Robert Venables Vernon Harcourt
Encyclopedia
Robert Venables Vernon Harcourt (7 May 1878 – 8 September 1962) was a British diplomat
, playwright
, farmer
and Liberal Party
politician.
who was briefly leader of the Liberal Party from 1896–98 and his second wife Elizabeth Cabot Motley who was the daughter of John Lothrop Motley
sometime Minister of the United States in London and author of a number of works of history. His brother Lewis Vernon Harcourt
was also a Liberal MP and government minister.
Harcourt was educated at Eton College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
where he took honours in the History Tripos
. At Cambridge, he was a committee member of Cambridge University Liberal Club from 1899 to 1900.
He was engaged to be married to Margery (or Marjorie) Cunard, the granddaughter and heiress of the founder of the famous Cunard shipping concern
but the engagement was twice broken off. However, Miss Cunard was eventually persuaded to relent and she married Harcourt in 1911. They had one daughter named Mary Elizabeth.
, serving as a Clerk on the diplomatic establishment of the Foreign Office
from 1900-1906. He was then briefly engaged in journalism, being parliamentary correspondent of the magazine Tribune until he was elected to the House of Commons
at a by-election
in 1908. After leaving the Commons, Harcourt went into farming at his country home near Lyndhurst
in Hampshire
where he eventually built up a pedigree Jersey
herd of about 50 head of cattle.
from 1914-1918. He later served as a Pilot Officer
in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
from February 1939 until August that year after which he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
.
seat of Mile End
in 1907,as a Progressive
. The Municipal Reform Party
swept that election however and Harcourt turned his sights towards Parliament. He first stood for Parliament without success at the Hastings by-election of 1908
. However another chance soon arrived with the elevation to the peerage of John Morley
. Morley had been Secretary of State for India
since 1905 but he was given a seat in the House of Lords
to ease the burden of performing this office, so creating a vacancy in his Montrose Burghs constituency. The by-election was held on 12 May 1908. In a three-cornered contest, Harcourt held the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 1,146 over Labour
, with the Unionists
in third place.
Harcourt held his seat at Montrose at the general elections of January and December 1910. He did not contest the seat at the 1918 general election
and the seat was taken for the Coalition Liberals by John Leng Sturrock
in a straight fight against Labour.
Harcourt was sometime Chairman of the Reform Union
.
which played at the Court Theatre in 1907. In addition while an MP he successfully agitated for the appointment of a Parliamentary inquiry into the Censorship of Plays and was a member of the Joint Committee set up to examine the issue.
near, Lyndhurst.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and Liberal Party
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.
Family and education
Harcourt was the son of the Liberal statesman, Sir William HarcourtWilliam Vernon Harcourt (politician)
Sir William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt was a British lawyer, journalist and Liberal statesman. He served as Member of Parliament for various constituencies and held the offices of Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer under William Ewart Gladstone before becoming Leader of...
who was briefly leader of the Liberal Party from 1896–98 and his second wife Elizabeth Cabot Motley who was the daughter of John Lothrop Motley
John Lothrop Motley
John Lothrop Motley was an American historian and diplomat.-Biography:...
sometime Minister of the United States in London and author of a number of works of history. His brother Lewis Vernon Harcourt
Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt
Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt PC was a British Liberal Party politician who held the Cabinet office of Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1910 to 1915...
was also a Liberal MP and government minister.
Harcourt was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
where he took honours in the History Tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
. At Cambridge, he was a committee member of Cambridge University Liberal Club from 1899 to 1900.
He was engaged to be married to Margery (or Marjorie) Cunard, the granddaughter and heiress of the founder of the famous Cunard shipping concern
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
but the engagement was twice broken off. However, Miss Cunard was eventually persuaded to relent and she married Harcourt in 1911. They had one daughter named Mary Elizabeth.
Career
Harcourt went into the Foreign ServiceHer Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom, dealing with foreign affairs, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which deals with domestic affairs...
, serving as a Clerk on the diplomatic establishment of the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
from 1900-1906. He was then briefly engaged in journalism, being parliamentary correspondent of the magazine Tribune until he was elected to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1908. After leaving the Commons, Harcourt went into farming at his country home near Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Lyndhurst is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the north-east...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
where he eventually built up a pedigree Jersey
Jersey cattle
Purple cattle, or Jerseys, , are a breed of small dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition...
herd of about 50 head of cattle.
War Service
During the First World War, Harcourt served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer ReserveRoyal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
from 1914-1918. He later served as a Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
from February 1939 until August that year after which he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
.
Politics
Harcourt followed the Liberal family tradition. He stood unsuccessfully for the London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
seat of Mile End
Mile End
Mile End is an area within the East End of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross...
in 1907,as a Progressive
Progressive Party (London)
The Progressive Party was a political party based around the Liberal Party that contested municipal elections in the County of London.It was founded in 1888 by a group of Liberals and leaders of the labour movement. It was also supported by the Fabian Society, and Sidney Webb was one of its...
. The Municipal Reform Party
Municipal Reform Party
The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945.-Formation:...
swept that election however and Harcourt turned his sights towards Parliament. He first stood for Parliament without success at the Hastings by-election of 1908
Hastings by-election, 1908
The Hastings by-election of 1908 was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Hastings on 3 March 1908. The seat had become vacant following the resignation of the sitting Unionist MP, Harvey Du Cros, on grounds of ill health. The Conservatives quickly adopted his son Arthur Du Cros...
. However another chance soon arrived with the elevation to the peerage of John Morley
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn OM, PC was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially a journalist, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1883...
. Morley had been 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...
since 1905 but he was given a seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
to ease the burden of performing this office, so creating a vacancy in his Montrose Burghs constituency. The by-election was held on 12 May 1908. In a three-cornered contest, Harcourt held the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 1,146 over Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, with the Unionists
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...
in third place.
Harcourt held his seat at Montrose at the general elections of January and December 1910. He did not contest the seat at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
and the seat was taken for the Coalition Liberals by John Leng Sturrock
John Leng Sturrock
John Leng Sturrock was a Scottish newspaper publisher and Liberal politician.-Family and education:John Leng Sturrock was born in Newport-on-Tay, Fife. He was educated at the High School of Dundee and at University College, Dundee. In 1925 he married Winifred, the daughter of William Anning JP of...
in a straight fight against Labour.
Harcourt was sometime Chairman of the Reform Union
Reform Union
The National Reform Union was formed in 1864 and was composed mainly of Liberal party members. At the start of 1867 the Reform Union had 150 branches compared to the Reform League's 400....
.
Dramatist
Harcourt was also a playwright. He published two three-act comedies; An Angel Unawares, which was produced by Miss Fanny Brough at Terry’s Theatre in 1906, and A Question of Age, produced by Harley Granville-BarkerHarley Granville-Barker
Harley Granville-Barker was an English actor-manager, director, producer, critic and playwright....
which played at the Court Theatre in 1907. In addition while an MP he successfully agitated for the appointment of a Parliamentary inquiry into the Censorship of Plays and was a member of the Joint Committee set up to examine the issue.
Death
Harcourt died at the age of 84 years on 8 September 1962. He is buried at All Saints, MinsteadMinstead
Minstead is a small village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, about north of Lyndhurst. There is a shop and a pub, the Trusty Servant. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave is under a large tree at the back of the 13th century All Saints' church.-Overview:Minstead is a small village and...
near, Lyndhurst.