Constituency : Wellington 1906-18, The Wrekin 1918-9
Charles took Wellington from the Liberal Unionists whose long-serving MP Alexander Brown had stepped down.
Charles was born in Australia. He was educated in London and at Gottingen University. He was Jewish and supported Jewish charities. He established a firm of metal merchants and copper importers in London in 1882. It was highly successful and he became a millionaire.
He was a Liberal Imperialist and stood for Chelmsford in 1900.
Charles was a friend of Lloyd George. He paid for a trip to Germany for the new Chancellor to study the invalidity insurance and old age pensions schemes in operation there. There were rumours that Lloyd George and Charles's American wife Julia were more than just friends.
Charles was on the right of the party, a member of the British Empire League and opponent of female suffrage.
Charles held his seat fairly comfortably in both 1910 elections.
In 1911 Charles became a baronet.
Lloyd George later distanced himself from Julia Henry which she didn't take very well.
Charles supported conscription and campaigned for it a year before its introduction. He went on government missions to America and Sweden during the war. He set up a home in Berkshire for wounded soldiers. His son was killed in action in 1915.
Charles bought a share in the Westminster Gazette and founded The Jewish Guardian , a journal to oppose Zionism which he believed might lead to Jews losing citizenship rights in other countries.
Charles supported Lloyd George and sat on Lord Balfour's Committee on After-War Trade. He also sat on committees on finance and a reorganisation of the Ministry of Munitions.
In 1918 Charles moved an amendment to the franchise bill to restrict female candidates to over 30s.
In 1918 Charles switched to The Wrekin and was returned unopposed as a Coaltion supporter.
In 1919 Henry fell seriously ill. Lloyd George visited him before he died aged 59.
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