John Henry Bethell, 1st Baron Bethell (23 September 1861 – 27 May 1945), known as Sir John Bethell, 1st Baronet, from 1911 to 1922, was a British banker and

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 ...

politician.

Early life

Bethell was the son of George Bethell and his wife Frances (''née'' Tipper), and was educated at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. His younger brother was Sir Thomas Bethell (1867–1957).

Career

He was a Director of

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

and of the

Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation The Royal Exchange Assurance, founded in 1720, was a British insurance company. It took its name from the location of its offices at the Royal Exchange, London. Origins The Royal Exchange Assurance emerged from a joint stock insurance enterpr ...

and also served twice as Mayor of

East Ham East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186. It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...

and twice of

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

. In November 1902, Bethell was adopted as the Liberal party candidate for

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

, and he was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from that constituency in the following election in 1906. He held this seat until 1918, and then represented East Ham North between 1918 and 1922. He was created a Baronet, of Romford in the County of Essex, in 1911 and in 1922 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Bethell, of Romford in the County of Essex.

Personal life

Lord Bethell married Florence, daughter of James Woolley Wyles, in 1895. They had three sons and three daughters: *2nd Lt. Frank Harry Bethell (18 May 1896 – 25 September 1915), enlisted with the 3rd Battalion of the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Foot (which ...

in September 1914 and joined the British Expeditionary Force in March 1915. Killed in action at the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

. *Dorothy Frances Bethell (17 July 1897 – 4 October 1976) married Col. Ian Ferguson MacAlpine *Grace Bethell (3 November 1901 – 9 October 1982), married firstly Frederick Joseph Parsons, secondly Henry Seton Middleditch * John Raymond Bethell, 2nd Baron Bethell (23 October 1902 – 30 September 1965), married Veronica Connolly **

Guy Anthony John Bethell, 3rd Baron Bethell Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unin ...

(1928–1967) *William Gladstone Bethell (11 April 1904 – 17 October 1964), married Ann Margaret Frances Thornycroft ** Nicholas William Bethell, 4th Baron Bethell (1938–2007) *Phyllis Kathleen Bethell (19 December 1908 – 21 June 1955), married Clive Harrison Martyn Lord Bethell died in a London nursing home, aged 83, and was succeeded in his titles by his second son, John. Lady Bethell died in 1957.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethell, John Bethell, 1st Baron 1861 births 1945 deaths Alumni of King's College London Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs who were granted peerages 1 Barons created by George V