Sir Charles Solomon Henry, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Solomon Henry (28 January 1860 – 27 December 1919) was an Australian merchant and businessman who lived mostly in Britain and sat as a Liberal
Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1906-1918.
, South Australia
. He was educated at St Marylebone and All Souls Grammar School
in connection with King's College
and at the University of Göttingen. In 1892, he married Julia Lewisohn of New York City
, the daughter of a wealthy American mining
magnate. They had one son, Cyril, who held a commission in the Worcestershire Regiment
(Special Reserve) and who was killed at the battle of Loos
in September 1915.
. He participated in Jewish welfare societies and other associations. In 1911, he laid the foundation stone of a synagogue
at Southend. He also took a leading role in the financing and organisation of the Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor.
In 1919 he was a prominent member of the organisation dedicated to the creation of a Jewish War Memorial
to take the form of a fund of one million pounds for the endowment of Jewish religious education and the possible erection of a college for Jewish learning at Oxford
or Cambridge
.
importers of which he became managing director. The undertaking was converted into a Limited Liability Company
in 1902. The venture was clearly a great success as by 1915 he was being described as a millionaire, and one biographer of David Lloyd George
wrote of Henry that he was a self-made man who had made a fortune in South Africa
.
During the First World War
he undertook a number of missions for the government accomplishing important work in the United States of America and Sweden
. At his own expense he equipped a private home for wounded soldiers in Berkshire
and promoted the welfare of British troops in other ways. Henry also had interests in journalism
. He was to become one of the proprietors of the Westminster Gazette
and later founded the newspaper the Jewish Guardian, an anti-Zionist
publication. Many prominent Jews opposed the establishment of a Jewish state, fearing this would lead to their co-religionists losing the citizenship of those countries where they and their forebears had long lived and prospered.
, Henry was selected to fight the Chelmsford Division
of Essex
for the Liberal Party. At the time he was associated with the Liberal Imperialists, a centrist faction within the Liberal Party in the late Victorian
and Edwardian periods. The Liberal Imperialists were in favour of a more positive attitude towards the development of the British Empire
and Imperialism
, ending the primacy of the party's commitment to Irish Home Rule. In domestic affairs they advocated the concept of ‘national efficiency’. However Chelmsford was a safe Unionist
seat, the previous member having been returned unopposed in 1895
and Henry’s opponent was elected with a majority of 3,129 votes.
, the Liberal Unionist MP for the Wellington Division
of Shropshire
wished to stand down at the next election. Henry was selected to stand in the constituency at the 1906 general election
. His opponent, Hildebrand Harmsworth, had the benefit of the public support of Liberal Unionist leader , Joseph Chamberlain
, but Henry secured the support of David Lloyd George to speak in Wellington on his behalf. Henry won the seat with a majority of 1,692 votes.
Henry held his seat in a straight fight against the Unionists in January 1910 with a slightly reduced majority of 1,189 votes; and again in December 1910 this time by a majority of 1,118. The constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election
and Henry switched his candidacy to the newly created seat of The Wrekin when he was returned unopposed as a supporter of the Coalition government
.
. When Lloyd George formed his coalition government with the Conservatives in December 1916, Henry was one of those Liberals who stayed on the government side and he was generally identified as a strong supporter of the new prime minister. But there was more than just political affinity between Henry and Lloyd George. Henry and his wife had been close to Lloyd George since at least the time of the death of his daughter Mair in 1907. Henry hosted a trip to Germany for Lloyd George in 1908 to allow Lloyd George, then recently appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer
, to study the invalidity insurance and contributory old age pensions which had been introduced there by Otto von Bismarck
twenty-five years before. They also travelled together abroad socially to Nice and Monte Carlo and other European destinations.
The American Lady Henry had pretensions to be one of London's great political hostesses and Lloyd George often attended her functions in London and at their home at Henley-on-Thames
, sometimes taking his son Richard with him. Lloyd George also attended Henry family occasions at Henry’s London home at Carlton Gardens. It is not known for certain if Lloyd George and Julia Henry had an affair, although one of Lloyd George’s biographers states that they did, adding that it was not serious on Lloyd George's part. However they certainly flirted together and corresponded privately with each other. Richard Lloyd George apparently thought his father could be in love with the “dark, tall and very attractive Lady J.” and that they were having an affair. Even King Edward VII
was concerned that there had been a lot of gossip about Lady Julia and Lloyd George and this may have delayed her husband’s getting his knighthood. Frances Stevenson
certainly believed that Lloyd George had not only been close to Lady Henry but that Lady Henry herself was clearly in love with him describing her as ‘quite mad’ about him. After Frances Stevenson started working for Lloyd George in 1911 and he began to become attracted to her, Lloyd George determined to stop any dalliance with Julia Henry. She was distressed by what she saw as a public snub and fled back to America, writing to her husband that she never wanted to be alone with Lloyd George again. It seems unlikely that Henry himself was aware of anything going on from Lloyd George's side. If anything he seems to have thought it was all in his wife’s mind and believed she was exaggerating their relationship. It is also clear that Lady Henry's hurt feelings had a lot to do with the damage Lloyd George’s rejection could do to her reputation as a political hostess.
Some reconciliation was affected in 1915 when Lloyd George visited the Henrys to show sympathy on the loss of their son in battle even though he was reluctant to do so because of the awkwardness arising from his previous relationship with Lady Henry and the strength of Julia Henry’s feelings for him. Lloyd George also visited Henry when he was ill and dying in 1919, despite Lady Henry’s making a scene and her trying to use his visits to her advantage with other members of the social set. However the final breach with Lady Julia came the year after Henry’s death in recriminations over Lloyd George’s alleged misuse of £20,000 donated by American friends of the Henrys for British war charities.
. On one of the main policy questions of the day, he was opposed to the idea of votes for women
being a member of the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage. When the Bill making women eligible for election to Parliament
was going through the House of Commons in 1918, Henry moved an amendment to ensure they should not be able to stand for Parliament until they had reached the aged of 30 years, the same age as voting eligibility. He also favoured conscription
, campaigning for it before its formal introduction during the war, being a signatory to the National Service Manifesto published in August 1915.
with the creation of the Henry Baronetcy
, of Parkwood in the County of Berkshire
. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
for Berkshire.
During the War, Henry was appointed to a number of important committees as he was identified as a loyal and sound occupant of the Coalition Liberal benches. He was a member of Lord Balfour's committee on After-War Trade, which was charged with looking at the possible introduction of the metric system
to replace Britain's existing coinage, weights and measures
. He also sat on a committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy
, chaired by Lord Balfour of Burleigh
. In July 1917, Henry was appointed to sit on the House of Commons Select Committee on Finance, chaired by Herbert Samuel. In 1918, Henry was chosen by the Minister of Munitions
to chair a committee of inquiry into the staffing and conditions at the headquarters of the Ministry of Munitions and to suggest economies or improvements. Henry was also sometime president of the British Section of the Inter-Allied Parliamentary Committee.
on 31 December 1919.
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 (MP) in the House of Commons from 1906-1918.
Family and education
Henry was born in Australia the son of J S Henry of AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He was educated at St Marylebone and All Souls Grammar School
St Marylebone Grammar School
St Marylebone Grammar School was a grammar school in London from 1792 to 1981.-Philological School:Founded as the Philological School by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of the Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, its object was to help "the heads of families, who by unexpected...
in connection with King's College
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and at the University of Göttingen. In 1892, he married Julia Lewisohn of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of a wealthy American mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
magnate. They had one son, Cyril, who held a commission in the Worcestershire Regiment
Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 29th Regiment of Foot and the 36th Regiment of Foot....
(Special Reserve) and who was killed at the battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
in September 1915.
Religion
Henry was JewishJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
. He participated in Jewish welfare societies and other associations. In 1911, he laid the foundation stone of a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
at Southend. He also took a leading role in the financing and organisation of the Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor.
In 1919 he was a prominent member of the organisation dedicated to the creation of a Jewish War Memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
to take the form of a fund of one million pounds for the endowment of Jewish religious education and the possible erection of a college for Jewish learning at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
or Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
Career
In 1882, Henry established the firm of C S Henry & Co.of London, metal merchants and copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
importers of which he became managing director. The undertaking was converted into a Limited Liability Company
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
in 1902. The venture was clearly a great success as by 1915 he was being described as a millionaire, and one biographer of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
wrote of Henry that he was a self-made man who had made a fortune in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
During the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he undertook a number of missions for the government accomplishing important work in the United States of America and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. At his own expense he equipped a private home for wounded soldiers in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and promoted the welfare of British troops in other ways. Henry also had interests in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. He was to become one of the proprietors of the Westminster Gazette
Westminster Gazette
The Westminster Gazette was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope and Saki, and travel writing by Rupert Brooke. One of its editors was caricaturist and political cartoonist...
and later founded the newspaper the Jewish Guardian, an anti-Zionist
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionistic views or opposition to the state of Israel. The term is used to describe various religious, moral and political points of view in opposition to these, but their diversity of motivation and expression is sufficiently different that "anti-Zionism" cannot be...
publication. Many prominent Jews opposed the establishment of a Jewish state, fearing this would lead to their co-religionists losing the citizenship of those countries where they and their forebears had long lived and prospered.
Chelmsford
At the general election of 1900United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, Henry was selected to fight the Chelmsford Division
Chelmsford (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelmsford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From the 2010 general election it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
for the Liberal Party. At the time he was associated with the Liberal Imperialists, a centrist faction within the Liberal Party in the late Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and Edwardian periods. The Liberal Imperialists were in favour of a more positive attitude towards the development of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and Imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
, ending the primacy of the party's commitment to Irish Home Rule. In domestic affairs they advocated the concept of ‘national efficiency’. However Chelmsford was a safe 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...
seat, the previous member having been returned unopposed in 1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
and Henry’s opponent was elected with a majority of 3,129 votes.
Shropshire MP
By 1905 it had become known that Sir A H BrownSir Alexander Brown, 1st Baronet
Sir Alexander Hargreaves Brown, 1st Baronet was an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1906....
, the Liberal Unionist MP for the Wellington Division
Wellington (Shropshire) (UK Parliament constituency)
Wellington is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency, formally known as The Mid Division of Shropshire. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
wished to stand down at the next election. Henry was selected to stand in the constituency at the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. His opponent, Hildebrand Harmsworth, had the benefit of the public support of Liberal Unionist leader , Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
, but Henry secured the support of David Lloyd George to speak in Wellington on his behalf. Henry won the seat with a majority of 1,692 votes.
Henry held his seat in a straight fight against the Unionists in January 1910 with a slightly reduced majority of 1,189 votes; and again in December 1910 this time by a majority of 1,118. The constituency was abolished for 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 Henry switched his candidacy to the newly created seat of The Wrekin when he was returned unopposed as a supporter of the Coalition government
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
.
Henry and Lloyd George
Both Henry’s personal and political lives were intertwined with that of David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. When Lloyd George formed his coalition government with the Conservatives in December 1916, Henry was one of those Liberals who stayed on the government side and he was generally identified as a strong supporter of the new prime minister. But there was more than just political affinity between Henry and Lloyd George. Henry and his wife had been close to Lloyd George since at least the time of the death of his daughter Mair in 1907. Henry hosted a trip to Germany for Lloyd George in 1908 to allow Lloyd George, then recently appointed as 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...
, to study the invalidity insurance and contributory old age pensions which had been introduced there by Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
twenty-five years before. They also travelled together abroad socially to Nice and Monte Carlo and other European destinations.
The American Lady Henry had pretensions to be one of London's great political hostesses and Lloyd George often attended her functions in London and at their home at Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, sometimes taking his son Richard with him. Lloyd George also attended Henry family occasions at Henry’s London home at Carlton Gardens. It is not known for certain if Lloyd George and Julia Henry had an affair, although one of Lloyd George’s biographers states that they did, adding that it was not serious on Lloyd George's part. However they certainly flirted together and corresponded privately with each other. Richard Lloyd George apparently thought his father could be in love with the “dark, tall and very attractive Lady J.” and that they were having an affair. Even King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
was concerned that there had been a lot of gossip about Lady Julia and Lloyd George and this may have delayed her husband’s getting his knighthood. Frances Stevenson
Frances Stevenson
Frances Stevenson, Countess Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, CBE was the mistress, personal secretary, confidante and second wife of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George....
certainly believed that Lloyd George had not only been close to Lady Henry but that Lady Henry herself was clearly in love with him describing her as ‘quite mad’ about him. After Frances Stevenson started working for Lloyd George in 1911 and he began to become attracted to her, Lloyd George determined to stop any dalliance with Julia Henry. She was distressed by what she saw as a public snub and fled back to America, writing to her husband that she never wanted to be alone with Lloyd George again. It seems unlikely that Henry himself was aware of anything going on from Lloyd George's side. If anything he seems to have thought it was all in his wife’s mind and believed she was exaggerating their relationship. It is also clear that Lady Henry's hurt feelings had a lot to do with the damage Lloyd George’s rejection could do to her reputation as a political hostess.
Some reconciliation was affected in 1915 when Lloyd George visited the Henrys to show sympathy on the loss of their son in battle even though he was reluctant to do so because of the awkwardness arising from his previous relationship with Lady Henry and the strength of Julia Henry’s feelings for him. Lloyd George also visited Henry when he was ill and dying in 1919, despite Lady Henry’s making a scene and her trying to use his visits to her advantage with other members of the social set. However the final breach with Lady Julia came the year after Henry’s death in recriminations over Lloyd George’s alleged misuse of £20,000 donated by American friends of the Henrys for British war charities.
Political orientation
Henry appears to stayed on the right of the Liberal Party throughout his political career. He was a member of the Council of the British Empire LeagueBritish Empire League
The British Empire League was formed in London in 1894 in order to support the ideology of British imperialism and to promote loyalty to and the unity of the British Empire...
. On one of the main policy questions of the day, he was opposed to the idea of votes for women
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
being a member of the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage. When the Bill making women eligible for election to 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...
was going through the House of Commons in 1918, Henry moved an amendment to ensure they should not be able to stand for Parliament until they had reached the aged of 30 years, the same age as voting eligibility. He also favoured conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, campaigning for it before its formal introduction during the war, being a signatory to the National Service Manifesto published in August 1915.
Honours and appointments
In the New Years Honours list for 1911, Henry became a baronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
with the creation of the Henry Baronetcy
Henry Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Henry, all in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2007....
, of Parkwood in the County of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Berkshire.
During the War, Henry was appointed to a number of important committees as he was identified as a loyal and sound occupant of the Coalition Liberal benches. He was a member of Lord Balfour's committee on After-War Trade, which was charged with looking at the possible introduction of the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
to replace Britain's existing coinage, weights and measures
Avoirdupois
The avoirdupois system is a system of weights based on a pound of 16 ounces. It is the everyday system of weight used in the United States and is still widely used to varying degrees by many people in Canada, the United Kingdom, and some other former British colonies despite the official adoption...
. He also sat on a committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy
Committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy
The Committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy was chaired by Lord Balfour of Burleigh from 1916 to 1918. Balfour instructed its members to "cast aside any abstract fiscal dogmas".-Background:...
, chaired by Lord Balfour of Burleigh
Lord Balfour of Burleigh
Lord Balfour of Burleigh, in the County of Kinross, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1607 for Sir Michael Balfour. He was succeeded by his daughter Margaret, the second holder of the title. She married Robert Arnot, who assumed the surname of Balfour in lieu of Arnot, and...
. In July 1917, Henry was appointed to sit on the House of Commons Select Committee on Finance, chaired by Herbert Samuel. In 1918, Henry was chosen by the Minister of Munitions
Minister of Munitions
The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort...
to chair a committee of inquiry into the staffing and conditions at the headquarters of the Ministry of Munitions and to suggest economies or improvements. Henry was also sometime president of the British Section of the Inter-Allied Parliamentary Committee.
Death
Henry died at his London home, 5 Carlton Gardens, SW1, on 27 December 1919. He had been ill for several months. His son having predeceased him, he had no heir and the Parkwood baronetcy became extinct. He was buried at Willesden Jewish CemeteryWillesden Jewish Cemetery
Willesden Jewish Cemetery is a cemetery for Jews in Beaconsfield Road, Willesden, London Borough of Brent. It opened in 1873 on a site. More properly, it is the Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery.-Notable burials:...
on 31 December 1919.