Sir Joseph Walton, 1st Baronet, DL, JP (19 March 1849 – 8 February 1923) was an English coalowner 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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician.

Family and education

Walton was born at Bollihope,

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, the second son of John Walton from

Frosterley Frosterley is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between Wolsingham and Stanhope, County Durham, Stanhope; 18 miles west of Durham, England, Durham C ...

, a colliery owner.The Times, 9 February 1923 p12 He did not attend school and received his education privately. In 1880 he married Faith Gill the daughter of a

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

solicitor.Who was Who, OUP 2007 They had a son, Joe, who was a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and died, unmarried, of

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in 1913 and two daughters. Their home was at

Saltburn-by-the-Sea Saltburn-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Saltburn, is a seaside town in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England, around south-east of Hartlepool and southeast of Redcar. It lies within the historic boundaries of the North Ridi ...

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. In religion Walton was an active Wesleyan Methodist all his life.

Career

Walton began his commercial career in Middlesbrough in 1870 in the coal industry and allied trades.''The Times House of Commons 1910'', Politico’s Publishing 2004 p85 He recognised the great expansion in the coal industry which was continuing to take place at that time and the key place of Middlesbrough in its development. He eventually built up a large business of coal and coke related merchants and colliery ownership.

Politics

Doncaster

Walton's success in business enabled him to devote his time to political activity. He first contested the Doncaster Division in the

West Riding of Yorkshire 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 ...

at the 1895 general election. Doncaster was a Liberal seat but the national mood was swinging to the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

and Walton could not hold the constituency for the Liberals against the trend.

Barnsley, by-election

Walton soon got another opportunity to enter the

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when a vacancy occurred at another West Riding seat,

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

in 1897. The sitting Liberal MP, William Compton who held the

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of Earl Compton, succeeded to the marquessate on the death in September 1897 of his father. Walton was adopted as the Liberal candidate for the resulting

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

. Despite the unanticipated intervention of an

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

candidate, Pete Curran, the chief organizer of the Gasworkers and General Labourers’ Union, who was expected to receive the votes of the mineworking districts of

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and Kinsley as well as those of other working men, Walton retained the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 3,290 over the Unionist Mr J Blyth, with Curran in last place.

1900-1922

Walton held his seat at the 1900 general election in a straight fight against the Unionists by a majority of 3,193. In

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

he was returned unopposed. He held again in January 1910 by a majority of 7,372 over the Unionists and was again unopposed at the

December 1910 general election The December 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 3 to 19 December. It was the last general election to be held over several days and the last to be held before the History of the United Kingdom during the First World War, First Wo ...

. It was clear that by this time Walton had the respect of the working-class community and in 1914 even the Barnsley

Trades Council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

was able to announce that Walton was ‘not a bad representative’. At the 1918 general election, Walton stood again, this time as a Coalition Liberal (having presumably received the

Coalition coupon The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...

) and was again without opposition. He did not stand for re-election at the 1922 general election when the seat was won for the first time by the Labour Party.

Political stance

Walton was described as being in the

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

tradition of late 19th century Liberalism. He was in favour of

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and of other forms of

devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...

, or ‘Home Rule All Round’. Whilst an MP he voted in favour of the 1908 Women's Enfranchisement Bill. He also took a deep interest in

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and in the development of the

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. He travelled extensively in India, Burma, Africa, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, various British Protectorates, as well as visiting China, Japan, Persia, Mesopotamia, Russia and the Balkans. As a result of his interest in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

, Walton gained the soubriquet "The Member for China" in Parliament. He was also a Fellow of the

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and a founder member of the

Royal Central Asian Society The Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA) is a learned society based in London (United Kingdom). Its objective is to advance public knowledge and understanding of Asia through its worldwide networks, its public events, its publications and its s ...

Honours and appointments

Walton was created a baronet, of Rushpool, in the County of York, in 1910. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Middlesbrough and the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres). From the Restoration it was used as ...

and a Deputy Lieutenant of the North Riding.

Publication

''China and the Present Crisis (with notes on a visit to Japan and Korea''); Sampson, Low & Co., London, 1900

Death

Walton died at

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

on 8 February 1923 aged 73 years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walton, Joseph, 1st Baronet 1849 births 1923 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Deputy Lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire English Methodists Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Politics of Barnsley UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 British businesspeople in the coal industry