Walter Hume Long, 1st Viscount Long
Encyclopedia
Walter Hume Long, 1st Viscount Long PC, FRS
, JP
(13 July 1854 – 26 September 1924), was a British
Unionist politician. In a political career spanning over 40 years, he held office as President of the Board of Agriculture, President of the Local Government Board
, Chief Secretary for Ireland
, Secretary of State for the Colonies
and First Lord of the Admiralty. However, he is best remembered for his links with Irish Unionism and served as Leader of the Irish Unionist Party
in the House of Commons
from 1905 to 1910.
, by his wife Charlotte Anna, daughter of William Wentworth FitzWilliam Dick (originally Hume). Richard Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough
, was his younger brother. On his father's side he was descended from an old family of Wiltshire
gentry, and on his mother's side from Irish gentry in County Wicklow
. Long was educated at Harrow
and Christ Church, Oxford
. Upon his father's death in 1875, he took over management of the family properties.
, Long was elected to parliament as a Conservative
for North Wiltshire
, a seat he held until 1885, and then represented Devizes
between 1885 and 1892, Liverpool West Derby between 1893 and 1900, Bristol South between 1900 and 1906, South County Dublin between 1906 and 1910, Strand
between 1910 and 1918 and St George's
between 1918 and 1921. He entered government for the first time in 1886 in Lord Salisbury's
second administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
, serving under Charles Ritchie, and became one of the architects of the Local Government Act 1888
, which established elected county councils. After the Conservative defeat in 1892, Ritchie's defeat made Long the chief opposition spokesman on local government, and when the Tories returned to power in 1895, he entered the cabinet as President of the Board of Agriculture. In this role he was notable for his efforts to prevent the spread of rabies
.
In 1895 he was also admitted to the Privy Council. With the ministerial shuffle in 1900, Long became President of the Local Government Board
. In this role, he was criticized as too radical for his support of the Unemployed Workmen's Act 1905, which created an unemployment board to give work and training to the unemployed. In 1903, Long took a leading role as a spokesman for the protectionist wing of the party, advocating tariff reform and imperial preference alongside Joseph Chamberlain
and his son Austen Chamberlain
, which brought him into conflict with Charles Ritchie, Michael Hicks-Beach and others in the free-trade wing. Long was a moderate within the protectionist ranks and became the go-between between the protectionists and the free-traders, increasing his prominence and popularity within the party. He clashed with Edward Carson when he took a similarly equivocal position over the Parliament Bill of 1911, opposing the Bill but recommending acquiescence.
resigned as party leader in November 1911, Long was pre-eminent in the Conservative Party and the leading candidate to succeed him. However, he was opposed by Austen Chamberlain, who was backed by the Liberal Unionists
still under the leadership of his father. It was feared that a divisive contest between Long and Chamberlain might split the protectionist majority of the Unionist coalition, so both agreed to withdraw in favour of Andrew Bonar Law, a relatively unknown figure. With the formation of the wartime coalition government in May 1915, Long returned to office at the Local Government Board, and there dealt with the plight of thousands of Belgian refugees. He was actively involved in undermining attempts by Lloyd George to negotiate a deal between Irish Nationalists and Unionists in July 1916 over introducing the suspended Home Rule Act 1914
, publicly clashing with his archrival Edward Carson. He was accused of plotting to bring down Carson by jeopardising his agreement that partition would be temporary, with the nationalist leader John Redmond
, Long altering the clause to permanent, Redmond then abandoning further negotiations. Carson, in a bitter reposte, said of Long "The worst of Walter Long is that he never knows what he wants, but is always intriguing to get it. Austen Chamberlain, in 1911, was similarly critical of Long, saying he was "at the centre of every coterie of grumblers." With the fall of Asquith and the accession of the Lloyd George government in December 1916, Long was promoted to the Colonial Office, serving until January 1919, when he became First Lord of the Admiralty, a position in which he served until his retirement in 1921. The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Long, of Wraxall in the County of Wiltshire. Between 1923 and his death the following year he held the honorary post of Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire.
. Due to his Irish connections (both his wife and his mother were Irish), it was hoped that Long might be more acceptable to Irish Unionists than his predecessor, George Wyndham
, who had become increasingly unpopular. Following the Unionist fall from power in December 1905, Long became one of the leading opposition voices against the Liberals' plans for home rule in Ireland, helping to found the Ulster Defence League in 1907. He also served as leader of the Irish Unionist Parliamentary Party
before being succeeded by his archrival Edward Carson. Although he never openly supported the most militant Unionists, who were prepared to fight the Southern nationalists (and perhaps the British Army) to prevent home rule
for Ireland, contemporary accounts indicate that he probably had prior knowledge of the Larne gunrunning. At the same time, Long was less attached to the constitution of the UK than other Unionists, and opposed last ditch resistance to the Parliament Act 1911
.
However, from October 1919 on, he was, once again, largely concerned with Irish affairs, serving as the chair of the cabinet's Long Committee on Ireland. In this capacity, he was largely responsible for the Government of Ireland Act 1920
, which followed the findings of the 1917-18 Irish Convention
, and created separate home rule governments for Southern Ireland
and Northern Ireland
, the latter he endowed with wider powers than its southern counterpart. Although in southern and western Ireland, this was soon superseded by the Anglo-Irish Treaty
, which gave the new Irish Free State
a much greater share of independence, the measure survived as the basis for the government of Northern Ireland until 1972.
, in 1878. They had two sons, including Brigadier General Walter Long, who was killed in action in 1917, and three daughters. He died at his home, Rood Ashton House
in Wiltshire, in September 1924, aged 70, and was succeeded by his 13-year-old grandson Walter
. Lady Long died in June 1938.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, JP
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...
(13 July 1854 – 26 September 1924), 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...
Unionist politician. In a political career spanning over 40 years, he held office as President of the Board of Agriculture, President of the Local Government Board
President of the Local Government Board
The President of the Local Government Board was a ministerial post, frequently a Cabinet position, in the United Kingdom, established in 1871. The Local Government Board itself was established in 1871 and took over supervisory functions from the Board of Trade and the Home Office, including the...
, Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
, Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
and First Lord of the Admiralty. However, he is best remembered for his links with Irish Unionism and served as Leader of the Irish Unionist Party
Irish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
from 1905 to 1910.
Background and education
Long was the eldest son of Richard Penruddocke LongRichard Penruddocke Long
Richard Penruddocke Long JP, DL was an English landowner and Conservative Party politician. He was a founding member of the amateur cricket club I Zingari...
, by his wife Charlotte Anna, daughter of William Wentworth FitzWilliam Dick (originally Hume). Richard Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough
Richard Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough
Richard Godolphin Walmesley Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough was a British soldier and politician...
, was his younger brother. On his father's side he was descended from an old family of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
gentry, and on his mother's side from Irish gentry in County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
. Long was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Upon his father's death in 1875, he took over management of the family properties.
Political career, 1880-1911
At the 1880 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, Long was elected to parliament as a Conservative
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...
for North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
, a seat he held until 1885, and then represented Devizes
Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)
Devizes is a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire, England, which is now represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and before 1707 in the House of Commons of England....
between 1885 and 1892, Liverpool West Derby between 1893 and 1900, Bristol South between 1900 and 1906, South County Dublin between 1906 and 1910, Strand
Strand (UK Parliament constituency)
Strand was a parliamentary constituency in the Strand district of the City of Westminster. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
between 1910 and 1918 and St George's
Westminster St George's (UK Parliament constituency)
Westminster St George's, originally named St George's, Hanover Square, was a parliamentary constituency in Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system of election.-History:The...
between 1918 and 1921. He entered government for the first time in 1886 in Lord Salisbury's
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
second administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board was, from 1871 – 1919, a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom subordinate to the President of the Local Government Board...
, serving under Charles Ritchie, and became one of the architects of the Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...
, which established elected county councils. After the Conservative defeat in 1892, Ritchie's defeat made Long the chief opposition spokesman on local government, and when the Tories returned to power in 1895, he entered the cabinet as President of the Board of Agriculture. In this role he was notable for his efforts to prevent the spread of rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
.
In 1895 he was also admitted to the Privy Council. With the ministerial shuffle in 1900, Long became President of the Local Government Board
President of the Local Government Board
The President of the Local Government Board was a ministerial post, frequently a Cabinet position, in the United Kingdom, established in 1871. The Local Government Board itself was established in 1871 and took over supervisory functions from the Board of Trade and the Home Office, including the...
. In this role, he was criticized as too radical for his support of the Unemployed Workmen's Act 1905, which created an unemployment board to give work and training to the unemployed. In 1903, Long took a leading role as a spokesman for the protectionist wing of the party, advocating tariff reform and imperial preference alongside 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....
and his son Austen Chamberlain
Austen Chamberlain
Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, KG was a British statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and half-brother of Neville Chamberlain.- Early life and career :...
, which brought him into conflict with Charles Ritchie, Michael Hicks-Beach and others in the free-trade wing. Long was a moderate within the protectionist ranks and became the go-between between the protectionists and the free-traders, increasing his prominence and popularity within the party. He clashed with Edward Carson when he took a similarly equivocal position over the Parliament Bill of 1911, opposing the Bill but recommending acquiescence.
Political career, 1911-1921
When Arthur BalfourArthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
resigned as party leader in November 1911, Long was pre-eminent in the Conservative Party and the leading candidate to succeed him. However, he was opposed by Austen Chamberlain, who was backed by the Liberal Unionists
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
still under the leadership of his father. It was feared that a divisive contest between Long and Chamberlain might split the protectionist majority of the Unionist coalition, so both agreed to withdraw in favour of Andrew Bonar Law, a relatively unknown figure. With the formation of the wartime coalition government in May 1915, Long returned to office at the Local Government Board, and there dealt with the plight of thousands of Belgian refugees. He was actively involved in undermining attempts by Lloyd George to negotiate a deal between Irish Nationalists and Unionists in July 1916 over introducing the suspended Home Rule Act 1914
Home Rule Act 1914
The Government of Ireland Act 1914 , also known as the Third Home Rule Bill, was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to provide self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.The Act was the first law ever passed by the Parliament of...
, publicly clashing with his archrival Edward Carson. He was accused of plotting to bring down Carson by jeopardising his agreement that partition would be temporary, with the nationalist leader John Redmond
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918...
, Long altering the clause to permanent, Redmond then abandoning further negotiations. Carson, in a bitter reposte, said of Long "The worst of Walter Long is that he never knows what he wants, but is always intriguing to get it. Austen Chamberlain, in 1911, was similarly critical of Long, saying he was "at the centre of every coterie of grumblers." With the fall of Asquith and the accession of the Lloyd George government in December 1916, Long was promoted to the Colonial Office, serving until January 1919, when he became First Lord of the Admiralty, a position in which he served until his retirement in 1921. The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Long, of Wraxall in the County of Wiltshire. Between 1923 and his death the following year he held the honorary post of Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire.
Irish politics
Long is best known, however, for his involvement with Irish Unionism. In March 1905, he became Chief Secretary for IrelandChief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
. Due to his Irish connections (both his wife and his mother were Irish), it was hoped that Long might be more acceptable to Irish Unionists than his predecessor, George Wyndham
George Wyndham
George Wyndham PC was a British Conservative politician, man of letters, noted for his elegance, and one of The Souls.-Background and education:...
, who had become increasingly unpopular. Following the Unionist fall from power in December 1905, Long became one of the leading opposition voices against the Liberals' plans for home rule in Ireland, helping to found the Ulster Defence League in 1907. He also served as leader of the Irish Unionist Parliamentary Party
Irish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
before being succeeded by his archrival Edward Carson. Although he never openly supported the most militant Unionists, who were prepared to fight the Southern nationalists (and perhaps the British Army) to prevent home rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
for Ireland, contemporary accounts indicate that he probably had prior knowledge of the Larne gunrunning. At the same time, Long was less attached to the constitution of the UK than other Unionists, and opposed last ditch resistance to the Parliament Act 1911
Parliament Act 1911
The Parliament Act 1911 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords which make up the Houses of Parliament. This Act must be construed as one with the Parliament Act 1949...
.
However, from October 1919 on, he was, once again, largely concerned with Irish affairs, serving as the chair of the cabinet's Long Committee on Ireland. In this capacity, he was largely responsible for the Government of Ireland Act 1920
Government of Ireland Act 1920
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 was the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which partitioned Ireland. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill or as the Fourth Home Rule Act.The Act was intended...
, which followed the findings of the 1917-18 Irish Convention
Irish Convention
The Irish Convention was an assembly which sat in Dublin, Ireland from July 1917 until March 1918 to address the Irish Question and other constitutional problems relating to an early enactment of self-government for Ireland, to debate its wider future, discuss and come to an understanding on...
, and created separate home rule governments for Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland was a short-lived autonomous region of the United Kingdom established on 3 May 1921 and dissolved on 6 December 1922.Southern Ireland was established under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 together with its sister region, Northern Ireland...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the latter he endowed with wider powers than its southern counterpart. Although in southern and western Ireland, this was soon superseded by the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
, which gave the new Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
a much greater share of independence, the measure survived as the basis for the government of Northern Ireland until 1972.
Family
Lord Long married Lady Dorothy (Doreen) Blanche, daughter of Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of CorkRichard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork
Richard Edmund St Lawrence Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork KP, PC , styled Viscount Dungarvan between 1834 and 1856, was a British courtier and Liberal politician...
, in 1878. They had two sons, including Brigadier General Walter Long, who was killed in action in 1917, and three daughters. He died at his home, Rood Ashton House
Rood Ashton House
Rood Ashton House was a country house in the village of West Ashton in the English county of Wiltshire. It was once the home of the 1st Viscount Long, and during his residence it was visited by various members of the British Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII.- History...
in Wiltshire, in September 1924, aged 70, and was succeeded by his 13-year-old grandson Walter
Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long
Walter Francis David Long, 2nd Viscount Long was a British peer.The eldest son of Brigadier General Walter Long, CMG, DSO , Long was educated at St David's School, Reigate, and later at Eton on the insistence of his mother, who had remarried in 1921 to Baron Glyn. Traditionally the Longs were...
. Lady Long died in June 1938.