Alfred Emmott, 1st Baron Emmott (8 May 1858 – 13 December 1926) was a British businessman 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. For example, while the political systems ...
politician.
Background and education
The eldest surviving son of Thomas Emmott, of Brookfield,
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
, he was educated at Grove House,
Tottenham
Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
, and at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
. He became a partner in Emmott and Walshall, cotton spinners, of Oldham.
Political career
In 1881, Emmott entered the
Oldham Municipal Borough Council and was mayor of the town between 1891 and 1892. In a
by-election in 1899 he was elected Liberal
Member of Parliament for
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
, a seat he held until 1911.
It was a two-member seat, and
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
, who started his political career there, was the other member from 1900 to 1906.
Emmott served as
Chairman of Ways and Means (Deputy
Speaker of the House of Commons) from 1906 to 1911 and was sworn of the
Privy Council in 1908. In October 1911 he was appointed
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies by
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...
and the following month he was raised to the peerage as Baron Emmott, of Oldham in the County Palatine of Lancaster. He remained at the Colonial Office until 1914 and was then a member of Asquith's cabinet as
First Commissioner of Works between 1914 and 1915.
Emmott was also Director of the War Trade Department between 1915 and 1919, chaired the
Royal Commission on Decimal Coinage between 1918 and 1920 and was
President of the Royal Statistical Society between 1922 and 1924. He was a churchman, but his education at the Friends' School and his ancestry led him to sympathize with nonconformists. He was appointed a
GCMG in 1914 and a
GBE in 1917.
In his approach to politics, Emmott was a strong supporter of the government's social reforms. This was arguably reflected in 1910 when Emmott, in response to Conservative critics who attacked the Liberals as "socialistic", retorted that "so far as we have gone in the direction of Socialism, so-called, whether it be in regard to free and compulsory education, whether it be in regard to old age pensions, or in respect of any other reform, we have not diminished, but rather added to the liberty of the individual."
Family
Lord Emmott married
Mary Gertrude, a daughter of J. W. Lees, in 1887, and they had two daughters. Lady Emmott was a
Justice of the Peace for
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In February 1926, aged 67, Lord Emmott died very suddenly, from
angina pectoris
Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease.
Angina is typically the result of part ...
, at his home in London, on a day when he was engaged to speak at a Liberal Party rally. The barony became extinct on his death, as he had no son.
Arms
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmott, Alfred Emmott, 1st Baron
1858 births
1926 deaths
Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Alumni of the University of London
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society
UK MPs 1895–1900
UK MPs 1900–1906
UK MPs 1906–1910
UK MPs 1910
UK MPs 1910–1918
UK MPs who were granted peerages
Politics of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Lancashire
Barons created by George V