Constituency : Sheffield Hallam 1916-18, Combined English Universities 1918-26
Herbert came into the Commons in unusual circumstances. Lloyd George had just come into power with the aid of the Unionists. In the honeymoon period, the Unionists agreed to the elevation of Charles Stuart-Wortley to the peerage and his replacement by Herbert even though Sheffield Hallam was a safe Tory seat.
Herbert was the son of a historian. He was educated at Winchester and Oxford. He became a tutor in modern history there. He published a number of works on Napoleon. He sat on the Royal Commission on the Public Services in India between 1912 and 1915. He became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield in 1913.
Herbert became President of the Board of Education immediately. He was largely responsible for the Education Act of 1918 which raised the school-leaving age to 14. He also piloted the Superannuation Act of 1918 providing for teachers' pensions. His proposals for nursery education and national funding for universities were postponed due to austerity. He was a champion of local autonomy.
Herbert received the coupon in 1918 and overwhelmingly topped the poll. He retained his seat in 1922, 1923 and 1924 but came second to a Unionist on each occasion.
Herbert resigned in 1926 to become warden of New College, Oxford. He published his three volume History of Europe in 1935. He served on a number of academic bodies.
In 1939, Herbert became the first Chairman of the Appellate Tribunal for Conscientious Objectors.
He died in 1940 aged 75 after being injured in a road accident.
No comments:
Post a Comment