James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, (1 April 1855 – 27 March 1949), was a
British Conservative politician. He was
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 ...
between 1905 and 1921. He was the longest-serving Speaker of the 20th century.
Background and education
The son of
Hon. William Lowther, a grandson of
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, KG (29 December 175719 March 1844), also known as Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet, of Little Preston, from 1788 to 1802, and William Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lowther, from 1802 to 1807, was a British Tory po ...
and for 25 years Member of Parliament for
Westmorland
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...
, and Alice, 3rd daughter of
James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale
James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale PC (22 March 1782 – 25 February 1868) was a British barrister and judge. After an education at The King's School, Macclesfield and Trinity College, Cambridge he studied under a special pleader, before be ...
, Lowther 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, ...
,
King's College London where he took an
Associateship degree, and at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
, where he studied classics and law. Lowther became a barrister in 1879, eventually becoming 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 ca ...
of the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...
in 1906.
Political career
He was Member of Parliament for
Rutland in 1883; contested
Mid Cumberland in 1885; and sat for
Penrith from 1886 to 1921. He was appointed 4th
Charity Commissioner in 1887, and held junior ministerial office as
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is a vacant junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affai ...
from 1891 to 1892. He was
Chairman of Ways and Means
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of Ways and Means is a senior member of the House of Commons who acts as one of the Speaker's three deputies. The incumbent is Dame Eleanor Laing, MP for Epping Forest, who was first elected to the office on ...
and
Deputy Speaker from 1895 to 1905 and
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 1905 to 1921.
Other public appointments
Lowther represented Great Britain at the International Conference at Venice in 1892, and at the International Conference on Emigration at Rome in 1924. He was Chairman of the Speakers' Electoral Reform Conference in 1916–1917, of the Buckingham Palace Conference (on the partition of Ulster) in 1914, of the Boundary Commissions (Great Britain and Ireland) in 1917, of the
Royal Commission on Proportional Representation in 1918, Devolution Conference in 1919, of the Royal Commission on London Government, 1921–1922; of Review Committee Political Honours, 1923–1924, and Statutory Commission on Cambridge University, 1923; of the
Agricultural Wages Board The Agricultural Wages Board was a non-departmental government body which regulated wages for farm workers under the Agricultural Wages Act 1948, until it was abolished in the Conservative led government's " bonfire of the quangos" after the Enterp ...
from 1930 to 1940; of the Lords and Commons Committee on Electoral Reform, 1929–1930; and of
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...
Enquiry Committee, 1935. He was a Trustee of the
from 1925. In 1907 his portrait was painted by
.
(GCB) in July 1921. He also held the degrees of
.
On 1 March 1886, Lowther married Mary Frances Beresford-Hope (d. 16 May 1944). They had three children:
*Major
(b. 18 January 1887, d. 7 January 1935).
*Arthur James Beresford Lowther (b. 28 October 1888, d. 2 March 1967)
*Mildred Lowther (b. 1890,
d. 2 July 1973)
He was succeeded to the viscountcy by his great-grandson.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ullswater, James William Lowther, 1st Viscount