1663 Hugh Lea

Constituency : St  Pancras  East 1906-10

Hugh  took  St  Pancras  Eas< Hugh  was  educated  abroad. He saw  service  in  both  the  British  and  American  armies. He  owned  the  Wine  and  Spirit  Trade  Record  and  wrote for the  African  Review.

In  1907  Hugh  publicly  objected  to  Campbell-Bannerman  giving  a  knighthood  to  a  shipbuilder  and  Liberal  donor  who  had  supplied  a  defective  rudder  to  the  navy. He  wrote to  The  Times  saying  "These  honours  are  bought  and  sold, the  proceeds going  principally  to  the  war  chest  of  the  Party  in  office  at  the  time  these  so-called  honours  are  conferred".

In  1908  Hugh lamented  that  there  were  only  around  six  safe  radical  seats  in  London.                  

Hugh  stood  down  in  January  1910  but  was  elected  a Progressive  councillor  later  that  year.

He  died  in  1926  aged  50.

1662 William Benn

Constituency : Tower  Hamlets  St  George's  1906-18, Leith 1918-27, Aberdeen North  1928-31, Manchester  Gorton  1937-42  ( Labour ) 

William  took  St  George's  from  the  Tories.

William  was  the  son  of  the  Devonport  MP,  John  Benn. He  was  educated  in  Paris  and  at  University  College, London. He  was  a  strong  opponent  of  the  Boer  War.  He  was  a  teetotaller.

William   became  PPS  to  Reginald  McKenna  at  the  Treasury  and  then  Education.

William  was  re-elected  in  January  1910  but  lost  a  libel  suit  by  his  Conservative  opponent  over  something  he  said  during  the  campaign.

He was  a  whip  between  1910  and  1915.  He  upset  some  colleagues  by  raising  funds  for  the  striking  dockers  in  1912. He  was  an  admirer  of  Lloyd  George  up  to  the  Marconi  scandal  then  very  sceptical  about  him.

At  the  start  of  the  war  William  was  put  in  charge  of  the  National  Relief  Fund  and  raised  £1,000,000 in  ten  days. He  then  joined  the  Middlesex  Yeomanry  and  served  in  Egypt  in  1915
In  1916,  he  was  commissioned  an  observer  flying  officer  for  the  Royal  Flying  Corp. He  commanded  a  seaplane  observer  squadron  which  saw  service  at  Gallipoli. He  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Naval  Air  Service  and  was  awarded  the  DSO  in  1917.

In  1916  William  declined  Lloyd  George's  invitation  to  become  Chief  Whip  in  his  government.

In  1918  William  achieved  one  of  the  best  results  for  an  independent  Liberal, seeing  off  a  couponed  Conservative  and  a  Labour  candidate  at  Leith. It  was  his  father  who  came  up  with  the  name  "Wee  Frees"  for  the  independent  Liberal  grouping.

William  was  one  of  a  radical  grouping  of  Liberal  MPs  in  the  mid-twenties  but  in 1927 , when  it  became  clear  that  Lloyd  George  had  gained  control  of  the  party,  he resigned  his  seat  and  joined  the Labour  party.

William  came  back  into  Parliament  for  Labour  at  Aberdeen  North  the  following  year. He  was  Secretary  of  State  for  India  between  1929  and  1931.

William  was  heavily   defeated  by  the  Conservative  candidate   in  1931. He  was  defeated  at  Dudley  in  1935 . He  came  back  for  Manchester  Gorton  in  1937.

In  1940  William   rejoined  the  Royal  Air  Force  and  rose  to  Air  Commodore. Although  his  role  was  mainly  ground-based  he  did  fly  in   some  operations  despite  being  in  his  late  sixties.
 
In  1942  William  was  created  Viscount  Stansgate . In  1944  he  was  appointed  Vice  President  of  the  Allied  Control  Commission  for  reconstructing  a  democratic  Italy. When  Attlee  took  power  in  1945  he  was  Secretary  of  State  for  air  for  a  year.

He  died  in  1960   aged  83  sparking  a  long  legal  battle  as  his  son  Tony  sought  to  renounce the  title  he  had  inherited  and  continue  to  sit  in  the  Commons.

1661 Charles Clarke

Constituency  : Peckham 1906-08

Charles  took  Peckham  from  the  Conservatives. He  did  not  stand  as  a  Liberal-Labour  candidate   but  was  closely  aligned  with  the  Lib-Lab  members.

Charles  was  educated  in  Liverpool.In  1873 he  married  the  daughter  of  a  druggist  and  became  his  business  partner. He  was  a  Baptist. He  stood  for  Dulwich  in  1895  then  got  elected  to  the  L.C.C,. He  stood  for  Mile  End  in  1900. He  was  Mayor  of  Camberwell  in  1902-03.

He  died  of  pneumonia  in  1908  aged  68.

1660 Leo Money

Constituency : Paddington  North  1906-10, Northamptonshire  East 1910-18 , 1918 ( Labour )

Leo  took  Paddington  North  from  the  Tories.

Leo  was  born in  Genoa  to  an  Italian  father  and  English  mother. He  was  educated  privately  and  became  a  financial  journalist. He  was  a  staunch  advocate  of  Free  Trade and  played  a  prominent  part  in  rebutting  Chamberlain's  arguments.In  1905  Leo  published  Riches and  Poverty which  attempted  a  statistical  analysis  of  wealth distribution  in  the  UK  and   called  for  massive  state  intervention. It  became  a popular  text  with  socialists. H G  Wells  described  it  as "extraordinarily  valuable  and  suggestive"  and  the  two  became  close  friends  with  Wells  persuading  Leo  to  join  the Fabian  Society.

In  1906  Leo  maintained  there  were  more  collectivists  amongst  the  Liberals  than  Labour.

Leo  was  defeated  in  January  1910  and  switched  to  Northamptonshire  East  in  December.

Leo  was of  considerable  help  to  Lloyd  George  in  preparing  the  National  Insurance  legislation  and  published  Insurance  Versus Poverty  in  1912. He  then  gravitated  towards  Churchill  and  helped  make  the  case  for  naval  expenditure.

In 1915  Leo  became  parliamentary  private  secretary  to  Lloyd  George  at  the  Ministry  of Munitions. He  was  knighted that  same  year. He  became  an  advocate  for  conscription.

In  1917  Leo  became  parliamentary  spokesman  for  the  Ministry of  Shipping  as the  actual  Minister, shipowner  Joseph  Maclay, didn't  sit  in  Parliament. Maclay  described  him  as "very  clever  but  impossible " living in  "an  atmosphere  of  suspicion  and  distrust  of  everyone - satisfied  only  with  himself  and  his  own  views." Nevertheless  Leo  helped  develop  the  convoy  policy  which  largely  neutralised  the  U-boat  threat.

In 1918  Leo  resigned  his post   in  protest  at  the  government's  intention  to  discontinue  state  control  of  the  shipping  industry. He  joined  Labour to  push  for  nationalisation  and  redistributive  taxation. He  was  also  disappointed by  Lloyd  George's willingness  to  compromise  on  Free Trade  and Home  Rule. He stood  for  Tottenham  South  in  the  coupon  election  but  was beaten  by  the  Conservative.

In  1919  Leo  was  nominated  by  Labour  to  sit  on  the  Sankey  Commission  reporting  on  the future  of  the  mining  industry.

In  1920   Leo  stood  at  the  Stockport  by-election  but  came  third.

Leo  continued  to  write  and  in  1925  he published  The  Peril  of  the  White  forecasting  the  break-up  of  the  empire  through  racial  tensions. In  the  late  twenties  he  started  showing  sympathy  towards  the  fascist  dictators , supporting Italy's  invasion  of  Abyssinia. He  deplored  Allied  bombing  of  non-military  targets  in  Germany.

In  1928  Leo  was  arrested  but  acquitted  of  public  indecency  with  a  young  woman. In  1933  he  was  fined  for  the  same  offence. In  neither  case  did  his  actions  amount  to  anything  more  than  a  snog.

He  died  in  1944  aged  74.

1659 Bertram Straus

Constituency : Mile  End  1906-10

In  a  re-run  of  their  by-election  contest  of  a  year  earlier, Bertram  defeated   the  Liberal  Unionist  Harry  Levy-Lawson.

Bertram  was  the  son  of  a  Jewish  colonial  merchant  based  in  Manchester. He  was  educated  at  Harrow  then  worked  for  a  firm  of  colonial  merchants  eventually  becoming  a  partner. He  later  became  chairman  of  a  firm  making  vitamin  preparations. He  became  a  Progressive  councillor  in  1898. In  1895, Bertram  stood  for  Marylebone  West  and  in  1900, Tower  Hamlets  St  George's.Although  Levy-Lawson  was  himself  part-Jewish  he took  a  stronger  line  on  anti-immigration  which  helped  him  win  the  seat  in  1905.

Bertram  became  the  leading  spokesman  for  Jewish  interests  in  the  Commons  but  rejected  the  notion  of  a  formal  organisation  of  Jewish  MPs  "as  the  Jewish  members must  remember that  they  represented  their  constituents  and  not  their  co-religionists".

Bertram  introduced  the  Traffic  Bill  regulating  speed  in  built-up  areas.

In  January  1910  Levy-Lawson  regained  the  seat  by  57  votes. In  December  Bertram  failed  to  regain  it  by  just  6  votes.

In  1916  Levy-Lawson  inherited  a  peerage. Bertram  gave  his  support  to  the  Unionist  candidate , who  had  scrupulously  observed  the political  truce  at  Liberal-held  Newington  West, against  the  gung-ho  independent  Pemberton  Billing.

He  died  in  1933  aged  66.

1658 William Pearce

Constituency : Limehouse  1906-22

William  took  Limehouse  from  the  Tories  at  the second  attempt.

William  was  the  son  of  a  chemical  manufacturer. He  was  educated at  scientific  colleges. He  became  a  Progressive  councillor  on  the  LCC.

William  scored  exactly  the  same  majority - 431  votes - in  both 1910  elections.

William  was  knighted  in  1915. He  served on  the  Committee  for  After-War  Trade  which  considered  decimalisation  and  metrification. He  became  the  first  Treasurer of  the  Association  of  British  Chemical  Manufacturers  established  in  1916  to  match  a  similar  German  body.

William  received  the  coupon  in  1918  and  comfortably  held  off  Labour  and  National Party  challengers.

In  1919, William  chaired a  select  committee  on  war  profits  which  after  much  discussion  recommended  a  modest  levy. The  Cabinet decided not  to  implement  the  recommendations.

William  was  defeated  by  Labour's  Clement  Attlee  in  1922.

He  died  in  1932  aged  79.

1657 Horatio Myer

Constituency : Lambeth  North  1906-10

Horatio  took  Lambeth  North  from  the  Tories. He  was  not  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  local  party; one  faction  wanted the  former  Indian  MP  Dadabhai  Naoroji  who  stood  as  an  "Independent  Liberal"  but  didn't  cost  them  the  seat.

Horatio  was  born  in  Hereford  to  a  German  Jewish  immigrant. He  started  working  in  the wool  trade  then  set  up  his  own  business  making  iron  beds  and  other  bedroom  furniture. He  diversified  into  corn  and  wine. He  was   elected  as  a  Progreesive  councillor  in  1889. He  was  a  practising  Jew.

Horatio  was  interested  in  taxation  and  unemployment  relief.

Horatio  was  defeated  in  January  1910  despite  assistance  from  John  Burns  during  the  campaign   and  some  disruption  of  Unionist  meetings.

He  died  in  1916  aged  65.

1656 Stephen Collins

Constituency : Kennington  1906-18

Stephen  took  Kennington  from  the  Tories.

Stephen  was  from  Swanage. He  started  work  as  a  quarry  boy  before  moving  to  London. He was  a  Progressive councillor  on  London  County  Council  and  an  alderman  on  Lambeth  Borough  Council. He  was  a  Congregationalist  and  teetotaller. He  was  a  temperance  campaigner  active  in  many  organisations.

In  1908,  Stephen  was  duped  into  letting  two  suffragettes  into  Parliament  who  chained  themselves to  railings

Stephen  was  knighted  in  1913.

Stephen  stood  down  in  1918.

He  died  in  1925  aged  77

1655 Joel Seaverns

Constituency : Brixton  1906-10

Joel  took  Brixton  from  the  Tories  by  286  votes.

Joel  was  the  son  of  a  doctor  from  Boston, Massachusetts. He  was  educated  at  Harvard. He  was  a  partner  in  a  firm  of  colonial  merchants  and  came  over  to  run  their  London  office  in  1884. He  was  a  founding  member  of  the  County  of  London  Territorial  Force  Association  and  vice-president  of  the  National  Association  of  Shop  Assistants.

In  1909  Joel  fell  ill  and  went  to  Switzerland  to  convalesce. He  was  not  able  to  campaign  effectively  in  January  1910  and  was  defeated. He  was  unsuccessful  again  in  December.

Joel's  son  was  killed  in  action  in  1915.

Joel  stood  for  Gainsborough  in  1922.

He  died  of  septicaemia  in  1923  aged  62.

 

1654 Henry Stanger

Constituency : Kensington  North  1906-10

Henry  took  Kensington North  from  the  Tories.

Henry  was  from  Nottingham. He  was  educated  at  Oxford  and  became  a  barrister. He  stood  for  Newark  at a  by-election  in  1900  then  Nottingham  South  at  the  general  election.

Henry  supported  female  suffrage  ad  introduced  a  Private  Member's  Bill  to  that  effect  in  1908. It  passed  its  second  reading  but  Asquith  would  not  grant  it  parliamentary  time  to  go  further.

Henry  stood  down  in  January  1910.

Henry  was  independent  chairman  of  a  Nottinghamshire  wages  committee  under  the  Coal  Mines  ( Minimum  Wage ) Act.

He  died  in  1929  aged 79.

1653 George Radford

Constituency  : Islington  East  1906-17

George  took  Islington  East  from  the  Tories.

George  was  born  in  Plymouth. He  was  educated  at  London  University. He  became  a  solicitor.  He  became  a  Progressive  councillor. He  took  a  prominent  part  in  L,C.C.  election  campaigns. He  was  Vice-Chair  of  the  National  Liberal  Club.

George  had  a  particular  interest  in  tramways  and  led  a  delegation  to  Budapest to  study  the  system  there.

George  opposed  the  formation  of  a  coalition  government  in  1915.

George  was  knighted  in  1916.

George  dabbled  in  poetry  and  literary  criticism.

He  died  in  1917  aged  66.

1652 Thomas Wiles

Constituency : Islington  South  1906-18

Thomas  took  Islington  South  from  the  Tories.

Thomas  was  educated  at  Amersham  Hall  School. He  worked  in  the  family  firm  of  grain  merchants. He  was  chairman  of  the  Corn  Exchange. He  also  had  interests  in  banking. He  became  a  Progressive  councillor  in  1900  and  became  chairman  of  the  London  Port  Authority.
He  was  a  Baptist.

In  1910  he  warned  Churchill  about  the  political  consequences  of  his  Shops  Bill  regulating  opening  hours.

Thomas  served  as  Parliamentary  private  Secretary  to  Thomas  McKinnon  Wood  at  the  Foreign  Office  from  1908-11  and  the  Treasury  from  1911-12.

Thomas  lost  his  seat  to  a  Conservative  with  the  coupon  in  1918. He  failed  to  regain  it  in  1922  due  to  Labour's  intervention. He  switched  to  Eastbourne  in  1923  but  failed  to  dislodge  the  Tory.

He  died  in  1951  aged  89.

   

1651 David Waterlow

Constituency : Islington North  1906-10

David  took  Islington  North  from  the  Tories.

David  was  the  son  of  the  former  Liberal  MP, Sydney  Waterlow. He  was educated  at  Northampton  and  Lausanne. He  travelled  the  world  as  a  young  man  then  joined  the  family  firm  of  printers. In  1885  he  became  Director  of  the  Improved  Industrial  Dwellings  Company, a  post  he  held  for  nearly  40  years. He  became  a  Progressive  councillor  in  1889.

David's  parliamentary  contributions  were  largely  on  London  matters.

David  held  on  to  his  seat  by  31  votes  in  January  1910  but  was  defeated  in  December.

David  made  unsuccessful  attempts  to  be  re-elected  to  the  LCC  in  1913  and  1922.

He  died  in  1924  aged  66  from  complications  after  surgery.

1650 Horatio Bottomley

Constituency : Hackney  South  1906-12,  1918-22  ( Independent ) 

Horatio  is  one  of  the  great  villains  of  twentieth  century  politics. He  took  Hackney  South  from  the  Tories  at  the  second  attempt  with  a  decisive  majority  despite  the  intervention  of  an  Independent  Liberal  candidate.

Horatio  was  a  tailor's  son  from  London. His  parents  died  when  he  was  young  and  he  ended  up  in  an  orphanage. Conditions  were  harsh  but  Horatio  often  visited  it  in  later  life  giving  pep  talks  to  the  children  and  praising  the  institution. He  began  an  apprenticeship  with  a  wood  engraver  but  soon  gave  this  up  and  became  an  office  junior  at  a  wood  engravers. He  met  Charles  Bradlaugh  through  his  uncle  and  became  strongly  influenced  by  him. He  went  on  to  be  a  partner  in  a  firm  providing  recording  and  transcription  services  for  the  law  courts. In  1884  he  started  a   local  political  magazine  the  Hackney  Hansard  , then  a  similar  paper  in  Battersea. The  two  merged  into  The  Debater. In  1885  he  started  a  publishing  association  which  bought  or  launched  several  papers  including  the  Financial  Times. In  1887  he  contested  a  by-election  at  Hornsey  and  got a  letter  of  congratulation  from  Gladstone  for  his  campaign. In  1889  he  founded  the  Hansard  Publishing  Union  to  fulfil  a  contract  to  print  Westminster  debates and  persuaded  several  notables  to  join  the  Board and  invest  in  the  firm. He  hid  the  personal  profits  he  was  making  from  its  transactions. He  was  prosecuted  for  fraud   in  1893  but  was  unexpectedly  acquitted  after  conducting  his  own  defence. He  went  on  to  repay  his  creditors  and  increase  his  own  fortune  by  speculation  in  Australian  gold  mining.

At  first, Horatio's  colleagues  treated  him  like  a  smouldering  firework   but  were  gradually  won  over  by  his  good  humour-such  as  describing  himself  as  "more  or  less  honourable"  and  his  oratory  in  support  of  old  age  pensions  and  the  eight  hour  day. Shortly  after  his  election  he  launched  the  weekly  populist   magazine  John  Bull  which  became  very  successful. In  1908  he  was  brought  before  a  panel  at  the  Guildhall   Justice  Rooms  to  answer  to  charges  of  fraudulent  share  issues  in  his  Joint  Stock  Trust   but  got  away  again.

Horatio  was  returned  comfortably  in  both  1910  elections  despite  another  Independent  Liberal  challenge   ( though  it  was  supported  by  the  London  Liberal  Federation ) in  December. In  June 1910  he  founded  the  John  Bull  League  advocating  "commonsense  business  methods"  in  government. He  had  now  moved to the  right   and  become  a  critic  of  Asquith's  administration.

In  1912  Horatio  was  finally  successfully  sued  by  a  JST  creditor  and  had  to  declare  himself  bankrupt  thus  forfeiting  his  seat. Through  granting  assets  to  relatives  and  the   continued  success  of   John  Bull  he  was  able  to  maintain  an  expensive  lifestyle. He  also  raised  the  magazine's  circulation  by  circumventing  the  gambling  laws  and  introducing  sweepstakes   and  lotteries, most  of  which  were  "won"  by  relatives  and  associates.

In  the  First  World  War  John  Bull  became  a  source  of  virulent  anti-German  propaganda    with  Horatio  constantly  warning  of  "the  enemy  within"  and  demanding  action  against  people  with  German-sounding  surnames. He  spoke  at  recruitment  rallies  and  public  meetings  up  and  down  the  country  and  became  a  national  figure. Though  very  wary  of  him,  Lloyd  George  did  find  uses  for  him. In  1915  he  quelled  calls  for  a  strike  by  Clydeside  shipworkers. He  visited  the  front  in  France  in  1917  and  the  Grand  Fleet  at  Scapa  Flow. He  was  very  critical  of  the  National  War  Aims  Committee, describing  it  as  "a  dodge  for  doctoring  public  opinion" and  tried  to  persuade  Lloyd  George  to  make  him  Director  of  Propaganda  instead. He  was  fiercely  critical  of  Labour  pacifists  such  as  Hardie  and  McDonald. When  the  latter  unwisely  described  him  as  "a  man  of  doubtful  parentage  who  had  lived  all  his  life  on  the  threshold  of  jail"  , Horatio  retaliated  by  publishing  McDonald's  own  birth  certificate  proving  his  illegitimacy.

In  1918,  Horatio  shuffled  his  financial  cards  to  get  a  discharge  from  his  bankruptcy  and  stood  for  Hackney  South  again. He  stood  as  an  Independent  and  trounced  the  Coalition  Liberal  candidate  winning  80%  of  the  vote. He  grandiosely  described  himself  as  the "unofficial  prime  minister"  who  would  hold  the  government  to  account. His  attempt  to  create  a  new  centre  party  "the  People's  League"  was  stillborn  but  he  did  manage  to  attract  a  few  disgruntled  MPs  to  his  Independent  Parliamentary  Group. It  supported  enforcing  reparations, excluding  enemy  aliens, business  methods  in  government  and  holding  the  League  of  Nations  at  arm's  length. In  1919  he  helped  pacify  troops  in  Folkestone  and  Calais  who  were  angry  at  demobilisation  delays.

Later  that  year  Horatio  organised  his  "Victory  Bonds  Club"  promising  subscribers  an  extra  return  from  the  government's  latest  Victory  Bond  issue. He  used  the  funds  accumulated  to  further  his  ambitions  to  become  a  major  press  baron  but  his  new  ventures  were  not  successful  and  actually  cost  him  control  of  John  Bull . He  lost  public  confidence  and  subscribers  to  the  VBC  started  demanding  their  money  back. Horatio's  accounting  was  so  bad  that  some  were  repaid  more  than  once.

In  1921  Horatio  fell  out  with  his  close  associate Reuben  Bigland  whose   bizarre  alchemical  scheme  to  turn  water  into  petrol  he  refused  to  back. Bigland  started  exposing  his  business  practices. Horatio  accused  him  of  criminal  libel  and  extortion.  It  went  to  trial  but  proved  far  more damaging  to  him  than  Bigland  who  was  acquitted  on  both  counts. Instead, Horatio  went  on  trial  at  the  Old  Bailey  in  1922 . He  was  found  guilty  of  23  counts  of  fraud  and  sentenced  to  7  years  in  prison. When  his  appeal  failed  he  was  expelled  from  the  Commons.

Horatio  spent  his  first  year  at  Wormwood  Scrubs. There's  a  good  story  that  he  was  sewing  mailbags  and  a  visiting  VIP  recognised  him  and  asked  "Sewing, Bottomley ? "  to  which  he  replied "No, reaping !"

Horatio was  released  in  1927. Though  in  poor  health  he  tried  to  return  to  public  life  with  a new  magazine  John  Blunt  and  an  overseas  lecture  tour  which  failed  miserably. In  his  last  years  he   lived  with  an  actress  and  became  a  music  hall  turn  as  an  object  of  curiosity putting  down  a  career  template  for  the  likes  of  Neil  Hamilton.

He  died  in  1933  aged  73.

  

1649 Thomas Hart-Davies

Constituency : Hackney  North  1906-10

Thomas  took  Hackney  North  from  the  Tories.

Thomas  was  a  vicar's  son  from Kent. He  was  educated  at  Marlborough  College  and  Oxford. He  joined  the  Indian  Civil  Service. He  worked  mainly  in  Bombay  as  an  educational  inspector,  land  manager  and  judge. He  supported  reform  and  was  on  the  British  Committee  of  the  Indian  National  Congress. He  stood  for  Rotherhithe  in  1900. He  had  eye  problems  which  caused  him  to  leave  the  constituency  in  1903  but  he  had  recovered  by  1905.

As  you  might  expect, most  of  Thomas's  parliamentary  contributions  were  about  India. He  was  a  poor  speaker  with  a  diffident  manner.

Thomas  was  defeated  in  January  1910.

Thomas  was  an  inveterate  world  traveller  and  did  some  Russian  translations. He  wrote  magazine  articles.

He  died  in  1920  aged  70.

1648 William Cowan

Constituency : Guildford  1906-10, Aberdeenshire  East  1910-18, Aberdeen  East  and  Kincardine  1918-22,  Islington  North 1923-9  ( Conservative )

William  took  Guildford  which  had  been  Tory  since  1874.

William  was  educated  at  Merchiston  Castle  School  and  Edinburgh  University. He  was  involved  in  a  firm  that  made  electrical  appliances.

William's  particular  interest  was  encouraging  emigration  to  the  dominions.

William  left Guildford  for  the  safer  pastures  of  Eastern  Aberdeenshire  in  1910  where  he  easily  saw  off  Liberal  Unionist  challengers  in  the  1910  elections.

William was  a  supporter  of  Scottish  home  rule  and  presented  a  bill  to  that  effect  in  1913. It  passed  its  first  reading  but  the  First  World  War  intervened.

William  was  a  fervent  conscriptionist  calling  for  all  men  between  18  and  65  to  be  available.

William  was  knighted  in  1917.

As a  Lloyd  George  supporter  William  received  the  coupon   but  was  still  challenged  by  a  Unionist  and  squeaked  in  by  just  87  votes.

In  1922  William  was  challenged  by  an  Asquithian  Liberal  Frederick  Martin  who  defeated him.

William  reacted  by  joining  the  Conservatives  and  won  a  three-cornered  contest  at  Islington  in 1923.

William  stood  down  in  1929.

He  died  in  1932  aged  69.

1647 Richard Jackson

Constituency : Greenwich  1906-10

Richard took  Greenwich  from  the Tories. He  was  helped  by  the  intervention  of  an  Independent  Conservative  in  favour  of  Tariff  Reform  who  pushed  Lord  Hugh  Cecil, a  free  trader,  into  third  place.

Richard  was  a  surveyor's son  from Kent. He  was  educated  locally  and  became  a  solicitor. He  became  a  progressive  councillor  in  1889. He supported  the  construction  of  the  Blackwall  Tunnel. He  stood  for  Greenwich  in  1900. He was  mayor  of  the  area  in  1902-03.

Richard  was  defeated  in  January  1910  and  went  back to  his  legal  practice.

He  died  in  1938  aged  88.

1646 Timothy Davies

Constituency : Fulham  1906-10, Louth  1910-18

Timothy  took  Fulham  from  the  Tories.

Timothy  was  from  Carmarthenshire .He  started  work  as  an  apprentice  draper  in  Liverpool  then  set up  his  own  business  in  London. He  became  a  councillor  in  Fulham  and  then  mayor  before  moving  up  to  the  L.C.C. He  was  a  Calvinistic  Methodist.

Timothy  was  a  temperance  supporter. He  was  a  close  friend  of  Lloyd  George.

Timothy  switched  to  Louth  in  January  1910  but  lost  by  158  votes. probably  down  to  dissension  in  the  local  party . He  took  it  by  78  votes   in  December.

Timothy  was  against  female  suffrage  in  1912  but  voted  for  it  in 1917.

Timothy  was  absent  from  the  Maurice  debate  in  1917  but his  Conservative  opponent  still  received  the  coupon  in  1918  and  defeated  him.

He  died  in  1951  aged  94.

1645 James Branch

Constituency : Enfield  1906-10

James  took  Enfield  from  the  Tories.

James  was  a  boot  manufacturer  in  Bethnal  Green  where  he  was  president  of  the  Liberal  Association  for  twenty  years. He  was  a  Progressive  Councillor  from  1899  to  1907. He  was a  Congregationalist   and a well  known  philanthropist.

James  asked  a  number  of  parliamentary  questions  about  a  small  arms  factory  in  the  constituency.

James  was  defeated  in  January  1910  after  a  smear  campaign  by  the Tories  who  alleged  that  he  was  a  Polish  Jew  who  favoured   using  foreign  labour. He  failed  to  regain  the  seat  in  December.

He  died  in  1918  aged  73.

1644 Emslie Horniman

Constituency : Chelsea  1906-10

Emslie  took  Chelsea  from  the  Tories.

Emslie  was  the  son  of  Frederick  Horniman  who  had  just  stepped  down  as  MP  for  Penryn  and  Falmouth. He  was  educated  privately  and  at  Slade  School  of  Fine  Art. He  travelled  the  world  in  his  youth  and  like  his  father  collected  exotica. In  1898  he  became  a  Progressive  councillor  on  the  L.C.C.

Most  of  Emslie's  parliamentary  contributions  were  on  local  matters.

Emslie  was  defeated  in  January  1910.

In  1911  Emslie  donated  a  public  park  to  Kensington,

In  1918  Emslie  sold  the  family  company  Horniman's  Tea  to  J. Lyons  & Co.

He  died  in  1932  aged  69. He  donated  most  of  his  artworks  to  the  National  Art  Collections  Fund  and  funded  an  extension  to  the  Horniman  Museum.

1643 Stopford Brooke

Constituency  : Bow  and  Bromley 1906-10

Stopford  took  Bow  and  Bromley  from  the  Tories.

Stopford  was  the  son  of  an  Irish  clergyman  of  the  same  name  who  became  chaplan  to  Queen  Victoria. He  was  educated  at  Winchester  and  Oxford. He  became  a  Unitarian  minister  at  a  church  in  Boston, Massachusetts. He  returned  to  the  UK  and  built  a  reputation  as  a  strong  preacher.

Stopford's  parliamentary  contributions  were  mainly  questions  about  unemployment  relief.

In  January  1910, the Conservatives  recaptured the  seat  and  Stopford  was  pushed  into  third  place  by  Labour's  George  Lansbury  ( who  took  the  seat  in  December  ). Stopford  tried  for  re-election  at  Bassetlaw  but  was  narrowly defeated.

He  died  in  1938  aged  78. His  son  Somerset  made  a couple of  attempts to  become  an  MP.

1642 Sir Edwin Cornwall

Constituency : Bethnal Green North  East  1906-22

Edwin  took  Bethnal  Green  North  East  from  the  Tories.

Edwin  was  born  in  Devon. He  became  a  clerk  for  a  London  coal  merchant  and  by  17  was  managing  a  depot. He  then  set  up  his  own business. In  1892 he  became  a  Progressive  Councillor  on  the  L.C.C and  was  chief  whip  for  eight  years  until  becoming  Mayor  of  Fulham. In  1904  he  became  chairman  of  the  L.C.C.  leading  efforts  at  slum  clearance. He  was  knighted  in  1905. He  stood  for  Fulham  in  1895  and  1900.

In  1916  Edwin  sat  on  an  Advisory  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Trade  to  decide  whether  to  wind  up  enemy  businesses.

Lloyd  George  made  him  Minister  of  National  Health  Insurance  and  Comptroller  of  the  Household  in  1916. He  was  created  a  baronet  in  1918 and  became  Deputy  Speaker  that  same  year. He  was  also  chairman  of  the  Joint  Committee  of  Insurance  Commissioners.

Edwin  retained  his seat  in  1918  as  a  couponed  minister  seeing  off  a  National  Party  candidate  and  an  independent.

Edwin  stood  down  in  1922.

He  died  in  1953 aged  89.

1641 Cecil Beck

Constituency : Wisbech 1906-10, Saffron  Walden  1910-21, 1921-22 ( Independent )

Cecil  took  over  from  Arthur  Brand  at  Wisbech.

Cecil  was  born  in  South  Africa. He  was  educated  at  Haileybury  and  Cambridge. He  became  a  barrister  and  an  under-writer  at  Lloyds.

The  local  party  were  not  happy  with  Cecil  and  chose  another  candidate  for  the  January  1910  election.He  moved  on  to  Chippenham  to  try  and  hold  John Dickson-Poynder's  seat  but  was unsuccessful. He  tried  Saffron  Walden  in  December  and  won  by  40  votes.

In  1912  Cecil  became  parliamentary  private  secretary  to  the  chief  whip, Percy  Illingworth. He  also  took  the  chair  of  the  Liberal  Insurance  Committee. He  became  a whip  in  1915 and  then  Vice-Chamberlain  of  the  Household  when  the  coalition  government  was  formed. Lloyd  George  made  him  Controller  of  Finance  in  the  Ministry  of  National  Service  headed  by  Neville  Chamberlain.

Cecil  easily  defeated  Labour  as  the  Coalition  candidate  in  1918.

Cecil  was  knighted  in  1920.

In  1921   Cecil  resigned  the  government  whip  and  signed  up  to  Horatio  Bottomley's  Independent  Parliamentary Group. He  went  looking  for  a  London  seat  but  after  Bottomley's  exposure  as  a  fraud  in  1922,  he  decided  not  to  stand.

He  died  in  1932  aged  55.

1640 William Heaton-Armstrong

Constituency : Sudbury 1906-10

William  took  Sudbury  from  the  Liberal  Unionist  William  Quilter.

William  was  born  in  Austria. He  was  educated  there  and  in  Ireland  where  his  family  had  estates. He  joined  the  merchant  navy. In  1876  he  joined  the  Turkish  navy  to  fight  the  Russians. In  1880  he  fought  for  Chile  against  Peru. In  1892   he  stood  for  the  Conservatives  at  Mid-Tipperary but  later  switched  to  the  Liberals.  

William  stood  down  in  January  1910 and  went  into  banking.

William financed  railways  in  Jersey  and  Canada.

William  was  an  amateur  astronomer  who  published  a  paper on  the  sun's  movement.

He  died  in  1917  aged  63.

1639 George Hardy

Constituency : Stowmarket  1906-10

George  took  Stowmarket  from  the Tories.

George  was  a  businessman  from  London  and  a  Progressive  councillor. He  was  a  Congregationalist  deacon  and  chairman  of  the  Dulwich  Society  of  Public  Morality.

George  was  noted  by  The  Times  as  a  good  speaker.

In  1908  George  protested  at  atrocities  in  Macedonia.

George  was  defeated in  January  1910. In  December  he  stood  at  Bath  but  was  not  successful.

George  became  an  alderman  on  the  LCC  in  1913.

He  died  in  1920  aged  68.

1638 Arnold Lupton

Constituency : Sleaford  1906-10

Arnold  took  Sleaford  from  the  Tories  unseating  a  long-serving  incumbent.

Arnold  was  the  son  of  a  Unitarian  minister  from  Leeds. The  family  had  prospered  through  trade. Arnold  was  professor  of  mining  at  Leeds  University and  a  director  of  several  mining  companies  and  syndicates. He  also  lectured  internationally.

Arnold  supported  universal  suffrage  although  he  abstained  on  the 1908  Women's  Enfranchisement  Bill. He  supported  Free  Trade  and  market  economics. He  opposed  compulsory  vaccination. He  was  a  teetotaller  and  temperance  supporter. He  was  a  clean  air  campaigner. Some  of  his  colleagues  described  him  as  a  " concealed  socialist".

Arnold  could  be  long-winded  and  sometimes  precipitated  an  exodus  from  the  chamber.

Arnold  was  defeated  in  January  1910.

Arnold  was  a  pacifist  opposed  to  Britain  entering  World  War  One. His  business  dealings  with  Germany  through  the  Northern  Union  Mining  Company  Limited  became  suspect. He  was  then  imprisoned  for  six  months  for  printing  and  distributing  pacifist  leaflets, activities  prejudicial  to  recruiting.

In  1918 ,  Arnold  stood  in  Plaistow  as  a  Liberal  and  Temperance  candidate   although  he did  not  have  the  backing  of  the  local  party. His  Labour  opponent  won  with  94.9 %  of  the  vote  which  must  be  close  to  a  record.

Arnold  was  attracted  to  the  Anti-Waste  movement  and  decided  to  contest  the  Westminster  Abbey  by-election  as   an  "Independent  Liberal  and  Anti-Waste"  candidate. However  there  was  an  official  Anti-Waste  League  candidate  in  the  field  who  beat  Arnold  to  second  place  behind  the  Tory  who  was  himself  opposed  to  the  coalition.

He  died  in  1930  aged  83.

1637 John Bethell

Constituency : Romford 1906-18, East  Ham  North  1918-22

John  took  Romford  from  the  Tories.

John  was  educated  at  King's  College, London. He  was  a  Director  of  Barclays  Bank  and  the  Royal  Assurance  Corporation. He  was  mayor  of  both  East  and  West  Ham  twice. He  was  a  supporter  of  public  parks.

John  was  created  a  baronet  in  1911.

John's  eldest  son  was  killed  in  1915.

John  had  the  coupon  in  1918  and  defeated  a  National  Party  candidate.

John  stood  down  in  1922  and  was  created  Baron  Bethell.

He  died  in  1945  aged  83.

1637 Granville Greenwood

 

Constituency : Peterborough 1906-18

Granville  unseated  the  Liberal  Unionist  Robert  Purvis.

Granville  was  the  son  of  a  barrister. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Cambridge. He  became  a  barrister. He  contested  Peterborough  in  1886  and  Hull  Central  in  1900.

Granville  was  knighted  in  1916.

Granville  was  forced  to  retire  by  rheumatism  in  1918.

Granville  was  a  champion  of  animal  welfare  and  on  the  RSPCA  Council. He  also  supported  Indian  independence.

Granville  was  a  keen  cricketer.

Granville   was  fascinated  by  the  Shakespeare  authorship  question  although  ultimately  agnostic  on  the  issue.  He wrote  12  books  on  the  subject  between  1908  and  1926  and  established  The  Shakespeare  Fellowship.

He  died  in  1928  aged  78.

1636 John Wodehouse

Constituency : Mid-Norfolk 1906-10

John  took  over  from  Frederick  Wilson  at  Mid-Norfolk  by  just  27  votes. He  was  the  youngest  Liberal  candidate  at  the  election.

John  was  the  son  and  heir  of  the  Earl  of  Kimberley. He  was  styled  as Lord  Wodehouse  from  1902. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Cambridge. He  took  up  polo  while  at  university.

John  stood  down  in  January  1910.

John  was  a  captain  in  the  16th  Lancers  during  World  War  One. He  served  in  France  and  Italy  and  was  wounded.

In  1921-22  John  was  assistant  private  secretary  to  Churchill  at  the  Colonial  Office.

John  succeeded  his  father  as  Earl  in  1932. John  never  spoke  in  either  House.

John  won  silver  in  the  Olympics  of  1908  and  gold  in  1920.

He  was  killed  in  the Blitz  in  1941  aged  57.

1635 Thomas Bethell

Constituency : Maldon 1906-10

Thomas  narrowly  took  Maldon  from  the  Tories.

Thomas  was  educated  at  Heversham  Grammmar  School. He  became  a  barrister.

Thomas's  most  substantial  contribution  in  the  House  was  a  speech  in  support  of  the  Old  Age  Pensions Bill  in  1908.

Thomas  was  defeated  by  869  votes  in  January  910.

Thomas  was  knighted  in 1914. He  was  Deputy-Chairman  of  the  County  of  London  Electric  Supply  Co. Ltd.

Thomas  contested  Eye  in  1924  but  came  a  distant  second to  the  Conservatives.

He  died  in  1957  aged  90.

1634 Edward Beauchamp

Constituency : Lowestoft  1906-10, 1910-22

Edward  took  Lowestoft  from  the  Tories.

Edward  was  a  vicar's  son. He  was  educated  at  Highgate  School. He  was  chairman  of  Lloyd's  of  London.

Edward's  parliamentary  contributions  were  mainly  on  naval  matters.

Edward  was  defeated  in  January  1910  but  regained  the  seat  in  December.

Edward  was  created  a  baronet  in  1911.

Edward  voted  against  the  disestablishment  of  the  Welsh  Church.

Edward  was  issued  with  the  coupon in  1918  and  returned  unopposed.

Edward  stood  down  in favour  of  his  son  Brograve  in  1922  but  he  was  easily  defeated  by  the Tories. He  later  became  a  Conservative  MP.

Edward  founded  and  ran  a  vegan-only  restaurant.

He  died  in  1925  aged  75.