Sir Hubert Stanley Houldsworth, 1st Baronet,
QC (20 April 1889 – 1 February 1956) was a barrister, Chairman of the
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "v ...
and a British
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
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politician.
Background
Houldsworth was the son of Albert Edward Houldsworth and Susannah Buckley. He was educated at
Heckmondwike Grammar School
Heckmondwike Grammar School (HGS) is an 11–18 mixed, grammar school and sixth form with academy status in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England.
History
The school was built by Thomas Redfearn and Samuel Wood, who lived on Eldon Street, ...
and the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, where in 1911 he received a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
with First Class Honours in Physics and in 1912 a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
. In 1925 he was awarded a
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
. In 1919 he married Hilda Frances Clegg of
Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton is a town in the Metropolitan borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds. It is a ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. They had one son,
Harold Basil. In 1944 he received a
Knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
. In 1951 he received an honorary LLD from Leeds University. In 1956 he was awarded a
Baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
in the
1956 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1956 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 2 January 1956 to celebrat ...
.
Professional career
Houldsworth was Assistant Lecturer in the University of Leeds from 1919 to 1926. In 1926 he received a
Call to Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
by
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 ...
. He was Independent Chairman of the District Co-ordinating Committee of the Midland (Amalgamated) District (Coal Mines) Scheme 1930, from September 1936 to July 1942. In 1937 he became a
King's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
. He was Joint Coal Supplies Officer for the Midland Area (Mines Department) from September 1939 – July 1942. He was Fuel and Power Controller (North-Eastern Region), Board of Trade, November 1941 – July 1942. He was Regional Controller (South and West Yorkshire), Ministry of Fuel and Power from 1942 to 1944. In 1943 he became a
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can ...
. He was Controller-General from 1944 to 1945. He was Chairman of the East Midlands Division of the National Coal Board from 1946 to 1951. He was
Recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
of
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
from 1946 to 1948. In 1951 he was appointed Chairman of the National Coal Board.
Political career
Houldsworth was a Liberal and in July 1927 he was selected as Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate for the
Pudsey and Otley division of Yorkshire. He contested the seat at the 1929 General Election but finished third;
He did not stand for parliament again. After the Liberal Party split in 1931, Houldsworth, defended the actions of
Sir John Simon
John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon, (28 February 1873 – 11 January 1954), was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second World War. He is one of only three peop ...
and his breakaway
Liberal Nationals. Simon was the MP for Spen Valley and Houldsworth lived in his constituency and was a member of the local Liberal Association. He continued to support Liberal and Liberal National candidates.
Houldsworth baronets
The
Houldsworth Baronetcy, of
Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike is a town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen pa ...
in the
West Riding
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
of the
County of York
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 25 January 1956. Houldsworth was awarded it for his role as Chairman of the National Coal Board. When he died a week later, the title passed to his son Basil Houldsworth.
['HOULDSWORTH, Sir Hubert Stanley', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2012; online edn, November 201]
accessed 14 April 2014
/ref>
References
External links
*At Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/34011
*At the National Portrait Gallery: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp103060/sir-hubert-stanley-houldsworth-1st-bt
*The Times Obituary: http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=esusslib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS201938498&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0
{{DEFAULTSORT:HOULDSWORTH, Sir Hubert Stanley
1889 births
1956 deaths
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Alumni of the University of Leeds
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
20th-century King's Counsel
People educated at Heckmondwike Grammar School
Place of birth missing