William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel
Encyclopedia
William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI
, GBE
, PC, TD
(7 January 1867 – 28 September 1937) was a British
politician.
and Adelaide Dugdale, Peel was born in London
in 1867. His father was the fifth and youngest son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. He was educated at Harrow
and Balliol College, Oxford
, where he was secretary of the Oxford Union
. In 1893 he was called to the bar
at the Inner Temple
, and practised as a barrister before taking the position of special correspondent for the Daily Telegraph during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897
.
formed to inquire into the operation of the Port of London
. In the same year he began his political career when he was elected to the London County Council
. He was a member of the pro-Conservative grouping on the council that became the Municipal Reform Party
. He was leader of the Party from 1908 to 1910 and chairman of the county council from 1914 to 1916. He had begun his Parliamentary career when he was elected as Liberal Unionist MP for Manchester South
at a by-election. At the next general election in 1906
he stood unsuccessfully at Harrow
. He returned to the Commons in 1909, when elected as Conservative
MP for Taunton
at a by-election. He inherited his father's viscountcy in 1912, and moved to the House of Lords
.
Peel was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry
in 1912, and on the outbreak of the First World War moved to France with his regiment. Due to ill health he returned to Britain in 1915. In 1918 he received his first government post as Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Department of National Service. In 1919 he became Under-Secretary of State for War
and a member of the Privy Council. Two years later he became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
and Minister for Transport
.
He entered the cabinet in 1922 as Secretary of State for India
as part of the coalition government of David Lloyd-George but continued in the post after the downfall of the Coalition during the premierships of Bonar Law and Baldwin. Baldwin's Government fell in January 1924, but after a brief spell in opposition was returned to power at the 1924 General Election. Peel was appointed First Commissioner of Works
in the Conservative administration formed by Stanley Baldwin
. In 1928 he briefly returned to the India Office before the Conservatives lost power at 1929 general election
. The latter year he was created Viscount Clanfield, of Clanfield in the County of Southampton, and Earl Peel. When a Conservative-dominated National Government was formed after the 1931 election
he became Lord Privy Seal
. He only held this office for two months, leaving government in November.
In 1932 he was appointed chairman of the Wheat Commission, and in 1934 chaired the Royal Commission on the Common Law
. In 1936-1937 Lord Peel was the chairman of the Peel Commission
which presented for the first time in its period the British Mandate of Palestine as the solution of partition for the Jewish - Arab conflict in Palestine
.
, in 1899. They had two children. In 1929 Lord Ashton died and Peel succeeded him as chairman of James Williamson and Company. He was also a director of Barclays Bank and of the Great Northern Railway
. Lord Peel died aged 70 at his home in East Meon
, near Petersfield
, Hampshire
in 1937 after a long illness. He was succeeded in his titles by his son, Arthur
.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, GBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, PC, TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
(7 January 1867 – 28 September 1937) 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...
politician.
Background and education
The eldest son of Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount PeelArthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel
Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel PC , was a British Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1895...
and Adelaide Dugdale, Peel was born in 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...
in 1867. His father was the fifth and youngest son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. He 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 Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he was secretary of the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
. In 1893 he was called to the bar
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, and practised as a barrister before taking the position of special correspondent for the Daily Telegraph during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897
Greco-Turkish War (1897)
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897, also called the Thirty Days' War and known as the Black '97 in Greece, was a war fought between the Kingdom of Greece and Ottoman Empire. Its immediate cause was the question over the status of the Ottoman province of Crete, whose Greek majority long desired union...
.
Political career
In 1900 Peel was appointed a member of the Royal CommissionRoyal 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...
formed to inquire into the operation of the Port of London
Port of London
The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. Once the largest port in the world, it is currently the United Kingdom's second largest port, after Grimsby & Immingham...
. In the same year he began his political career when he was elected to the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. He was a member of the pro-Conservative grouping on the council that became the Municipal Reform Party
Municipal Reform Party
The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945.-Formation:...
. He was leader of the Party from 1908 to 1910 and chairman of the county council from 1914 to 1916. He had begun his Parliamentary career when he was elected as Liberal Unionist MP for Manchester South
Manchester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester South was one of six parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the Parliamentary Borough of Manchester, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system...
at a by-election. At the next general election in 1906
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**...
he stood unsuccessfully at Harrow
Harrow (UK Parliament constituency)
Harrow was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Harrow suburb of North London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. He returned to the Commons in 1909, when elected as 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...
MP for Taunton
Taunton (UK Parliament constituency)
Taunton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors from 1295 to 2010, taking its name from the town of Taunton in Somerset...
at a by-election. He inherited his father's viscountcy in 1912, and moved 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....
.
Peel was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry
Bedfordshire Yeomanry
Bedfordshire Yeomanry, a unit of the British Army originally raised in 1797 as a body of independent troops, the Bedfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry was disbanded after the Napoleonic Wars and briefly reformed from 1817 to 1827....
in 1912, and on the outbreak of the First World War moved to France with his regiment. Due to ill health he returned to Britain in 1915. In 1918 he received his first government post as Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Department of National Service. In 1919 he became Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
and a member of the Privy Council. Two years later he became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
and Minister for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
.
He entered the cabinet in 1922 as Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
as part of the coalition government of David Lloyd-George but continued in the post after the downfall of the Coalition during the premierships of Bonar Law and Baldwin. Baldwin's Government fell in January 1924, but after a brief spell in opposition was returned to power at the 1924 General Election. Peel was appointed First Commissioner of Works
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public...
in the Conservative administration formed by Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
. In 1928 he briefly returned to the India Office before the Conservatives lost power at 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. The latter year he was created Viscount Clanfield, of Clanfield in the County of Southampton, and Earl Peel. When a Conservative-dominated National Government was formed after the 1931 election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
he became Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
. He only held this office for two months, leaving government in November.
In 1932 he was appointed chairman of the Wheat Commission, and in 1934 chaired the Royal Commission on the Common Law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
. In 1936-1937 Lord Peel was the chairman of the Peel Commission
Peel Commission
The Peel Commission of 1936-1937, formally known as the Palestine Royal Commission, was a British Royal Commission of Inquiry set out to propose changes to the British Mandate of Palestine following the outbreak of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine...
which presented for the first time in its period the British Mandate of Palestine as the solution of partition for the Jewish - Arab conflict in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Family
Lord Peel married the Hon. Eleanor, daughter of James Williamson, 1st Baron AshtonJames Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton
James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.Williamson was a successful businessman, whose family business in Lancaster produced oil cloth and linoleum which were exported around the world...
, in 1899. They had two children. In 1929 Lord Ashton died and Peel succeeded him as chairman of James Williamson and Company. He was also a director of Barclays Bank and of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
. Lord Peel died aged 70 at his home in East Meon
East Meon
East Meon is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is west of Petersfield.The nearest railway station is east of the village, at Petersfield....
, near Petersfield
Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in 1937 after a long illness. He was succeeded in his titles by his son, Arthur
Arthur Peel, 2nd Earl Peel
Arthur William Ashton Peel, 2nd Earl Peel , styled Viscount Clanfield from 1929 to 1937, was a British peer....
.