Henry Devenish Harben (1874 – 18 May 1967) was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
barrister and
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.
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politician who later joined the
Labour Party. He was a notable supporter of
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
.
Early life
He was the son of
Henry Andrade Harben and the grandson of
Sir Henry Harben who founded
Prudential Assurance, Harben was educated 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 ...
and
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College (, ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 ...
, before qualifying as a barrister. He married
Agnes Helen Bostock. He stood unsuccessfully for the
Conservative Party in
Eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and con ...
at the
1900 general election, but by 1902 had switched his affiliation to the Liberal Party.
[Elizabeth Crawford, ''The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866–1928'', pp.269–271] He stood for the Liberal Party in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
at the
1906 general election. Although he lost the election, he petitioned the
election court
In United Kingdom election law, election court is a special court convened to hear a petition against the result of a local government or parliamentary election. The court is created to hear the individual case, and ceases to exist when it has ma ...
on the grounds that supporters of the winner,
George Henry Williamson, had engaged in widespread bribery. He won the case, but the seat was left vacant until
a by-election in 1908, and the local Liberal Party adopted a new candidate. Harben next stood in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dense ...
at the
December 1910 general election, but came bottom of the poll.
Fabianism and women's suffrage
By 1910, Harben had joined the
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fab ...
, which published his pamphlet, "The Endowment of Motherhood". He was elected to the society's executive the following year,
and was soon acting as its liaison with
Clifford Allen
Clifford Robertson Allen (January 6, 1912 – June 18, 1978) was a Tennessee attorney and Democratic politician.
Early life and career
Allen was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated from Friends High School (now Sidwell Friends) in ...
's Inter-University Socialist Federation. Although at the time, Liberal Party members were permitted to hold office in the Fabian Society, it was affiliated to the Labour Party and the position of Liberals was a matter of ongoing debate. Late in 1911 he was selected to be Liberal candidate in the Liberal held seat at
Barnstaple
Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but ...
, the sitting Liberal MP having decided to contest another seat. Harben was a vocal supporter of
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
, he resigned from the Liberals in 1912, stating that he could not remain a member while the party, he claimed, persecuted
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
s.
Following this, he was appointed to the board of the ''
Daily Herald'' newspaper, and became treasurer of the
Men's Political Union for Women's Enfranchisement.
Harben gave both financial and practical support to the
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...
(WSPU) in the run-up to
World War I, providing accommodation for
Annie Kenney
Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie ...
on her release from prison, and making the same offer to leading figures in the movement. He also provided £50 funding annually to
Sylvia Pankhurst
Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was a campaigning English Feminism, feminist and Socialism, socialist. Committed to organising working-class women in East End of London, London's East End, and unwilling in United King ...
's
East London Federation of Suffragettes.
He also began funding labour movement publications, giving enough money to the ''Daily Herald'' that it was able to purchase its own printing press and remain open,
and being one of a small group who funded the setting up of the ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
''.
[C. N. Parkinson, ]
Left Luggage
'
Harben and his wife, Agnes Harben, attended the
International Woman Suffrage Alliance
The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...
conference in 1913. Agnes was active in the WSPU, but left the following year, while Harben left the Men's Political Union, Agnes becoming a founder member of the
United Suffragists
The United Suffragists was a women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom.
History
The group was founded on 6 February 1914, by former members and supporters of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). In contrast to the WSPU, it admit ...
. Despite this, Harben visited
Christabel Pankhurst
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, (; 22 September 1880 – 13 February 1958) was a British suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), she directed its militant actions from ex ...
in Paris to inform her that she could rely on his financial support on matters relating to women's suffrage.
Later life
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 fighti ...
, Harben bought the
Hotel Majestic in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and converted it into a hospital. He also joined the Labour Party, and stood for it, unsuccessfully, at the
1920 Woodbridge by-election. He retained his friendship with
Sylvia Pankhurst
Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was a campaigning English Feminism, feminist and Socialism, socialist. Committed to organising working-class women in East End of London, London's East End, and unwilling in United King ...
, and paid for her son
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
's university education.
Harben's son, also
Henry Harben, became a first-class cricketer.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harben, Henry Devenish
1874 births
1967 deaths
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Members of the Fabian Society
People educated at Eton College
Harben family
British women's rights activists
English barristers