Jump to content

Harold Tennant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the English rugby league footballer of the 1910s and 1920s, seeBuff Lord.

The Right Honourable
Harold Tennant
Photoc.1910s
Secretary for Scotland
In office
9 July 1916 – 5 December 1916
MonarchGeorge V
Prime MinisterH. H. Asquith
Preceded byThomas McKinnon Wood
Succeeded byRobert Munro
Personal details
Born18 November 1865(1865-11-18)
The Glen,Innerleithen,Peeblesshire, Scotland
Died9 December 1935(1935-12-09)(aged 69)
Political partyLiberal
Spouse
​
(m.1896)​
Parent(s)Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet
Emma Winsloe
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge

Harold John TennantPC(18 November 1865 – 9 November 1935), often known asJack Tennant,was a ScottishLiberalpolitician. He served asSecretary for Scotlandunder his brother-in-lawH. H. Asquithbetween July and December 1916.

Background and education[edit]

Born at The Glen,Innerleithen,Peeblesshire,[1]Harold Tennant was a younger son ofSir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet,by his first wife Emma, daughter of Richard Winsloe. He was the brother ofEdward Tennant, 1st Baron GlenconnerandMargot Asquith(and hence the brother-in-law ofH. H. Asquith) and the half-brother ofBaroness Elliot of Harwood.

Tennant was educated atEton Collegeand atTrinity College, Cambridge.[2]

Political career[edit]

Tennant caricatured bySpyforVanity Fair,1909

Tennant was Assistant Private Secretary to his brother-in-lawH. H. Asquithwhile the latter was Home Secretary between 1892 and 1895.[3]In 1894 he was electedMember of ParliamentforBerwickshire.[4]Asquith became Prime Minister in 1908 and in January 1909 he appointed TennantParliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade.Tennant remained in this office until 1911, and then served under Asquith asFinancial Secretary to the War Officefrom 1911 to 1912 and asUnder-Secretary of State for Warfrom 1912 to 1916. In 1914 he was sworn of thePrivy Council.[5]He entered the cabinet asSecretary for Scotlandunder Asquith in July 1916,[6]a post he held until Asquith was ousted as Prime Minister in December 1916. Tennant did not serve underDavid Lloyd George.

At the1918 general election,the Berwickshire constituency was abolished, and Tennant contested the newBerwickshire and Haddingtonshireconstituency. He faced two opponents: R. W. Foulis of theLabour Party,and the 1911–1918HaddingtonshireMPJohn Deans Hope.With two incumbent Liberal MPs contesting one seat, Hope's receipt of thecoalition couponsecured his victory, with 54% of the votes. Tennant came a poor third, with only 16% of the votes.[7]

Tennant also unsuccessfully contestedGlasgow Centralin 1923[8]but never returned to theHouse of Commons.

During his time in Parliament, Tennant supported a number of progressive measures such as worker's compensation,[9]minimum wage provisions,[10]school medical inspections,[11]factory inspections, and unemployment insurance.

Personal life[edit]

Harold Tennant c.1895

Tennant married factory inspectorMay Abrahamin 1896. He boughtGreat Maytham Hall,Rolvenden, Kent, in 1910. He commissionedEdwin Lutyensto rebuild the hall at a cost of£24,000.[12]As leader of the war memorial committee, he also engaged Lutyens to design theRolvenden War Memorial,erected in 1922.[13]

Tennant died in November 1935, aged 70.

References[edit]

  1. ^Curthoys, M. C. (2009)."Tennant, Harold John [Jack] (1865-1935), politician".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/58263.Retrieved27 January2019.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  2. ^"Tennant, Harold John (TNNT885HJ)".A Cambridge Alumni Database.University of Cambridge.
  3. ^Betts, Robin (1999).Doctor Macnamara, 1861-1931.Liverpool University Press. p. 385 (endnote).ISBN0853238634.Retrieved29 June2015.
  4. ^"leighrayment.com Bedford to Berwick upon Tweed".Archived from the original on 24 February 2012.Retrieved30 September2009.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^leighrayment.com Privy Counsellors 1836-1914[usurped]
  6. ^"No. 29667".The London Gazette.14 July 1916. p. 6975.
  7. ^Craig, F. W. S.(1983) [1969].British parliamentary election results 1918–1949(3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 629.ISBN0-900178-06-X.
  8. ^The Times, 8 December 1923
  9. ^"Workmens Compensation Bill 1 (1906)".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Commons. 26 March 1906.Retrieved28 April2020.
  10. ^"Trade Boards Bill (1909)".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Commons. 28 April 1909.Retrieved28 April2020.
  11. ^"Medical Inspection of Children (1908)".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Commons. 6 July 1908.Retrieved28 April2020.
  12. ^Tyzack, Anna (1 July 2009)."The Secret Garden for sale".The Daily Telegraph.London. Archived fromthe originalon 19 August 2009.Retrieved23 November2010.
  13. ^Historic England."Rolvenden War Memorial (1381140)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved11 September2016.
  • Torrance, David,The Scottish Secretaries(Birlinn 2006)

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of ParliamentforBerwickshire
1894–1918 		Constituency renamed
Berwick and Haddington
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade
1909–1911 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Financial Secretary to the War Office
1911–1912 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Under-Secretary of State for War
1912–1916 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary for Scotland
July–December 1916 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harold_Tennant&oldid=1174798277"