Edward Algernon FitzRoy (24 July 1869 – 3 March 1943) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician who served as

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

from 1928 until his death in 1943.

Early life

FitzRoy was the second son of the 3rd Baron Southampton and his second wife, Ismania Catherine Nugent, a granddaughter of

Sir Charles Jenkinson, 10th Baronet Sir Charles Jenkinson, 10th Baronet (23 February 1779 – 6 March 1855), known as Charles Jenkinson until 1851, was a British politician. Background Jenkinson was the son of Colonel John Jenkinson, Joint Secretary for Ireland, and great-gran ...

. He came from a family with a long line of public service and was a descendant of Charles II's illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton. Through ancestor Anne Warren, the daughter of Admiral Peter Warren, he was a descendant of the

Schuyler family The Schuyler family ( /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the formation of the United States (especiall ...

, the Van Cortlandt family, and the Delancey family, all from British North America. His mother was

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and young FitzRoy was a

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The on ...

to the Queen.

Political career

A member of

Northamptonshire County Council Northamptonshire County Council was the county council that governed the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire in England. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888, recreated in 1974 by the Local Government Act 19 ...

from 1896 to 1921, FitzRoy first entered Parliament in 1900 General election as

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 Northamptonshire South. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

in 1901. He was re-elected during the January 1910 General Election for Northamptonshire South. He held the seat in the December 1910 General Election. During

World War I 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 ...

, whilst still an MP, he 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 ...

as a captain of the 1st Regiment of Life Guards, was wounded at the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the Firs ...

and commanded the mounted troops of the Guards Division from 1915–16. In the 1918 General Election, he was elected for the seat of

Daventry Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...

. He held the seat in the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929,

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and 1935 General Elections. He served as deputy chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, briefly during 1923 and from 1924 to 1928. He was made a Privy Councillor in February 1924. He was elected

on 20 June 1928. In 1931, he was awarded a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

degree from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and an honorary

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

degree from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1934. In 1935, there was considerable controversy when the Labour Party decided to stand a candidate against him in the general election. According to ''The Times'' obituary, "In addition to his former party Mr. Lloyd George and the Liberal leaders came out strongly in defence of his position. Even on the lowest ground of party interest Labour made a grave mistake, for Captain FitzRoy was returned by a resounding majority." Fitzroy died in office, aged 73 in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

in 1943. He was succeeded by

Douglas Clifton-Brown Douglas Clifton Brown, 1st Viscount Ruffside, (16 August 1879 – 5 May 1958) was a British politician who represented the Conservative Party (UK). He served as Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons fr ...

. In 1983,

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MP and then Father of the House John Parker paid a humorous tribute to him: "I remember the first Speaker in my time, Captain Fitzroy. He was definitely a bit of a tartar. He disliked new young Members. When he was in the Chair, if someone spoke for too long he banged his hand on the side of his Chair. The longer the Member continued to speak, the more vigorously he hit the Chair. Everyone saw that except, unfortunately, the Member who was speaking, who was not deterred. Captain Fitzroy took a firm revenge and did not call that Member for a long time." Parker also reported, "Captain Fitzroy once told me that, as a descendant of Nell Gwyn and Charles II, the most embarrassing thing that he had had to do in the House was to announce the

abdication of Edward VIII In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King-Emperor Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her secon ...

. He found that awkward and embarrassing".

Personal life

FitzRoy married

Muriel Douglas-Pennant Muriel FitzRoy, 1st Viscountess Daventry (8 August 1869 – 8 July 1962) was a British aristocrat and the wife of Edward FitzRoy, who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1928 until his death in 1943. Biography Lady Daventry was born M ...

on 19 November 1891. She was appointed a CBE in 1918. Upon his death she was given a Viscountcy, the customary retirement honour for Speakers, as

Viscountess Daventry Viscount Daventry, of Daventry in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 May 1943 for Muriel FitzRoy (née Douglas-Pennant), in honour of her late husband, the Hon. Edward FitzRoy, Speake ...

. Fitzroy and Lady Daventry had four children: *

Robert Oliver Fitzroy, 2nd Viscount Daventry The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

(10 January 1893 – 1986) * Hon. Nancy Jean Fitzroy (31 May 1894 – 23 November 1983) *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Michael Algernon Fitzroy (27 June 1895 15 April 1915) *

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Hon. John Maurice FitzRoy Newdegate (20 March 1897 – 7 May 1976), father of

Francis FitzRoy Newdegate, 3rd Viscount Daventry Francis Humphrey Maurice FitzRoy Newdegate, 3rd Viscount Daventry (17 December 1921 – 15 February 2000), was a British peer who was High Sheriff of Warwickshire during 1970 and Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire from 1990 to 1997. Biography Lord Da ...

Arms

Fitzroy's arms, as displayed in Speaker's House were the same as those of the Dukes of Grafton.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitztoy, Edward 1869 births 1943 deaths Deputy Lieutenants of Northamptonshire Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Pages of Honour British Army personnel of World War I British Life Guards officers Speakers of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 Younger sons of barons

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

Schuyler family English people of Dutch descent People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Members of Northamptonshire County Council English justices of the peace