Henry Duncan McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway, (16 April 1879 – 23 May 1953) was a British politician, horticulturalist and industrialist. He was the son of

Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway Charles Benjamin Bright McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway, (12 May 1850 – 23 January 1934), known as Sir Charles McLaren, 1st Baronet, between 1902 and 1911, was a Scottish jurist and Liberal Party politician. He was a landowner and industriali ...

and

Laura Pochin Laura Elizabeth McLaren, Baroness Aberconway CBE, DStJ (née Pochin; 14 May 1854 – 4 January 1933) was a British suffragist, author and horticulturalist. Life Her birth was registered in the Salford district of Lancashire on 14 May 1854. She ...

Education

Born in

Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

, he was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and obtained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from Balliol College,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. In 1903 he became a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

Career

In 1906 he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for West Staffordshire as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

, and was Private Under-Secretary to the

President of the Board of Trade The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. This is a committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centu ...

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

, until 1908. In 1910, he stood for his father's old seat of Bosworth and replaced him. He left politics in 1922, and succeeded his father to the Barony in 1934. McLaren was an industrialist, and chaired companies from both sides of the family, including John Brown & Company and the

Tredegar Iron and Coal Company : ''For the ironworks in the US state of Virginia, see Tredegar Iron Works.'' Tredegar Iron and Coal Company was an important 19th century ironworks in Tredegar, Wales, which due to its need for coke became a major developer of coal mines and p ...

. In 1915 he was the founding chairman of the

Design and Industries Association The Design and Industries Association is a United Kingdom charity whose object is to ''engage with all those who share a common interest in the contribution that design can make to the delivery of goods and services that are sustainable and enhance ...

. Around the end of his political career, in 1920, he had

Aberconway House Aberconway House, no. 38, South Street, Mayfair, in the City of Westminster, was constructed between 1920 and 1922 for the industrialist Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway, in a neo-Georgian style. Aberconway House is an imposing mansion of , w ...

built as a residence in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

. He would also inherit the family estate (originally his maternal grandfather's) in Conwy, North Wales, where he extensively developed and added to the

Bodnant Garden Bodnant Garden ( cy, Gardd Bodnant) is a National Trust property near Tal-y-Cafn, Conwy, Wales, overlooking the Conwy Valley towards the Carneddau mountains. Founded in 1874 and developed by five generations of one family, it was given to the N ...

. He was an avid horticulturalist and took interest in the breeding of

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

s and

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

s. He sponsored several botanical collectors, including

George Forrest George Forrest may refer to: *G. Topham Forrest (George Topham Forrest, 1872–1945), principal architect for the London County Council *George Forrest (author) (1915–1999), American author and musician *George Forrest (botanist) (1873–1932), S ...

, and '' Rhododendron aberconwayi'' is named in his honour. He died at Bodnant, aged 74, and was buried at the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

called "The Poem" within

, the traditional burial place of the Lords Aberconway.

Family

He married Christabel Mary Melville Macnaghten (1890–1974), the daughter of Sir Melville Macnaghten, and had five children: * Elizabeth Mary McLaren (31 May 1911 – 4 December 1991), married and had issue, including Sir

Kenneth Carlisle Sir Kenneth Melville Carlisle (born 25 March 1941) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Lincoln from 1979 to 1997. Early life Born in Hiraethog, Denbighshire, Wales, he is the son of Kenneth ...

Charles McLaren, 3rd Baron Aberconway Charles Melville McLaren, 3rd Baron Aberconway, (16 April 1913 – 4 February 2003) was a British industrialist and horticulturalist. He was the son of Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway, and Christabel Macnaghten. Education He was educated at ...

(1913–2003) * S/Ldr. John Francis McLaren (1919–1953) * Dame

Anne McLaren Dame Anne Laura Dorinthea McLaren, (26 April 1927 – 7 July 2007) was a British scientist who was a leading figure in developmental biology. Her work helped lead to human in vitro fertilisation (IVF),

(1927–2007), a biologist and

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, married researcher

Donald Michie Donald Michie (; 11 November 1923 – 7 July 2007) was a British researcher in artificial intelligence. During World War II, Michie worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, contributing to the effort to solve " Tunny ...

and had issue, including

Susan Michie Susan Fiona Dorinthea Michie (born 19 June 1955) is a British academic, clinical psychologist, and professor of health psychology, director of The Centre for Behaviour Change and head of The Health Psychology Research Group, all at University ...

and

Jonathan Michie Jonathan Michie (born 25 March 1957, London, England) is a British economist who is president of Kellogg College, Oxford, where he is professor of innovation and knowledge exchange. Early life Michie is the son of the biologist Dame Anne McLaren ...

* Christopher Melville McLaren (b. 15 April 1934), married and has issue

References

*Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007
thePeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aberconway, Henry Maclaren, 2nd Baron 1879 births 1953 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford 2 Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Maclaren, Henry Members of Lincoln's Inn Maclaren, Henry Maclaren, Henry Maclaren, Henry UK MPs who inherited peerages Victoria Medal of Honour (Horticulture) recipients Henry National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians People educated at Eton College English barristers