Sir John Stanhope Arkwright (10 July 1872 – 19 September 1954) was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician.

Family life

Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, he was the great-great grandson of the cotton-spinning industrialist

Sir Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as t ...

and the son of

John Hungerford Arkwright John Hungerford Arkwright (12 July 1833 – 25 May 1905) was Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire from 27 January 1902 to 5 December 1904, and was one of the wealthiest landowners in that county. Biography Arkwright was born at the family home, ...

. His uncle,

Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as t ...

, was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster is t ...

. In 1910, he sold his family home,

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...

, near Leominster and purchased

Kinsham Court Kinsham is a civil parish which lies in the wooded hills of Herefordshire, England in the Marches near to the border with Wales, about east of the Welsh town of Presteigne. The parish has two small settlements, Upper Kinsham and Lower Kinsham, in ...

Career

At the 1900 general election he was elected as MP for

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

, a position he served in until his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

in 1912. In April 1902 he was appointed private secretary (unpaid) to Gerald Balfour,

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 ...

. He was the author of the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

O Valiant Hearts "O Valiant Hearts" is a hymn remembering the fallen of the First World War. It often features prominently in annual Remembrance Day services in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth. Words were taken from a poem by Sir John Stanhope ...

' written to honour the war dead of World War I. In the 1934 New Years Honours List he was

knighted 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 Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

and in the same year was made an

Honorary Freeman The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of the City of Hereford.

Sources

''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
(includes photo)

References

External links

* Knights Bachelor Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Politicians awarded knighthoods UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 1872 births 1954 deaths {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1870s-stub