Joshua Rowntree
Encyclopedia
Joshua Rowntree was elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Scarborough
in 1886 and served, as a Gladstonian Liberal
, until 1892, when he was succeeded by the Conservative
, Sir George Reresby Sitwell, whom he had defeated in 1886.
He was an active Quaker
. After he left Parliament
, in 1892, he 'gave himself with whole heart and mind to the modern interpretation of Quakerism'. He took a quiet part in enabling British Friends to come to terms with scientific discoveries and biblical criticism and with shaking off outdated customs—notably through the Manchester conference (1895), Scarborough summer school (1897), and the establishment in 1903 of a study centre at Woodbrooke, Birmingham
. He was editor of The Friend from 1872 to 1875.
He gave the Swarthmore Lecture
in 1913 under the title Social Service - its place in the Society of Friends
.
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 Scarborough
Scarborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Scarborough was the name of a constituency in Yorkshire, electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, at two periods. From 1295 until 1918 it was a parliamentary borough consisting only of the town of Scarborough, electing two MPs until 1885 and one from 1885 until 1918...
in 1886 and served, as a Gladstonian 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...
, until 1892, when he was succeeded by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Sir George Reresby Sitwell, whom he had defeated in 1886.
He was an active Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
. After he left Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, in 1892, he 'gave himself with whole heart and mind to the modern interpretation of Quakerism'. He took a quiet part in enabling British Friends to come to terms with scientific discoveries and biblical criticism and with shaking off outdated customs—notably through the Manchester conference (1895), Scarborough summer school (1897), and the establishment in 1903 of a study centre at Woodbrooke, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. He was editor of The Friend from 1872 to 1875.
He gave the Swarthmore Lecture
Swarthmore Lecture
Swarthmore Lecture is one of a series of lectures, started in 1908, addressed to Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends .The preface to the very first lecture explains the purpose of the series....
in 1913 under the title Social Service - its place in the Society of Friends
Social Service - its place in the Society of Friends
Social Service - its place in the Society of Friends was the title of the controversial Swarthmore Lecture given by Joshua Rowntree, a Liberal politician, in 1913. The principal subject was the question of what would be the appropriate Friends' view on industrial schools and other institutions...
.
Joshua Rowntree's publications
- OpiumOpiumOpium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
habit in the East: A study of the evidence given to the Royal Commission on OpiumRoyal Commission on OpiumThe Royal Opium Commission of 1895 was a commission of the British Government set up to investigate the Anglo-Asian opium trade.-History:Throughout the 19th century opium sent to China was one of British India's most valuable exports...
, 1893-94. P. S. King & Son: Westminster, 1895. - Applied Christianity and War. An address. [c. 1904.]
- The imperial drug trade. Methuen, [1905?]
- Social Service, its place in the Society of Friends. (Series: Swarthmore Lectures) Headley Bros.: London, 1913.
Source
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article by Edward H. Milligan, 'Rowntree, Joshua (1844–1915)', Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006 http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/41237, accessed 30 Dec 2006.