Sir Frank Hillyard Newnes, 2nd Baronet (28 September 1876 – 10 July 1955) was a British publisher, businessman and Liberal politician.

Family and education

Frank Hillyard Newnes was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

,''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 11 July 1955, p.13 the son of George Newnes, the newspaper publisher and Liberal MP first for Newmarket and later for

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

. His mother was Priscilla Newnes (née Hillyard) the daughter of the Reverend James Hillyard. He had an older brother who died aged eight years and whose death was said to have devastated his father. A. J. A. Morris, 'Sir George Newnes', ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', OUP 2004–11 Newnes was educated privately before attending

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

where he graduated with MA and

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degrees in 1897. In 1913 Newnes married Emmeline Augusta Louisa (Lena), the daughter of the late Sir Albert de Rutzen, who had held the office of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at

Bow Street Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, City of Westminster, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles, London, St Giles to Waterloo Bridge. The street was ...

. Lena Newnes became a well-known society hostess and philanthropist, raising thousands of pounds for various charitable and educational causes. She was a Dame of Grace of the

Order of St John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

. She died in 1939. Newnes married again in 1946. His second wife was Dorothy (née Darlot), the widow of Stephen Delmar-Morgan, who was originally from

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. There were no children from either marriage.

Career

On leaving university in 1897, Newnes followed his father into his publishing business, eventually becoming President of

George Newnes Ltd George Newnes Ltd is a British publisher. The company was founded in 1891 by George Newnes (1851–1910), considered a founding father of popular journalism. Newnes published such magazines and periodicals as '' Tit-Bits'', '' The Wide World Ma ...

. He also became Chairman of Country Life, Ltd and a director of other companies in the publishing trade, including ''

The Westminster Gazette ''The Westminster Gazette'' was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope, D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, Margaret ...

'', the Liberal-supporting newspaper founded by his father. The paper was dubbed the " pea-green incorruptible" – Prime Minister

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

having personally approved its green colour. The firm was based at 17-21 Tavistock Street in premises leased from the eleventh Duke of Bedford. Newnes also had other commercial and investment interests, and served on the boards of the

Norwich Union Norwich Union was the name of insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. On 29 April 2008, Aviva a ...

Fire Insurance Society and Norwich Union Life Insurance Society. He also served as a director of City & Commercial Investment Trusts Ltd and Redeemable Securities Trust Ltd and was Chairman of Associated Weavers, Ltd and Armoride Ltd. In addition to his business career, Newnes was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1898, although it is not recorded that he ever practised the law. In 1907, he became a director of The Inambari Para-Rubber Estates, Limited, a joint stock company that exported rubber from the

Inambari River The Inambari River in southeastern Peru flows from the Cordillera Apolobamba in the Andes to the Madre de Dios River. The river spans the Puno Puno ( Aymara and ) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is t ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Politics

Newnes also followed his father in his political persuasions. A sometime member of the National Liberal Council, he was elected Liberal MP for Bassetlaw in north

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

at the

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting e ...

, gaining the seat from the

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

by a majority of 531 votes. However, the seat returned to the Tories at the January 1910 election by the even narrower margin of 341 votes. He did not stand for Parliament again. However his father died in 1910 and Newnes inherited the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

War service

In 1915, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Newnes was commissioned a sub-lieutenant in the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

. Two years later he transferred to the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and attained the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 12th Battalion, the

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World W ...

Public and charity appointments

Newnes’ main non-political interests were in public health matters and he also understandably busied himself with press-related charities. He was a member of the Voluntary Hospitals Committee for London, a member of the management committees of the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barnet Ho ...

and its

Medical School A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

and also served as Chairman of the Post-Graduate Institute of Dental Surgery and of the

Eastman Dental Hospital The Eastman Dental Hospital was based on Gray's Inn Road until it co-located with the University College London ear, nose, throat, balance and hearing services on Huntley Street, London, as the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals in ...

. In his publishing charity work, Newnes became President of the Printers Pension Corporation and was a vice-president of the Periodical Proprietors Association. In 1949 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of St John.''The Times'' (5 January 1949), p. 7.

Death

Newnes died in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

on 10 July 1955 at the age of 78 years. As he had no children the Newnes baronetcy became extinct on his death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newnes, Frank 1876 births 1955 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 Businesspeople from Manchester Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple English publishers (people) 20th-century British newspaper publishers (people) Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers 2 Politics of Nottinghamshire Commanders of the Order of St John Politicians from Manchester Royal Navy officers Military personnel from Manchester British Army personnel of World War I