Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Sir Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby (22 August 1849 – 18 May 1937) was a

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician who served as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

from 1895 until 1906. He had previously served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, rising to the rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in 1892. He stood unsuccessfully for the Conservatives in 1885, 1886 and 1892 prior to gaining his seat in Taunton. In 1906 he opted not to stand again in Taunton, but to contest the seat in East Finsbury, but was defeated. He was a

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

lor from 1907 to 1910, and during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was secretary of the Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation.

Early and military life

Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby was born on 22 August 1849 in

Denton, Lincolnshire Denton is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 273 at the 2011 census. It is situated approximately both south-west of Grantham and west from the A1 road. ...

, the youngest son of Sir Glynne Welby, 3rd Baronet. He received his education at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, and then entered the

in 1867, purchasing a commission in the

85th Regiment of Foot The 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881. H ...

as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. He shortly after transferred to the

56th Foot The 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army, active from 1755 to 1881. It was originally raised in Northumbria as the 58th Regiment, and renumbered the 56th the following year when two senior regiments we ...

, and in 1870 purchased a promotion to lieutenant. The following year he transferred to the

90th Foot The 90th Perthshire Light Infantry was a Scottish light infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot to form the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in ...

. He was promoted to captain in 1876, and transferred to the

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard ...

later that year. He was raised to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1892. In May 1896, he attended the coronation of

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

, and two months later he retired from the army.

Political career

While still serving in the army, Welby stood unsuccessfully for the

in the 1885 general election, in his native constituency of

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

, where his father had served as a

(MP). He subsequently lost two further elections in Poplar, London, in the general elections of

1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...

and

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

. In

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

, he was finally elected, in the Conservative stronghold of

, standing unopposed. The constituency was contested at the 1900 general election, in which he held his seat with a majority of 363 votes. In the 1906 election, he opted to stand in Finsbury East, a seat held by the Liberals, but despite a swing towards the Conservatives, he failed to win the seat. He was later elected onto the

for the same area between 1907 and 1910, and then served as secretary of the Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation from 1914 to 1920. He died on 18 May 1937.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welby, Alfred 1849 births 1937 deaths 56th Regiment of Foot officers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of London County Council Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Royal Scots Greys officers UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 English justices of the peace Younger sons of baronets