Thomas Palmer Whittaker
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Palmer Whittaker PC
MP
(7 January 1850 – 9 November 1919) was a British
businessman and Liberal Party
politician.
College he entered business at the age of 16, selling hardware and iron goods. In 1874 he married Emma Mary Theedham. In 1882 he became the editor of a number of newspapers, subsequently moving to the London
area.
Whittaker was elected to the Commons as Liberal member of parliament for the Spen Valley
constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire
. He was re-elected at each subsequent election, holding the seat until his death. In parliament he was a committed advocate of the temperence movement and sought reform of the alcohol licensing laws. This led to his appointment as a member of the Royal Commission
on Licensing of 1896–1899. Outside parliament Whittaker continued to have a number business interests including being chairman and managing director of the Life Assurance Institution. He was knighted
in 1906, and appointed to the privy council
in 1908. He found himself criticising his own party's budget in 1909 as he felt the taxation measures would erode the savings of many small investors in industrial and provident societies. He was appointed the chairman of the Select Committee on Parliamentary Procedure in 1914, immediately prior to World War I
. During the war his connections with the newspaper industry led him to be named chairman in 1916 of the Royal Commission on the Importation of Paper, which attempted to tackle the problems of paper shortage. At the 1918 general election
he received the "coupon
" and was re-elected as a Coalition Liberal.
Whittaker died suddenly in November 1919, while visiting Lady Hartington
in Eastbourne, Sussex. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
, London.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
MP
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,...
(7 January 1850 – 9 November 1919) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
businessman 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.
Early life
Whittaker was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire. Following education at 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....
College he entered business at the age of 16, selling hardware and iron goods. In 1874 he married Emma Mary Theedham. In 1882 he became the editor of a number of newspapers, subsequently moving to the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
area.
Parliament
At the 1892 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
Whittaker was elected to the Commons as Liberal member of parliament for the Spen Valley
Spen Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire
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...
. He was re-elected at each subsequent election, holding the seat until his death. In parliament he was a committed advocate of the temperence movement and sought reform of the alcohol licensing laws. This led to his appointment as a member of the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on Licensing of 1896–1899. Outside parliament Whittaker continued to have a number business interests including being chairman and managing director of the Life Assurance Institution. He was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1906, and appointed to the privy council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
in 1908. He found himself criticising his own party's budget in 1909 as he felt the taxation measures would erode the savings of many small investors in industrial and provident societies. He was appointed the chairman of the Select Committee on Parliamentary Procedure in 1914, immediately prior to World War I
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...
. During the war his connections with the newspaper industry led him to be named chairman in 1916 of the Royal Commission on the Importation of Paper, which attempted to tackle the problems of paper shortage. 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...
he received the "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...
" and was re-elected as a Coalition Liberal.
Whittaker died suddenly in November 1919, while visiting Lady Hartington
Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, GCVO, CBE was born Lady Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil, daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury...
in Eastbourne, Sussex. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
, London.
Works
- Free trade, reciprocity, and foreign competition , 1879
- The ownership, tenure and taxation of land, some facts, fallacies and proposals relating thereto , 1914