Thomas McKinnon Wood PC (26 January 1855 – 26 March 1927) was a British

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. Regarded as a liberal with "sound Progressive credentials," he served as a member of

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

's cabinet as

Secretary for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoi ...

between 1912 and 1916 and as

Financial Secretary to the Treasury The financial secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the First Lord of the Treasury, first lord of th ...

and

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...

between July and December 1916. He was also involved in London politics and served as Chairman of the London County Council between 1898 and 1899.

Background and education

Born in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

, Wood was the only son of Hugh Wood, a merchant and shipowner, by his second wife Jessie McKinnon, daughter of Reverend Thomas McKinnon. His father had been born in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, where his father was a farmer, but had later settled in London. Wood was educated at the Brewers' Company School,

Aldenham Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, north-east of Watford and southwest of Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of Hertsmere's 14 conservation areas. The village has eight pre-19th-century listed build ...

, Hertfordshire,

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist me ...

, and

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

. He graduated in 1875 with honours in logic and moral philosophy. After graduating, he worked briefly on the 9th edition of the

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

, before joining the family business in 1878, after his father lost his sight. Although "McKinnon" was officially his middle name, as an adult he generally used "McKinnon Wood" as a

double-barrelled surname A double-barrelled name is a type of compound surname, typically featuring two words (occasionally more), often joined by a hyphen. Examples of some notable people with double-barrelled names include Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Sacha Baron Co ...

Political career

McKinnon Wood was a member of the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

for Central Hackney from 1892 to 1909. From 1897 to 1908 he was leader of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...

and also served as Chairman of the council from 1898 to 1899. In 1907 he was appointed

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

, a post he held until 1909. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of London in 1899. McKinnon Wood stood unsuccessfully as a parliamentary candidate for East Islington in 1895, Glasgow St. Rollox in 1900 and Orkney and Shetland in 1902. However, in 1906 he was elected for Glasgow St Rollox as a

, a seat he held until 1918. In April 1908 McKinnon Wood was appointed

Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education was a junior ministerial office in the United Kingdom Government. The Board of Education Act 1899 abolished the Committee of the Privy Council which had been responsible for education matters an ...

in the administration of

, a post he held until October of the same year, when he became

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 Affair ...

. In 1911 he was made

and admitted to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. The following year he was promoted to

with a seat in the cabinet. He continued in this post also when the war-time coalition was formed in May 1915. His integrity was called into question over the 1908 -1919

Oscar Slater Oscar Joseph Slater (8 January 1872 – 31 January 1948) was the victim of a miscarriage of justice in Scotland. Wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death, he was freed after almost two decades of hard labour at Scotland’s HM Prison ...

case and inquiries into his false conviction for murder. In July 1916 he was appointed

and

. The latter post was considered very important in the war-time situation, and was not seen as a demotion. However, when

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

became Prime Minister in December 1916, McKinnon Wood was not offered a post in the government. By the time the general election of December 1918 was held, McKinnon Wood was an anti-coalition Asquith Liberal. In common with most of the Liberals who did not receive 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 ...

" he lost his seat, which was gained by Gideon Oliphant-Murray of the

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 ...

. He made one attempt to re-enter the Commons when he stood unsuccessfully for

Hackney Central Hackney Central is a sub-district of Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney in London, England and is four miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The Hackney Central area is focused on Mare Street and the retail areas to the north o ...

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

Family

McKinnon Wood married Isabella Sandison, daughter of Alexander Sandison, in 1883. They had eight children, six sons and two daughters. Two sons and one daughter predeceased him. McKinnon Wood died in

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

two weeks after his wife in March 1927, aged 72. Following a funeral service at

Whitefield's Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road The American International Church, currently located at the Whitefield Memorial Church on Tottenham Court Road in London, was established to cater for American expatriates resident in London. Organised in the American denominational tradition, th ...

, McKinnon Wood was buried in a family vault on the eastern side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

(plot no.31039), opposite the grave of

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...

. He left an estate valued at £130,372.

References

*Torrance, David, ''The Scottish Secretaries'' (Birlinn 2006)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Thomas Mackinnon 1855 births 1927 deaths Members of London County Council Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies Scottish Liberal Party MPs UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 People educated at Mill Hill School Progressive Party (London) politicians People educated at Aldenham School Alumni of University College London Deputy Lieutenants of the County of London People from Stepney Burials at Highgate Cemetery Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster