unionist )

William  captured  the  solidly  Tory  seat  of  Antrim  in  a  hard-fought  by-election. William  stood  for  reform  of  Irish  government  without  Home  Rule  and  against  corercion  measures.  He  won  by  139  votes  which  was  a  considerable  surprise. The  Times  suggested   it  may  have  been  down  to  voter  apathy  with  the  general  election  so  close  and  the  Tories  not  taking  it  seriously  enough. The  Liberals  thought  William's  anti-coercion  stance  had  won  it.

William  was  born  in  Belfast  and  was  a  prominent  ship  owner  and  merchant.

Ironically  William's  first  speech  in  the  Commons  in  1887  was  in  support  of  an  anticipated  coercion  measure.

When  the  seat  was  abolished  in  1885  William  stood  for  Mid  Antrim  but  was  defeated.

In  1886  William  stood  for  Falkirk  Burghs  as  a  Liberal  Unionist  and  won  by  19  votes. He  had  not  been  in  the  Commons  for  the  crucial  vote  and  so  became  one  of  the  party's  first  "new"  MPs.

William  was  defeated  in  1892.

He  died  in  1900  aged  63.

1007 (846 a) Thomas Russell

Constituency : Buteshire  1880, Glasgow  1885

One  that  I  missed  earlier, Thomas  was  a  Scottish  businessman, a  partner  in  the  Saracen  Foundry  making  ornamental  ironwork ( the  head  of  the  firm  Walter  McFarlane  was  his  brother-in-law )  and  a  housing  developer  in  Bute.

Thomas  was  declared  the  winner  of the  normally  Conservative  seat  of  Buteshire  but  his  election  was  voided  on  petition. He  was  then  returned  unopposed  at  the  by-election  caused  when  George  Anderson  resigned  his  Glasgow  seat  to  become  Master  of  the  Mint  in  Melbourne  in  1885.

Thomas  appears  not  to  have  contested  any  of  the  new  Glasgow  seats  in  1885.

He  died  in  1911  aged  77.

1006 Thomas Sutherland

Constituency  : Greenock  1884-92,  1892-1900 ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist )

Thomas  took  over  at  Greenock  after  the  resignation  of  James  Stewart.

Thomas  was  educated  at  Aberdeen  University. He  started  work  as  a  clerk  in  the  London  office  of  P & O. He  was  soon  sent  over  to  Hong  Kong  to  supervise  the  company's  Asian  operations. In  1865  he  founded  the  Hongkong  and  Shanghai  Banking  Corporation  ( HSBC ). In  1872  he  became  managing  director  of  P  &  O. He  became  a  director  of  a  number  of  other  banks. He  was  also  a  director  of  the  Suez  Canal  Company  dealing  with  both  the  French  and  British  governments.

Thomas's  first  parliamentary  contribution  was  to  defend  the  government  against  the  motion  of  censure  for  the  death  of  General  Gordon.

In  1886  Thomas  went  over  to  the  Liberal  Unionists.  The  local  Tories  didn't  like  him  and  wanted  to  oppose  him,  expecting  no  Gladstonian  challenge; Salisbury  dissuaded  them  and  a  Gladstonian  candidate  did  appear.  Thomas  was  knighted  in  1891. In  1892  he  lost  to  a  Gladstonian  but  was  reinstated  after  a  petition. He  stood  down  in  1900  with  deafness  becoming  an  increasing  problem..

He  died  in  1922  aged  87.

1005 James Stuart

Constituency : Hackney  1884-5, Hoxton  1885-1900  , Sunderland 1906-10.

James  took  over  at  Hackney  following  the  death  of  Henry  Fawcett.

James  was  from  Fife  and  was  educated  at  St  Andrews  and  Cambridge. In  1875  he  was  appointed  a  Professor  of  Mechanism  and  Applied  Mechanics  there. He  published  a  number  of  books  on  popular  science.  He  made  a  name  for  himself  as  the  foremost  advocate  of  university  extension. He  stood  for  the  university  at  a  by-election  in  1882  where  the  clergy  strongly  opposed  him . He  was  the  son-in-law  of  Norwich  MP  Jeremiah  Coleman.

James  was  a  director  of  the  Star  newspaper.  He  resigned  his  chair  at  Cambridge  in  1899  after  a  series  of  disagreements.

In  1890  James  became  an  alderman  of  London  County  Council. He  was  leader of  the Progressive  Party  between  1890  and  1892. He  led  the  way  in  developing  a  "London  programme  for  the  Liberal  party  after  heavy  reverses  in  1886. The  Tory  diarist  Richard  Temple  described  him  as  "the  most  aggressive  among  the  Metropolitan  Radicals"  but  acknowledged  his  "ability  and  efficiency". While  not  challenging  Home  Rule's  place  among  Liberal  priorities  he  acknowledged  that  many  of  London's  electorate  were  indifferent  towards  Ireland. Sidney  Webb  wrongly  predicted  that  he would  get  a  Cabinet  seat  in  1892.  He  did  serve  on  several  royal  commissions. He  was  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  water  companies.

James  supported  female  suffrage  and  the  repeal  of  the  Contagious  Diseases  Act. In  1891  he  moved  a  motion  on  land  taxation.

James  took  over  the  management  of  Colman's  firm   when  he  died  in  1898.

James  was  defeated  in  1900. He  returned  for  Sunderland  in  1906  but  was  defeated  in  January  1910.

James  published  his  memoirs  as  Reminiscences  in 1912. His  interests  were  yachting, cycling, golf  and  sketching. He  had  a  strong  physique  and  could  go  long  periods  without  food. Vanity  Fair  described  him  as  "a  wicked  Radical"  and  said  "Although  he  is  a  Professor  he  is  neeither  a  prude  nor  a  pedant; and  if  it  were  not  for  his  pernicious  politics  he  would  be  a  good  fellow".  In  1911  he  decried  the  declining  influence  of  backbench  MPs  in  contrast  to  the  late  nineteenth  century.

James  died  in  1913  aged  70.

1004 Richard Steble

Constituency : Scarborough  1884-5

Richard  took  over  at  Scarborough  when  John  Dodson  was  elevated  to  a  peerage.

Richard  was  a  vicar's son educated at  Rossall  School. He  became  a  solicitor  in  Liverpool  and  was  Mayor  there  in  1874-5.

He  died  in  1899  aged  65.

1003 Charles Rogers

Constituency : Radnor  Boroughs 1884-5

Charles  took  over  at  Radnor  after  the  resignation  of  Samuel  Williams.

Charles  was  a  vicar's  son . He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford. He  was  a  landowner.

Charles  never  spoke  in  Parliament.

Charles  was  defeated  at  Radnorshire  in  1885. In  1896  he  became  chairman  of  Radnorshire  County  Council.

Charles  was  interested  in   botany  and  published  a  book, Characteristics  of  Conifers.

He  died in  1929  aged  74.

1002 Ronald Ferguson

Constituency : Ross  and  Cromarty  1884-5, Leith Burghs  1886-1914

Ronald  took  over  at  Ross  and  Cromarty  after  the  retirement  of  Alexander  Matheson.

Ronald  was  the  son  of  Robert  Ferguson, the  previous  MP  for  Kirkcaldy  Burghs.  He  was  educated  at  Sandhurst  and  enjoyed  a  military  career.  He  joined  the  Grenadier  Guards  and  served  in  India.

Ronald  was  defeated  by  the  Crofters  candidate  Roderick  McDonald  in  1885. He  failed  at  Dunbartonshire  in  1886  but  got  in  at  the  by-election  at  Leith  Burghs  where  Gladstone  had  stood  in  addition  to  Midlothian  and  been  elected.  Ronald  became  Lord  Rosebery's  private  secretary. He  went  to  India  with  him  in  1886-7  and  1892-4. Rosebery  made  him  a  whip  when  he  became  Prime  Minister. Harcourt  accused  him  of  working  against  him.

During  the  Boer  War  Ronald  sided  with  the  Conservatives  so  had  little  hope  of  office  under  Campbell-Bannerman  who  also  refused  his  request  to  be  made  Governor  of  Bombay. He  had  to  settle  for  Provost  of  Kirkcaldy.

Having  turned  down  appointment  to  Governor-General  of  Victoria  in  1910,  Ronald  accepted  the  governorship  of  Australia  in  1914. He  worked  effectively  with  Prime  Minister  Billy  Hughes  to  maintain  Australia's  contribution  to  the  war  effort. He  resigned  his  post  in  1920  and  returned  to  Britain  where  he  was  made  Viscount  Novar.

Despite  Ronald's  close   friendship  with  Edward  Grey,  Lloyd  George  was  happy  to  appoint  him  Vice- President  of  the  Council  on  Education. After  the  collapse  of  the  Coalition  Bonar  Law  made  him  Secretary  of  State  for  Scotland  despite  him  remaining  a  Liberal. He  retired  in  1924   and  took  on  some  business  directorships.

He  died  in  1934  aged  74.

1001 James Picton

Constituency  : Leicester  1884-94

James  replaced  his  fellow  radical  Peter  Taylor  at  Leicester  after  the  latter's  resignation.

James  was  the  son  of  an  architect  from  Liverpool. He  was  educated  in  the  city  and  joined  his  father's  son.  He  then  had  a religious  calling  and  studied  at  Owens  College  and  the  University  of  London. He  started  his  preaching  at  Cheetham  Hill  Congregational  Church  in  Manchester  but  had  to  leave  after  accusations  of  heresy. He  moved  to  a  chapel  in  Leicester  where  he  became  noted  for  preaching  political  sermons  to  the  working  classes. In  1869  he  became  a  pastor  in  Hackney. The  following  year  he  joined  the  Hackney  School  Board.  He  argued  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  use  the  Bible  in  schools.He  published  a  number  of  pamphlets  extolling  his  views. He  left  the  chapel  in  1879  to  concentrate  on  journalism, writing  a  leader  column  in  the  radical  paper,  the  Weekly  Dispatch. He  was  adopted  at  Tower  Hamlets  in  1883  but  the  opportunity  at  Leicester  came  first.

James  was  a  small  man  but  a  skilled  orator  respected  in  the  Commons. He  was  a  friend  of  Gladstone. Despite  sitting  for  Leicester  he  took  up  the  cause  of  the  Crofters  of  Scotland  in  Parliament.

James  resigned  in  1894  and  built  a  retirement  home  in  Wales.

He  died  in  1910  aged  77.

1000 Joseph Ruston

Constituency  : Lincoln  1884-6

Joseph  came  in   at  the  by-election  to  replace the  deceased  John  Palmer.

Joseph  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  from  Ely. He  was  educated  at  Wesley  College, Sheffield. He  started  work  as  an  apprentice  in  a  cutlery  firm. With  money  from  his  father's  estate  he  started  a  firm  making  and  selling  farming  machinery. In  1870  he  was  Mayor  of  Lincoln.

As  a  result  of  the  Home  Rule  crisis  Joseph  declined  to  stand  in  1886. His  last  parliamentary  contribution  was  a  question  decrying  the  use  of  treadmills  in  prison.

He  died  in  1897  aged  62.

999 Stewart Clark

Constituency : Paisley  1884-5

Stewart  took  over  at  Paisley  after  the  resignation  of  William  Holms.

Stewart  was  a  thread  manufacturer. He  and  his  brothers  built  up  a  small  family  firm  into  an  international  concern. He  was  a  noted  philanthropist.

In  September  1885  Stewart  announced  he  wouldn't  be  standing  again  due  to  his  business  commitments.

Stewart  bought  Dundas  Castle  for  his  retirement  home  in  1899.

He  died  in  1907.

998 Samuel Walker

Constituency  : Londonderry  1884-5

Samuel  took  over  at  Londonderry  after  the  resignation  of  Andrew  Porter.

Samuel  was  the  son  of  a  captain . He  was  born in  Ireland. He  was  educated at  Portarlington  School  and  Trinity  College  Dublin. He  became  an  Irish  barrister  and  then,  in  1883, Ireland's  Solicitor  - General  making  it  desirable  that  he  should  find  a  seat  in  Parliament.

In  1885  Samuel  became  Attorney- General  for  Ireland. He  was  on  a  platform  at  a  public  meeting  called  in  response  to  the  Lords'  apparent  threat  to  the  Third  Reform  Act. He  stood  for  North  Derry  in  1885  but  was  heavily  defeated  because  the  Liberal  Presbyterians   in  the  Derry  seat   broke  a  pact  and  voted  for  the  Tory  and  so  the  Nationalists  did  likewise  in  the  seat  Samuel  was  contesting.

Samuel  supported  Home  Rule  and  was  made  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ireland  in  1892, again  without  a  seat.

When  Rosebery's  government  fell  he  was  made  a  Lord  Justice  of  Appeal  until  his  reappointment  as  Lord  Chancellor  in  1905. He  was  created  a  baronet  in  1906.

He  died  in  office  in  1911  aged  79.

997 Henry Ince

Constituency  : Hastings  1883-5,  Islington  East  1885-6

Henry chalked  up  another  gain  for  the  Liberals  when  he  captured  Hastings  in  a  by-election.

Henry  was  the  son  of  Edward  Ince  publisher  of  The  Law  Journal. Henry  started  out  working  in  shipping  but  an  accident  made  him  a  semi-invalid  and  he  became  a  leader  writer  for  The  Daily  News  instead.  He  then  decided  to  switch  to  law  and  became  a  barrister.  He  wrote  some  law  treatises.

Henry  was  concerned  about  the  1883  Infants  Bill  and  opposed  any  clause  which  might  lead  to  divided  authority  over  children. He  said  the  Bill  had  been  drawn  up  by  "elderly  bachelors  and  spinsters, who  knew  nothing  about  matrimony  and, if  possible, less  about  children".

Henry  switched  to  Islington  East  when  Hastings  was  reduced  to  a  one  member  seat. He  criticised  Chamberlain's  behaviour  during  the Home  Rule  crisis  saying  he  had adopted  "an  utterly  unintelligible  course, " He  was  defeated  in  1886.

He  died  of  a  brain  aneurysm  in  his  chambers  in  1889  aged  59.

996 Sydney Buxton

Constituency : Peterborough  1883-5,  Poplar  1886-1914

Sydney  took  over  from  George  Whalley  the  younger  after  the  latter's  resignation.

Sydney  was  the  son  of  Charles  Buxton, MP  for  a  number  of  constituencies  up  to  1871.  He  was  educated  at  Clifton  College  and  Cambridge. He  was  on  the  London  School  Board  between  1876  and  1882. He  was  a  radical  and  in  1880  published  the  pamphlet  Handbook  to  the  Political  Questions  of  the  Day. He  stood  for  Boston  in  1880.

Sydney  was  defeated  in  1885  but  returned  for  Poplar  in  1886. In  1889  he  cut  short  a  holiday  in  Ireland  to  deal  with  the  Dockers'  strike  in  his  constituency.

From  1892  to  1895  Sydney  was  Under  Secretary  of  state  for  the  Colonies. In  1905  he  joined  the  Cabinet  as  Postmaster-General. In  1910  he  was  promoted  to  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade. In  1912  he  asked  Lord  Loreburn  to  appoint  the  commission  of  inquiry  into  the  Titanic.

Sydney  was  generally  in  favour  of  female  suffrage  but  condemned  the  violent  tactics  of  the  suffragettes.

At  the  beginning  of  1914  Sydney  was  appointed  Governor-General  of  South  Africa  and  shortly  afterwards  ennobled  as  Viscount  Buxton. A  popular  revolt  at  the  beginning  of  the  First  World  War  seemed  to  threaten  his  safety  but  Prime  Minister  Botha  put  it  down  and  committted  the  country  to  Britain.  The  two  men  worked  effectively  together  during  the  war  including  conducting  the  invasion  of  South  West  Africa. He  stood  down  in  1920  when  he  was  upgraded  to  an  Earl   but  retained  an  interest  in  the  colony's  affairs  serving  as  president  of  the  African  Society  from  1920  to  1933.

In  his  later  years  Sydney  had  part  of  a  leg  amputated  as  a  result  of  a  knee  injury  sustained  earlier  in  life.

Sydney  was  a  keen  angler.

He  died  in  1934  aged  80.

995 Thomas Roe

Constituency : Derby  1883-95, 1900-16

Thomas  took  over  at  Derby  after  the  resignation  of  Michael  Bass.

Thomas  was  the  son  of  a  timber  merchant  who  became  mayor  of  Derby. He  began  work  in  his  father's  office  and  followed  him  on  to  the  Town  Council. In  1864  he  himself  became  mayor. He  was  interested  in  education  and  became  chairman of  the  Education  Committee.

Thomas's  parliamentary  contributions  were  largely  questions  on  a  wide  variety  of  subjects.

In  1894  Thomas  was  knighted.

Thomas  was  defeated  in  1895  and  consoled  himself  by  becoming  mayor  again  in  1896.

Thomas  regained  his  seat  in  1900  and  became  mayor  again  in  1910.

Thomas  retired  in  1916  and  the  following  year  became  Baron  Roe. Raymond  Asquith  was  lined  up  to  succeed  him  but  was  killed  at  the  Somme  before  he  got  the  chance.

He  died  in  1923  aged  90.

994 Gerard Smith

Constituency : Wycombe  1883-85

Gerard  took  over  from  William  Carington  at  Wycombe.

Gerard  was  the  son  of  Martin  Smith, former  MP  for  the  seat.  He  was  educated  at  Eton. In  1857  he  joined  the  Royal  Scots  Fusiliers  as  an  ensign. He  served  in  Canada  before  retiring  from  the  army  in  1874  as  a  lieutenant-colonel. He  joined  the  family  bank  and  also  got  involved  in  railways  around  Hull  and  the  Yorkshire  Insurance  Company..

On  entering  parliament  Gerard  was  made  a  groom-in-waiting  to  Queen  Victoria.  He  had  a  business  dispute  with  rival  railway  magnate  Joseph  Pease, the  MP  for  South  Durham  and  this  accounted  for  most  of  his  parliamentary  contributions.

In  1885  Gerard  switched  to  Holderness  but  was  unsuccessful.

In  1895  Gerard  was  appointed  Governor  of  Western  Australia. He  served  until  1900  when  he  was  sued  over  a  business  failure.

He  died  in  1920  aged  81.

993 John Morley

Constituency : Newcastle-upon-Tyne  1883-95 ,  Montrose  Burghs 1896-1908

In  February  1883  one  of  the  most  important  Liberal  politicians   entered  the  Commons  when  John  replaced  the  ailing  Ashton  Dilke  at  Newcastle.

John  was  born  in  Blackburn, the  son  of  a  surgeon. He  was  educated  at  Cheltenham  College  and  Oxford  though  he  left  the  latter  after  a  row  with  his  father who  wanted  him  to  become  a  clergyman.  John  was  an  agnostic. John  initially  became  a  barrister  but  soon  decided  to  pursue  journalism  instead.  In  1870  he  married  a   recent   widow  with  whom  he  had  had  a  liaison  for  many  years; this  handicapped  him  socially  and  politically.  He  put  a  gloss  on  the  social  ostracism  saying  country  house  weekends  blighted  his  democracy. He  became  the  editor  of  the  Fortnightly  Review  in  1867  and  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  in  1880.  He  approached  journalism  with  superb  vigour  and  brilliance. He  saw  himself  as  successor  to  John  Stuart  Mill.  Outstanding  politicians  would  lead  the  masses, "The  extreme  advanced  party  is  likely  for  the  future  to  have  on  its  side  a  great  portion  of  the  most  cultivated  intellect  in  the  nation, and  the  contest  will  be  between  brains  and  numbers  on  the  one  side,  and  wealth, rank, vested  interest, possesssion  in  short, on  the  other".  He  also  credited  Palmerston  with  having  an  honest  interest  in  good  government. John  stood  for  Blackburn  in  a  by-election  in  1869  and  for  City  of  Westminster  in  1880.

Newcastle  was  a  difficult  constituency  to  represent. John  had  the  support  of  Robert  Watson  who  was  chair  of  the  National  Liberal  Federation  from  1890  to  1902 but  not  his  parliamentary  colleague ( until  1886 ) Joseph  Cowen  , the  radical  owner  of  The  Chronicle. Cowen  persistently  attacked  him, calling  for  working  class  representation  at  the  same  time  as  printing  sympathetic  stuff  about  the  Tory  candidate. Cowen  helped  to  engineer  John's  defeat  in  1895.

John  was  briefly  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland  in  1886  then  resumed  the  role  in  1892. As  a  strong  supporter  of  Home  Rule  he  was  fiercely  attacked.  He  was  petulant  and  always  threatening  to  resign.

John  started  to  lose  working  class  support  in  1889  when  he  made  clear  his  opposition  to  labour  demands  for  an  8  hour  working  day. This  went  against  John's  attachment  to  political  economy; it  would  be "thrusting  an  Act  of  Parliament  like  a  ramrod  into  all  the  delicate  and  complex  machinery  of  British  industry".  Any  reduction  in  working  hours  should  be  voluntarily  negotiated  with  regard  to  the  "great  diversity  in  local  and  natural  conditions ". In  1891  labour  leaders  like  John  Burns  and  Keir  Hardie  spoke  publicly  against  him. In  the  1892  election  the  Eight  Hours  League  and  socialist  Social  Democratic  Federation  declared  for  the  Unionist  candidate. John  came  in  second  behind  the  Unionist. In  the  by-election  which  followed  his  ministerial  re-appointment  the  Irish  vote  in  Newcastle  rallied  to  support  him. When  the  Eight  Hours  Bill  passed  in  March  1892 John  noted  sourly,  "That  has  taken  place  which  I  apprehended. The  Labour  party  - that  is , the  most  headstrong  and  unscrupulous  and  shallow  of  those  who  speak  for  labour - has  captured  the  Liberal  party.Even  worse, the  Liberal  party, on  our  bench  at  any  rate, has  surrendered  sans  phrase , without  a  word  of  explanation  or  vindication."  In  1897  Beatrice  Webb  wrote  of  him  that  he  had  "a  closed  mind  and  lack  of  pluck  in  asserting  the  dogmas  that  dominate  him".

John  was  not  opposed  to  all  forms  of  state  intervention  and  believed  in  "protection  thrown  over  classes  of  men  and  women  who  are  unable  to  protect  themselves". In  1885  he  declared  that  "I  am  not  prepared  to  allow  that  the  Liberty  and  Property  Defence  League  are  the  only  people  with  a  real  grasp  of  Liberal  principles; that  Lord  Bramwell  and  the  Earl  of  Wemyss  are  the  only  Abdiels  of  the  Liberal  Party." He  went  on  to  describe  himself : "I  am  a  cautious  Whig  by  temperament , I  am  a  Liberal  by  training, and  I  am  a  thorough  Radical  by  observation  and  experience". Nevertheless  he  became  very  sceptical  about  social  reform. Governments  could  not  "insure  steady  work  and  good  wages"  because  of  "great  economic  tides  and  currents  flowing  which  were  beyond  the  control  of  any  Statesman, government  or  community". He  attacked  Unionist  proposals  to  help  farmers and  said  this  would  lead  to  "national  workshops  to  which  anybody  has  a  right  to  go  and  receive  money  out  of  your  pockets."  

John  was  strongly  opposed  to  imperialism  fearing  the  pernicious  effects  of  raised  public  expenditure  and  foreseeing  that  it  would  lead  to  a  revival  of  protectionism. In  a great  speech  in  Manchester  in  1899  he   declared  "You  may  make  thousands  of  women  widows  and  thousands  of  children  fatherless. It  will  be  wrong. You  may  add  a  new  province  to  your  empire. It  will  still  be  wrong. You  may  increase  the  shares  of  Mr  Rhodes  and  his  Chartered  beyond  the  dreams  of avarice. Yea, and  it  will  still  be  wrong !"

 In  the  quarrels  over  the  leadership  of  the  Liberals  after  Gladstone's  resignation  John  didn't  support  Harcourt  in  1894  but  thereafter  took  his  part  against  Rosebery  and  was  the  recipient  of  his  resignation  letter  in  1898.  He  was  appalled  by  Rosebery's  appointment  of  Kimberley  to  the  Colonial  Office.

From  then  until  1903  John  was  principally  engaged  on  his  great  biography  of  Gladstone  which  sold  very  well  when  published.  He  also  wrote  monographs  on  his  other  heroes , Burke, Rosseau, Cromwell  and  Cobden

John  was  hoping  to  be  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  1905  but  had  to  be  content  with  India  instead, a  difficult  challenge  for  an  anti-imperialist. He  took  strong  measures  against  sedition  which  drew  criticism  from  the  radicals  in  the  party.  In  1906  he  urged  the  party  to  resist  railway  workers'  agitation  for  higher  wages  because  "railways  are  the  middle  class  investment...  if  anybody  thinks  we  can  govern  this  country  against  the  middle  class  he  is  wrong". In  1908  Asquith  created  him  Viscount  Morley  of  Blackburn.

John  fretted  about  the  Peoples  Budget  fearing  again  that  it  would  increase  support  for  Protection. In  1910  he  was  switched  to  Lord  President  of  the  Council.

John's  last  great  public  act  was  to  resign  from  the  Cabinet  on  the  outbreak  of  World  War  One.  He  could  not  stomach  Britain  going  to  war  as  an  ally  of  autocratic  Russia.  He  said  in  his  resignation  letter  that  he'd  be  of  no  use  in  war  deliberations.

In  retirement  John  published  two  volumes  of  his  memoirs. He  was  a  strong  critic  of  Wilson's  moralising  after  the  war  and  described  the  League  of  Nations  as  "A  mirage  and  an  old  one ".   He  spoke  out  against  the  guarantee  to  France  in  the  Treaty  of  Versailles. He  remained  a  fierce  critic  of  Labour,  denouncing  Henderson's  support  for  a  capital  levy  as  "rank  piracy".

T P  O  Connor  said  of  him  "The  inner  conflict  between  the  man  of  letters  and  the  man  of  politics  in  Morley  pursued  and  paralysed  him  all  through  his  life".

He  died  of  heart  failure  in  1923  aged  84.

992 Samuel Smith

Constituency : Liverpool  1882-5, Flintshire  1886-1906

Samuel  chalked  up  a  rare  gain  for  the  Liberals  in  this  Parliament  when  he  won  in  Liverpool  after  Viscount  Sandon  was  raised  to  the  peerage.

Samuel  was  born  in  Galloway  and  educated  at  Kirkcudbright  Academy  and  Edinburgh  University. He  became  apprentice  to  a  Liverpool  cotton-broker  in  1853  and  was  head  of  the  Liverpool  branch  of  a  large  cotton  business  by 1864. He  was  a  sometime  President  of  Liverpool  Chamber  of  Commerce.

Samuel's  maiden  speech  was  in  support  of  emigration  from  the  West  of  Ireland  to  Canada. He  also  opposed  the  opium  trade  in  China  and  was  a   champion  of  temperance  and  bimetallism.  He  was  a  strong  opponent  of  female  suffrage.  In  1901  he  suggested  some  softening  of  the  language  in  the  Sovereign's  Declaration  on  Transubstantiation. He  also  supported  some  compulsory  service  in  the  Volunteers. His  last  speech  in  1905  advocated  the  provision  of  school  meals  for  malnourished  children.

Samuel  stood  in  Liverpool  Abercromby  in  1885  but  lost  by  807  votes. In  1886  he  returned  in  a  by-election  in  1886  at  Flintshire.

In  1885  Samuel  was  one  of  the  co-founders  of  Edge  Hill  College, the  first  non-denominational  teacher  training  college  for  women.

Samuel  retired  at  the  1906  general  election  and  died  later  that  year  aged  70.

991 Hubert Jerningham

Constituency  : Berwick-upon-Tweed  1881-5

Hubert  took  over  at  Berwick  when  Dudley  Marjoribanks  became  Baron  Tweedmouth. He  became  the  only  Catholic  representing  s  constituency  in  Great  Britain.

Hubert  was  born  and  educated  in  France  and  became  a  diplomat.

In  1881  Hubert  publicly  denied  claims  that  he  supported  Bradlaugh.

Hubert  became  Governor  of  Mauritius  in  1892  and  then  Trinidad  and  Tobago  from  1897  to  1900.

In  1905  Hubert  visited  Japan.

He  died  in  1914  aged  72.

990 Alexander Sellar

Constituency  : Haddington  Burghs  1882-5, Glasgow  Partick  1885-90

Alexander  took  over  at  Haddington  after  the  resignation  of  Sir  David  Wedderburn.

Alexander  was  educated  at  Rugby  and  Oxford. He  became  a  barrister. In  1868  he  reported  on  secondary  education  to  the  Argyll  Commission. He  was  legal  secretary  to  the  Lord  Advocate  from  1870  to  1874.In  1873  he  published  a  manual  about  the  Education  Act's  application  to  Scotland.  In  1880  he  stood  for  Plymouth  Devonport.

Alexander switched  to  the  Liberal  Unionists  in  1886.

He  died  in  1890  aged  54.

989 Thomas Shaw

Constituency  :  Halifax  1882-93

Thomas  took  over  at  Halifax  after  the  death  of  John  Hutchinson.

Thomas  was  a  millowner's  son  from  Halifax. He  was  educated  at  Huddersfield  and  rose  to  head  the  family  firm. He  was  also  president  of  Halifax  Mechanics  Institute. He  was  the  town's  mayor  between  1866  and  1868.

Thomas  did  not  speak  in  the  Commons.

Thomas  died  in  1893  aged  69.  His  son  succeeded  him  in  the  seat.

988 Thomas Acland 2

Constituency :  East  Cornwall  1882-5, Launceston 1885-92

Thomas  took  over  from  Thomas  Agar-Robartes  who  had  become  a  peer.

Thomas  was  the  son  of  the  Devonshire  North  MP  of  the  same  name. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford  and  became  a  barrister.

In  1886 Thomas  was  appointed  a  church  estates  commissioner  and  parliamentary  secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trade.

In  1917  Thomas  granted  a  huge  estate  on  Exmoor  to  the  recently  created  National  Trust  which  more  than  doubled  their  estates.

He  died  in 1919  aged  76.

987 Sir John Jenkins

Constituency  :  Carmarthen  1882-6, 1895-1900  ( Liberal  Unionist )

John  came  in  at  Carmarthen  after  Benjamin  Williams  resigned  to  become  a  county  court  judge.

John   was  the  co-founder  and  manager  of  a  tin  plate  works  in  Morriston. He  was  mayor  of  Swansea  in  1869, 1879  and  1880. He  challenged  Williams  in  Carmarthen  in  1880.

John    was  called  to  account  by  his  local  party  for  his  attitude  to  Home  Rule.  He returned to  parliament  in  1895  as  a  Liberal  Unionist.

In  1906  he  was  created  Baron  Glantawe. He  spoke  up  for  Lloyd  George's  Budget  in  the  Lords.

He  died  in  1915  aged  80.