William Sproston Caine (26 March 1842 – 17 March 1903) was a British politician and

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

advocate.

Biography

Caine was born at

Seacombe Seacombe () is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part o ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, and was the eldest surviving son of Nathaniel Caine, a metal merchant from

, and was educated at private schools in

Egremont, Merseyside Egremont is an area of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. Historically part of Cheshire and in the north east of the Wirral Peninsula, it is bordered by New Brighton to the north, Liscard to the west and Seaco ...

and

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

before entering his father's business in 1861. In 1864 he was made a partner, before moving to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1871. In 1873 he was recorded at 16 Alexandra Drive, Liverpool. Public Affairs soon began to occupy large amounts of his attention, and he left the firm in 1878.J. Newton, ''W. S. Caine'' After his retirement from his father's company, he retained the directorship of the Hodbarrow Mining Co. Ltd, Millom, and he secured the controlling interest in the Shaw's Brown Iron Co., Liverpool, leaving the management of the concern in the hands of his partner, Arthur S. Cox. The business collapsed in 1893, leaving large amounts of debt which were honourably discharged, but Caine's resources were afterwards largely devoted to paying off the mortgage which he raised to meet the firm's losses. Caine was brought up as a Baptist under the ministry of

Hugh Stowell Brown Hugh Stowell Brown (10 August 1823 – 24 February 1886) was a Manx Christian minister and renowned preacher. Hugh Stowell Brown was a preacher, pastor and social reformer in Liverpool in the nineteenth century. His public lectures and work am ...

, whose daughter Alice married Caine in 1868; they had two sons (including the author William Caine) and three daughters. Caine would tell the story of how he sat down to drink sherry whilst reading a temperance book by Julia Wightman. He was so convinced that he never drank again. He joined the Liverpool Temperance and Band of Hope Union, also becoming chairman of the Popular Control and Licensing Reform Association. In 1873 he was elected vice-president of the

United Kingdom Alliance The United Kingdom Alliance (UKA) was a temperance movement in the United Kingdom, temperance movement in the United Kingdom founded in 1853 in Manchester to work for the prohibition of the trade in alcohol (drug), alcohol in the United Kingdom. ...

. He was also president of the Baptist Total Abstinence Society, the Congregational Temperance Society, the British Temperance League, and the National Temperance Federation. Caine first became interested in running for parliament in 1873 to advance his temperance views, and unsuccessfully contested

in 1873 and 1874 for the

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 ...

. In 1880 he was returned for

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

and, identifying with the extreme radical side, began promoting his views on temperance at the House of Commons. In 1884 he was made Civil Lord of the Admiralty in succession to

Thomas Brassey Thomas Brassey (7 November 18058 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about o ...

, retaining his seat in parliament through the necessary by-election but losing in the 1885 general election. In 1886, he was returned for

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...

after a by-election, and played an active part in organising the

Liberal Unionist Party The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

, which was nicknamed the "Brand of Caine" as a result. Caine was appointed Chief Whip for the Liberal Unionists, but his extreme temperance views soon damaged the Unionist alliance with the Conservative Party. After the passing of a scheme compensating holders of extinguished public-house licences, Caine resigned as Whip and his position in the House in protest. He ran for reelection at the by-election as an Independent Liberal, but was defeated. In 1892, he was again elected for Bradford East but lost his seat at the 1895 election. His daughter Hannah married John Roberts, 1st Baron Clwyd in 1893. Another daughter

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

married Liberal MP

Herbert Lewis Sir John Herbert Lewis (27 December 1858 – 10 November 1933) was a Welsh Liberal politician. Background and education Born at Mostyn Quay, Flintshire, Lewis was the only child of Enoch Lewis and Catherine Roberts. It is possible that Lewi ...

in 1897. Caine reentered the House in 1900 for

Camborne Camborne ( kw, Kammbronn) is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth and Deadman's Cove. Camborne was formerl ...

. Parliamentary activities exhausted his health, and after a trip to South America in 1902 failed to restore it, he died of heart failure in 1903 in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

aged 60. Due to his opposition to alcohol he was praised by

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. It has been suggested that Caine was the model for the story "The Enlightenments of Pagett, M.P." by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling notes that "Pagett" was a liberal supporter of A.O. Hume and particularly William Digby to whom Caine dedicated his 1890 guidebook ''Picturesque India''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caine, William Sproston 1842 births 1903 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Lords of the Admiralty UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1900–1906 Politics of Bradford Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Camborne Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies