Donald Wade, Baron Wade
Encyclopedia
Donald William Wade, Baron Wade, DL
(16 June 1904 – 6 November 1988) was a British
solicitor who became a Liberal Party
Member of Parliament
. Wade's time in Parliament coincided with the time the Liberals were at their lowest ebb but his job as Chief Whip kept the party operating until times were better; however, his own seat was dependent on a local pact with the Conservatives and when it broke down, he was defeated. He was then elevated to the House of Lords
where he became an active Peer.
to a wealthy family who were Congregationalists
. He had a poorly childhood, suffering from poliomyelitis
. He was sent to the independent
boarding Mill Hill School
, set up by nonconformists, and went from there to Trinity Hall
, Cambridge
. After lecturing in Law at the University of Leeds
, he qualified as a Solicitor and joined a company in Leeds
where he became a partner.
, Wade wrote many pamphlets supporting Liberal policy. He was Chairman of the Yorkshire Liberal Federation for many years, and served on the Liberal party Executive from 1949. When boundary changes proposed in 1948 produced two constituencies based on the town of Huddersfield
, where the local Liberal Association was strong, Wade proposed to the local Conservative Association that their respective parties would benefit from a pact whereby each agreed to fight only one of the constituencies and to support the other's candidate. The Conservatives wanted a pledge that any Liberal MP elected would not support a Labour government in a vote of no confidence; Wade slightly softened the wording and pledged that he "would not vote in such a way as to give a vote of confidence to an administration committed to further Socialist measures", which was accepted.
, Wade was nominated in Huddersfield West
in a straight fight against the Labour candidate. He won with a majority of nearly 7,000, although the Conservatives failed to win in Huddersfield East
. Wade was helped by the coverage of the Huddersfield Examiner whose editor was a Liberal but believed in extensive coverage of political issues.
in Bechuanaland. He was a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on World Government and went as a delegate to the Congress on World Government in 1951. The same year he complained about the 'colour bar' being operated by British Rail
and the National Union of Railwaymen
, preventing black immigrants from working in certain posts.
In the early 1950s, Wade pressed for the United Kingdom government to sign up to the Schuman Declaration
, the coal and steel co-operation agreement between six European governments which led to the later establishment of the European Economic Community
. Wade was concerned that the establishment of commercial television would lead to lower standards and voted against the Television Bill of 1954. This issue had divided the Liberals: of their six MPs, two supported the Bill, two opposed, and two failed to vote. However, he did urge that the 'fourteen day rule' restricting broadcast discussion on political topics likely to come up in Parliament, should be abolished.
In 1958, a movement promoted by Edward Martell
grew for a formal alliance of Conservatives and Liberals in an "Anti-Socialist Front". The Liberal Party Executive rejected the idea, whereupon Martell demanded a statement from Wade and from Arthur Holt, MP for Bolton East
, who had been elected as a result of a similar pact.
Wade was a sponsor of the Bills intended to allow Peers to renounce unwanted titles which were introduced after Anthony Wedgwood Benn
inherited the Viscountcy of Stansgate in 1960. He was also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Lords Reform which led to the Peerage Act 1963
. With the Liberal Party recovery of the early 1960s, Wade asked why the National Liberal Organization
continued to exist when they were indistinguishable from Conservatives. In 1962 he became Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons and gave up being Chief Whip.
. Sir Herbert Butcher
, chairman of the Kitchen Committee, expressed his concern that the facilities of the House were being used on behalf of public relations companies.
Wade therefore found himself with Conservative and Labour opponents. The campaign in Huddersfield West was fairly bitter. Both the Conservative and Labour agents insisted that Wade would come bottom of the poll.
in the West Riding
of the county of York
. He served as Deputy Liberal Whip in the House of Lords
from 1965 to 1967 and was honoured with the Presidency of the Liberal Party for the year 1967-68. He was a Deputy Lieutenant
of the West Riding from 1967.
With his time freed up, Wade became Chairman of the Yorkshire Committee for Community Relations, which dealt with race relations. In 1968 he was nominated for election as an Alderman
of Leeds City Council but the other parties declined to support him. In the House of Lords he used his freedom to promote legislation on subjects which interested him: in 1969 he introduced a Bill to introduce local ombudsmen.
part of United Kingdom law. He introduced a Bill to this effect in several sessions; in 1977, a Conservative motion to refer it to a Select Committee succeeded. The Committee was split down the middle, but the full House endorsed the principle by 56 votes to 30 in November 1978. He kept up the campaign after Margaret Thatcher
became Prime Minister, but she refused to initiate talks. In 1978 Wade urged Jeremy Thorpe
to stand down after Thorpe was charged with conspiracy to murder.
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....
(16 June 1904 – 6 November 1988) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
solicitor who became a 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...
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,...
. Wade's time in Parliament coincided with the time the Liberals were at their lowest ebb but his job as Chief Whip kept the party operating until times were better; however, his own seat was dependent on a local pact with the Conservatives and when it broke down, he was defeated. He was then elevated to 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....
where he became an active Peer.
Early life
Wade was born in IlkleyIlkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
to a wealthy family who were Congregationalists
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. He had a poorly childhood, suffering from poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
. He was sent to the independent
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
boarding Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
, set up by nonconformists, and went from there to Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. After lecturing in Law at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, he qualified as a Solicitor and joined a company in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
where he became a partner.
Liberalism
Active in the Liberal PartyLiberal 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...
, Wade wrote many pamphlets supporting Liberal policy. He was Chairman of the Yorkshire Liberal Federation for many years, and served on the Liberal party Executive from 1949. When boundary changes proposed in 1948 produced two constituencies based on the town of Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, where the local Liberal Association was strong, Wade proposed to the local Conservative Association that their respective parties would benefit from a pact whereby each agreed to fight only one of the constituencies and to support the other's candidate. The Conservatives wanted a pledge that any Liberal MP elected would not support a Labour government in a vote of no confidence; Wade slightly softened the wording and pledged that he "would not vote in such a way as to give a vote of confidence to an administration committed to further Socialist measures", which was accepted.
Election campaign
Accordingly at the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, Wade was nominated in Huddersfield West
Huddersfield West (UK Parliament constituency)
Huddersfield West was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in a straight fight against the Labour candidate. He won with a majority of nearly 7,000, although the Conservatives failed to win in Huddersfield East
Huddersfield East (UK Parliament constituency)
Huddersfield East was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 1983.-Member of Parliament:...
. Wade was helped by the coverage of the Huddersfield Examiner whose editor was a Liberal but believed in extensive coverage of political issues.
Parliamentary career
Wade took an interest in international affairs, challenging the Attlee government on its treatment of Seretse KhamaSeretse Khama
Sir Seretse Khama, KBE was a statesman from Botswana. Born into one of the more powerful of the royal families of what was then the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, and educated abroad in neighbouring South Africa and in the United Kingdom, he returned home—with a popular but controversial...
in Bechuanaland. He was a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on World Government and went as a delegate to the Congress on World Government in 1951. The same year he complained about the 'colour bar' being operated by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
and the National Union of Railwaymen
National Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
, preventing black immigrants from working in certain posts.
In the early 1950s, Wade pressed for the United Kingdom government to sign up to the Schuman Declaration
Schuman Declaration
The Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 was a governmental proposal by then-French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman to create a new form of organization of States in Europe called a supranational Community. Following the experiences of two world wars, France recognized that certain values such as...
, the coal and steel co-operation agreement between six European governments which led to the later establishment of the European Economic Community
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Wade was concerned that the establishment of commercial television would lead to lower standards and voted against the Television Bill of 1954. This issue had divided the Liberals: of their six MPs, two supported the Bill, two opposed, and two failed to vote. However, he did urge that the 'fourteen day rule' restricting broadcast discussion on political topics likely to come up in Parliament, should be abolished.
Chief Whip
Wade's local base was threatened when the pact between Conservatives and Liberals for municipal elections was called off in 1956, but a reconciliation was later agreed. He became Liberal Chief Whip in November 1956 after his predecessor Jo Grimond was elected Leader of the party. His nonconformist faith bade him to join the Parliamentary Temperance Group and he called for restrictions on licensing in the late 1950s because he believed public drunkenness was increasing. He wrote a pamphlet in 1958 called "Towards a Nation of Owners", calling for co-ownership of industry.In 1958, a movement promoted by Edward Martell
Edward Martell (politician)
Edward Drewett Martell was a British politician and libertarian activist.-Family and education:Martell was the eldest son of E E Martell and Ethel Horwood. He was educated at St. George's School, Harpenden. In 1932 he married Ethel Maud Beverley. They had one son.-Journalism:Martell worked in the...
grew for a formal alliance of Conservatives and Liberals in an "Anti-Socialist Front". The Liberal Party Executive rejected the idea, whereupon Martell demanded a statement from Wade and from Arthur Holt, MP for Bolton East
Bolton East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton East was a borough constituency in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester . It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, who had been elected as a result of a similar pact.
Liberal Party role
At the 1960 Liberal Assembly, Wade moved a motion on behalf of the Liberal Party Executive which defended the party policy of collective security with multilateral nuclear disarmament. A unilateralist amendment provoked a heated debate, but ultimately the Executive's position was upheld. Although not entirely happy with the more active form of 'community politics' (a new Liberal Party Agent once recalled how Wade got lost when showing her around the constituency), in January 1961 Wade volunteered to spend two days in a constituent's home to assess the noise from a woollen mill.Wade was a sponsor of the Bills intended to allow Peers to renounce unwanted titles which were introduced after Anthony Wedgwood Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
inherited the Viscountcy of Stansgate in 1960. He was also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Lords Reform which led to the Peerage Act 1963
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
. With the Liberal Party recovery of the early 1960s, Wade asked why the National Liberal Organization
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
continued to exist when they were indistinguishable from Conservatives. In 1962 he became Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons and gave up being Chief Whip.
Controversy
In July 1962, Wade sponsored a drinks reception at the House of Commons on behalf of a whisky company, having been asked to by former Liberal MP and public relations consultant Frank OwenFrank Owen (politician)
Humphrey Frank Owen was a British journalist and Liberal Member of Parliament. He was a Lloyd Georgite Liberal MP for Hereford between 1929 and 1931...
. Sir Herbert Butcher
Herbert Butcher
Sir Herbert Walter Butcher, 1st Baronet was an English Conservative and National Liberalpolitician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1937 to 1966....
, chairman of the Kitchen Committee, expressed his concern that the facilities of the House were being used on behalf of public relations companies.
Defeat
In 1960, the Liberal Association in Bolton ended their pact with the Conservatives and stood a candidate in Bolton East. The Huddersfield pact was also declared over and a Conservative candidate was adopted in 1961. At the 1964 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
Wade therefore found himself with Conservative and Labour opponents. The campaign in Huddersfield West was fairly bitter. Both the Conservative and Labour agents insisted that Wade would come bottom of the poll.
Peerage
Wade did lose his seat to Labour, but only by 1,280 votes; he was praised for a strong electoral performance and asked by the Liberals to stand again. However, Wade instead accepted a Life Peerage on a Liberal nomination, and was made Baron Wade, of HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
in the West Riding
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
of the county of York
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He served as Deputy Liberal Whip 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....
from 1965 to 1967 and was honoured with the Presidency of the Liberal Party for the year 1967-68. He 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....
of the West Riding from 1967.
With his time freed up, Wade became Chairman of the Yorkshire Committee for Community Relations, which dealt with race relations. In 1968 he was nominated for election as an Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Leeds City Council but the other parties declined to support him. In the House of Lords he used his freedom to promote legislation on subjects which interested him: in 1969 he introduced a Bill to introduce local ombudsmen.
Human rights
In the 1970s Wade launched a campaign to make the European Convention on Human RightsEuropean Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
part of United Kingdom law. He introduced a Bill to this effect in several sessions; in 1977, a Conservative motion to refer it to a Select Committee succeeded. The Committee was split down the middle, but the full House endorsed the principle by 56 votes to 30 in November 1978. He kept up the campaign after Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
became Prime Minister, but she refused to initiate talks. In 1978 Wade urged Jeremy Thorpe
Jeremy Thorpe
John Jeremy Thorpe is a British former politician who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976 and was the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979. His political career was damaged when an acquaintance, Norman Scott, claimed to have had a love affair with Thorpe at a time...
to stand down after Thorpe was charged with conspiracy to murder.
External links
- Obituary by Michael MeadowcroftMichael MeadowcroftMichael James Meadowcroft is a politician and political affairs consultant in the United Kingdom.He was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Leeds West from 1983 to 1987, and founder of the "continuing" Liberal Party in 1989 following the party's merger with the Social Democratic Party to form the...