James Falconer
Encyclopedia
James Falconer was a Scottish solicitor
and Liberal Party
politician.
, Forfarshire, the son of Donald Falconer. He was educated at Arbroath
High School and Edinburgh University where he obtained his MA
degree. He married Ada Kennedy.
, in 1884 and he specialised in the law of contracts. He rose to be the principal partner in the firm of Gordon, Falconer & Fairweather of Edinburgh. Falconer was also the tenant of large farm in Forfarshire and manager of a second.
was caused in Forfarshire by the elevation to the peerage as Baron Pentland
of the sitting Liberal MP John Sinclair
. At a meeting of Forfarshire Liberal Association in Arbroath, Falconer was unanimously selected as the candidate to succeed Sinclair. The by-election was held on 27 February 1909 and Falconer held the seat with a majority of 2,452 votes over his Unionist
opponent R L Blackburn KC. He then retained his seat until the 1918 general election
when he was defeated by the Unionist, Captain W T Shaw. Interestingly in this election neither Falconer nor Shaw received the government coupon
but Shaw’s name had apparently been incorrectly included in the final official list of Coalition candidates which may have been enough to gain him the extra votes he needed to defeat Falconer by a majority of 518.
winning by 1,496 in a straight fight. He held his seat in 1923
again in a head to head contest with Shaw, this time by a reduced majority of 847. By the 1924 general election
however, the Labour Party
had adopted a candidate and in a three-cornered contest, the anti-Tory
vote being split and the Liberals in national decline, the new Conservative candidate Sir Harry Hope was able to win the seat by a margin of 3,441 votes over Falconer.
Falconer did not stand for Parliament again.
to build an imperial wireless network. Over the course of the summer of 1912, allegations surfaced that high ranking members of H H Asquith’s government had profited by improper use of the information about this lucrative contract. Among those accused in the scandal
were the Postmaster General Herbert Samuel
, Attorney General
Rufus Isaacs
, David Lloyd George
who was Chancellor of the Exchequer
and the Master of Elibank
who was Chief Whip
. Falconer was appointed to the Select Committee set up by the House of Commons to look into the affair. According to one historian, Falconer and his Liberal colleague Frederick Handel Booth
were determined to prevent any disclosures damaging to the ministers in opposition to the roles of the Conservative members of the Committee Lord Robert Cecil
and Leopold Amery. Falconer’s experience as a Liberal propagandist and lawyer served him well as he took a prominent part in the examination and cross-examination of witnesses, although he had been forewarned by Isaacs that he had purchased some shares in the American Marconi Company. He then produced a draft report which was to be substantially embodied in the majority report adopted by the Liberal, Labour
and Irish Nationalist
members of the committee in preference to the report drafted by Sir Albert Spicer
, the chairman of the committee, who had formed a more critical view of the Liberal ministers involved. The ministers were all cleared of wrongdoing by the Select Committee, although it emerged that not only Isaacs but Lloyd George and Elibank had also purchased shares in the American Marconi Company but not the British company which had been awarded the Post Office contract. The ministers were required to apologise to Parliament.
inquiry into unemployment among farm workers and related social insurance schemes. In 1917 he served on the Board of Trade
Parliamentary committee set to deal with the question of the cheap supply of electric power. The committee concluded that a national, comprehensive system for the generation and supply of electricity at the cheapest possible rate should be instituted after the end of the Great War to ensure the competitiveness of the industry, replacing the current organisation of the industry in small areas under many separate authorities which were not large enough to research or sustain the necessary scientific improvements.
on 21 April 1931 aged 74 years.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
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
Falconer was born in CarmyllieCarmyllie
Carmyllie is a rural parish in Angus, Scotland. It is situated on high ground between Arbroath, on the coast, and the inland county town of Forfar. The main settlements in the parish are Redford, Greystone and Milton of Carmyllie. There is a Church of Scotland church and a primary school...
, Forfarshire, the son of Donald Falconer. He was educated at Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
High School and Edinburgh University where he obtained his MA
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
degree. He married Ada Kennedy.
Career
Falconer went in for the law and qualified as a solicitor. He became a member of the private society of Scottish solicitors, the Writers to the SignetWriters to the Signet
The Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of documents which required to be signeted, but these have since...
, in 1884 and he specialised in the law of contracts. He rose to be the principal partner in the firm of Gordon, Falconer & Fairweather of Edinburgh. Falconer was also the tenant of large farm in Forfarshire and manager of a second.
Background
Falconer was active in Liberal politics in Scotland, holding various positions in the Scottish party organisation. He was Chairman of the Scottish Reform Club and secretary of the Scottish Liberal Association in which post he was responsible for promoting and publicising the party and its politics.1909-1918
In 1909, a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was caused in Forfarshire by the elevation to the peerage as Baron Pentland
Baron Pentland
Baron Pentland, of Lyth in the County of Caithness, was title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1909 for the Scottish Liberal politician John Sinclair. He later served as Governor of Madras...
of the sitting Liberal MP John Sinclair
John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland
John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland, GCSI, GCIE was a Scottish Liberal Party politician, soldier, peer, administrator and Privy Councillor who served as the Secretary of Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919.Baron Pentland was born John Sinclair to Sir John...
. At a meeting of Forfarshire Liberal Association in Arbroath, Falconer was unanimously selected as the candidate to succeed Sinclair. The by-election was held on 27 February 1909 and Falconer held the seat with a majority of 2,452 votes over his Unionist
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...
opponent R L Blackburn KC. He then retained his seat until 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...
when he was defeated by the Unionist, Captain W T Shaw. Interestingly in this election neither Falconer nor Shaw received the government coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
but Shaw’s name had apparently been incorrectly included in the final official list of Coalition candidates which may have been enough to gain him the extra votes he needed to defeat Falconer by a majority of 518.
1922-1924
Falconer regained Forfarshire from Shaw at the 1922 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
winning by 1,496 in a straight fight. He held his seat in 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
again in a head to head contest with Shaw, this time by a reduced majority of 847. By the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
however, the Labour Party
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...
had adopted a candidate and in a three-cornered contest, the anti-Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
vote being split and the Liberals in national decline, the new Conservative candidate Sir Harry Hope was able to win the seat by a margin of 3,441 votes over Falconer.
Falconer did not stand for Parliament again.
Marconi Committee
In March 1912, the Post Office agreed a tender with the British Marconi Wireless Telegraph CompanyMarconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
to build an imperial wireless network. Over the course of the summer of 1912, allegations surfaced that high ranking members of H H Asquith’s government had profited by improper use of the information about this lucrative contract. Among those accused in the scandal
Marconi scandal
The Marconi scandal was a British political scandal that broke in the summer of 1912. It centred on allegations that highly-placed members of the Liberal government, under H. H...
were the Postmaster General Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
, Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
Rufus Isaacs
Rufus Isaacs
Rufus Isaacs may refer to:* Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading , English politician and jurist* Rufus Isaacs , US-American mathematician...
, David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
who was Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
and the Master of Elibank
Alexander Murray, 1st Baron Murray of Elibank
Alexander William Charles Oliphant Murray, 1st Baron Murray of Elibank PC , called The Master of Elibank between 1871 and 1912, was a Scottish nobleman and Liberal politician. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury under H. H...
who was Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
. Falconer was appointed to the Select Committee set up by the House of Commons to look into the affair. According to one historian, Falconer and his Liberal colleague Frederick Handel Booth
Frederick Handel Booth
Frederick Handel Booth was a British politician, who served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Pontefract from 1910 to 1918.He was born near Manchester in 1867, and attended the high school in Bolton le Moor....
were determined to prevent any disclosures damaging to the ministers in opposition to the roles of the Conservative members of the Committee Lord Robert Cecil
Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood
Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood CH, PC, QC , known as Lord Robert Cecil from 1868 to 1923, was a lawyer, politician and diplomat in the United Kingdom...
and Leopold Amery. Falconer’s experience as a Liberal propagandist and lawyer served him well as he took a prominent part in the examination and cross-examination of witnesses, although he had been forewarned by Isaacs that he had purchased some shares in the American Marconi Company. He then produced a draft report which was to be substantially embodied in the majority report adopted by the Liberal, 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...
and Irish Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...
members of the committee in preference to the report drafted by Sir Albert Spicer
Sir Albert Spicer, 1st Baronet
Sir Albert Spicer, 1st Baronet PC was an English businessman and Liberal Party politician.He was born in Brixton, London, the son of James Spicer D.L...
, the chairman of the committee, who had formed a more critical view of the Liberal ministers involved. The ministers were all cleared of wrongdoing by the Select Committee, although it emerged that not only Isaacs but Lloyd George and Elibank had also purchased shares in the American Marconi Company but not the British company which had been awarded the Post Office contract. The ministers were required to apologise to Parliament.
Political issues
Falconer was a strong proponent of land reform. From the time of his first election address in the Forfarshire by-election he identified himself as a land reformer, supporting government proposals to give smallholders security of tenure at a fair rent and providing capital for new buildings. He took a leading role in the enacting of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act of 1911 which incorporated the grant of security of tenure at fair rent into law and he was the founder of the Scottish Rural Workers Society, a friendly society designed to provide social insurance payments in the event of sickness or prolonged absence from work. In 1925 he was appointed to a joint Board of Agriculture and Scottish OfficeScottish Office
The Scottish Office was a department of the United Kingdom Government from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland...
inquiry into unemployment among farm workers and related social insurance schemes. In 1917 he served on the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
Parliamentary committee set to deal with the question of the cheap supply of electric power. The committee concluded that a national, comprehensive system for the generation and supply of electricity at the cheapest possible rate should be instituted after the end of the Great War to ensure the competitiveness of the industry, replacing the current organisation of the industry in small areas under many separate authorities which were not large enough to research or sustain the necessary scientific improvements.
Death
Falconer died at his London home, Thorney Court in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
on 21 April 1931 aged 74 years.