Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet (19 September 1858 – 4 June 1939) was an English

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and Liberal Member of Parliament and government minister. Norman was educated privately in France and at Harvard University, where he obtained his B.A. For several years he worked on the editorial staff of the ''

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed i ...

'' and later joined the editorial staff of the '' Daily Chronicle'', being appointed Assistant Editor of the latter in 1895. He retired from journalism in 1899. During this time he travelled widely in Canada and the United States and in Russia, Japan, China, Siam, Malaya and Central Asia. Much of the material included in the two volumes mentioned in the description was amassed during these tours. He was knighted in 1906,''The London Gazette''
28 December 1906 (issue 27980), pp. 9142–9145. and made a baronet in 1915.

Family and education

Norman was born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, the son of Henry Norman, a merchant and local radical politician. Norman was educated at Leicester Collegiate School and Grove House School and later studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. His family were Unitarians in religion, and Norman first embarked on a career as a preacher; but he gave up this calling and his religion on his return to England. In 1891 he married author Ménie Muriel Dowie (1867–1945) but they divorced in 1903 on the grounds of her adultery with a family friend, Edward Arthur Fitzgerald. Norman was awarded custody of their son Henry Nigel St Valery Norman, who was born in 1897 and succeeded him in the baronetcy. In 1907 he married Florence Priscilla McLaren (1884–1964), the daughter of the wealthy industrialist and Liberal MP, Sir Charles McLaren. They had three children. In 1922 he purchased Ramster Hall, Chiddingfold, Guildford, Surrey with Lady Norman.

Journalism

Norman became a journalist working for the ''

'' and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

.'' As a journalist he was famous for uncovering the truth behind the Dreyfus Affair. He was on the staff of the '' Daily Chronicle'' from 1892, becoming assistant editor. Norman travelled extensively in the East, where he took a number of photographs that are held at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Later he founded and edited the magazine ''The World's Work'' (vols 1–42, 1902–1923).

Travels

In an essay published in the ''

'', Norman said that his travels in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

took him "nearly 20,000 miles." He said that despite the size of the country, "it revolved as smoothly as the well-welded flywheel." He also stated that "few provincial towns in Europe or America have theaters and museums as fine as those in

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

and

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

." According to him, there were "half-a-dozen industries which promise a fortune" in places like

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and Russia as a whole. The ''New York Times'' published these observations on October 14, 1900.

Government and other appointments

He was appointed Assistant Postmaster-General in January 1910. His interest in international communications led to a number of appointments related to wireless and telegraphy: among them * Chairman of the War Office Committee on

Wireless Telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is the transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using electrical cable, cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimenta ...

(1912) * Chairman of the Imperial Wireless Telegraphy Committee of 1920 (the Norman Committee), which was convened to draw up a complete wireless scheme for the Empire, and recommended wireless communications covering a range of 2,000 miles. In 1918 he was admitted to the Privy Council. He contributed to government committees including chairing a Select Committee on Patent Medicines (specifically advertisements for them and fraudulent claims), on rent restrictions, on betting duty and on industrial paints. He championed the rights and regulation of motorists in the House of Commons even though he had himself been fined for speeding (30 mph) under a scheme he himself had advocated to the Royal Commission. Norman was appointed a Justice of the Peace for

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Outside government

In 1914, he became the first President of th
Derby Wireless Club
founded in 1911. Norman was also a director of a number of companies connected to coal mining and iron trades. He was an early advocate of wireless broadcasting, opening the All British Wireless Exhibition at the Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster in 1922 at which he predicted, to a very sceptical press, the ubiquitous uptake of the technology into all homes.

World War I

Sir Henry was the Munitions Inventions Department's permanent attaché to the French Ministry of Inventions. At the end of the war Sir Henry was involved in the detailed planning for a proposed transatlantic flight using a F.B.27. Vickers Vimy. This planning included the route to be flown, the hangar facilities and the provision of fuel for the aircraft in Newfoundland.

Politics

Norman was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South from 1900 to 1910, and for Blackburn from 1910 to 1923. He was an advocate for a number of causes, notably women's suffrage. Norman was a supporter of David Lloyd George, organising the Budget League in support of his People's Budget in 1909–10, personally representing Lloyd George in France on a number of occasions during the First World War, and helping organise the government's campaign during the " Coupon Election" of 1918. In 1915 he was created a

baronet 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 ...

, and took the designation "of Honeyhanger in the Parish of Shottermill in the County of Surrey".

Selected writings

* ''An Account of the Harvard Greek Play'' (1881) * ''The Preservation of Niagara Falls'' (1882) * ''The Real Japan'' (1892) * ''The Peoples and Politics of the Far East'' (1895) * ''The Treatment and Training of Disabled and Discharged Soldiers in France'' (1917) * ''All the Russias'' (1902) * ''Will No Man Understand?'' a play, (1934) * ''Bodyke : A Chapter in the History of Irish Landlordism '' (1887)

Notes

References

* Patrick French, ''The Life of Henry Norman''. Unicorn Press, 1995. * * * Obituary, ''

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 ...

'', 5 June 1939 * ''Who was Who'', OUP 2007

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Henry English male journalists 1858 births 1939 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 Politics of Blackburn with Darwen People educated at Leicester Collegiate School Harvard University alumni English justices of the peace Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Henry National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians Knights Bachelor