Henry Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton
Encyclopedia
Henry Hartley Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton PC (16 May 1830 – 25 February 1911), was a British solicitor and Liberal
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1908 when he was raised to the peerage
. A member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, he was the first solicitor and the first Methodist to enter the Cabinet or to be raised to the peerage.
and was admitted as a solicitor in 1852. He served as a local councillor and was Mayor of Wolverhampton in 1866. He was chairman of Wolverhampton School Board in 1870, and was a Deputy Lieutenant
for Staffordshire
and J.P.
for Wolverhampton.
Fowler was elected as a Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for the borough Wolverhampton
, a seat he held until the borough was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
. He then was then returned at the 1885 general election
as the MP for Wolverhampton East
, and held that seat until he was ennobled in 1908. He served under William Ewart Gladstone
as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
from 1884 to 1885, as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
in 1886 and as President of the Local Government Board
from 1892 to 1894 and under Lord Rosebery
as Secretary of State for India
from 1894 to 1895. In 1886 he was sworn of the Privy Council.
Fowler later held office under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
and H. H. Asquith
as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
between 1905 and 1908. The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Wolverhampton
, of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, and served under Asquith as Lord President of the Council
until 1910. He was widely thought of as a future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, but his ill health prevented this.
Lord Wolverhampton died in February 1911, aged 80.
and the Hon. Edith Henrietta Fowler
.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1908 when he was raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
. A member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, he was the first solicitor and the first Methodist to enter the Cabinet or to be raised to the peerage.
Early life
Fowler was born in Sunderland, the son of Rev, Joseph Fowler. He moved to WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and was admitted as a solicitor in 1852. He served as a local councillor and was Mayor of Wolverhampton in 1866. He was chairman of Wolverhampton School Board in 1870, and was a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Wolverhampton.
Political career
At the 1880 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
Fowler was elected as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the borough Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, a seat he held until the borough was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
. He then was then returned at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
as the MP for Wolverhampton East
Wolverhampton East (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton East was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, and held that seat until he was ennobled in 1908. He served under William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
-Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782-present:*April 1782: Evan Nepean*April 1782: Thomas Orde*July 1782: Henry Strachey*April 1783: George North*February 1784: Hon. John Townshend*June 1789: Scrope Bernard*July 1794: The Hon...
from 1884 to 1885, as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
in 1886 and as President of the Local Government Board
President of the Local Government Board
The President of the Local Government Board was a ministerial post, frequently a Cabinet position, in the United Kingdom, established in 1871. The Local Government Board itself was established in 1871 and took over supervisory functions from the Board of Trade and the Home Office, including the...
from 1892 to 1894 and under Lord Rosebery
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...
as Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
from 1894 to 1895. In 1886 he was sworn of the Privy Council.
Fowler later held office under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
and H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
between 1905 and 1908. The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Wolverhampton
Viscount Wolverhampton
thumb|200px|Henry Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton.Viscount Wolverhampton, of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 4 May 1908 for the Liberal politician Henry Fowler...
, of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, and served under Asquith as Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
until 1910. He was widely thought of as a future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, but his ill health prevented this.
Lord Wolverhampton died in February 1911, aged 80.
Family
Fowler married Ellen Thorneycroft in 1857. Their son Henry succeeded to the viscountcy. Their daughters were the authors the Hon. Ellen Thorneycroft FowlerEllen Thorneycroft Fowler
-Works:She published several volumes of verse and a volume of short stories. She first achieved fame by the publication of Concerning Isabel Carnaby...
and the Hon. Edith Henrietta Fowler
Edith Henrietta Fowler
Edith Henrietta Fowler was an English novelist. She was the daughter of Henry Hartley Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton and the younger sister of the author Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler. Edith Fowler wrote two very successful novels for children: The Young Pretenders and The Professor's Children...
.