Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn
The Marquess of Salisbury | |
---|---|
Preceded by | Sir William Harcourt |
Succeeded by | Charles Ritchie |
In office 24 June 1885 – 28 January 1886 | |
Monarch | Victoria |
Prime Minister | The Marquess of Salisbury |
Preceded by | Hugh Childers |
Succeeded by | Sir William Harcourt |
President of the Board of Trade | |
In office 21 February 1888 – 11 August 1892 | |
Monarch | Victoria |
Prime Minister | The Marquess of Salisbury |
Preceded by | The Lord Stanley of Preston |
Succeeded by | A. J. Mundella |
Personal details | |
Born | London | 23 October 1837
Died | 30 April 1916 Coln St Aldwyn, Gloucestershire | (aged 78)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouses |
|
Children | 4, including Michael |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Michael Edward Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn,
Background and education
Born at Portugal Street in London, Hicks Beach was the son of Sir Michael Hicks Beach, 8th Baronet, of Beverston, and his wife Harriett Vittoria, second daughter of John Stratton.[1] He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford,[2] where he graduated with a first class degree in the School of Law and Modern History in 1858. In 1854 he succeeded his father as ninth Baronet.[1]
Political career, 1864–1888
In 1864 he was returned to
Political career, 1888–1902
From 1888 to 1892 Hicks Beach returned to active work as
in 1898 occasioned some acrid criticism concerning the valuation, for which, however, Sir Michael himself was not responsible. On Lord Salisbury's retirement in August 1902 Hicks Beach also left the government.Following his resignation, Sir Michael and Lady Lucy Hicks Beach, with their family, visited Egypt in late 1902.[5]
Other public appointments
He accepted the chairmanship of the Royal Commission on Ritualistic Practices in the Church, and he did valuable work as an arbitrator; and though when the fiscal controversy arose he became the first president of the
Family
Lord St Aldwyn married firstly (6.1.1864, South Molton, Devon), Caroline Susan Elwes (3 Prior Buildings, Cheltenham 4 April 1845 – 41 Portman Square, Marylebone 14 August 1865), daughter of John Henry Elwes by Mary Bromley, sister of Henry John Elwes, and secondly Lady Lucy Catherine Fortescue, daughter of Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue, in 1874. They had one son, Viscount Quenington, also a politician, and three daughters.
His second daughter, Susan Hicks Beach (1878-1965), was the sitter representing Britannia on the reverse of the Edward VII silver florins (two shilling pieces) issued from 1902 to 1910 and designed by George William de Saulles. She resided with her mother for sundry years subsequent to World War II, cultivating and caring for the family land in the Cotswolds.
Lord St Aldwyn died in April 1916, aged 78, only a week after his son was killed in action in the
References
- ^ a b Dod, Robert P. (1860). The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Whitaker and Co. p. 109.
- ^ Quinn, James. "Beach, Sir Michael Edward Hicks". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 1)
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)
- ^ "Latest intelligence - Lord Kitchener in Cairo". The Times. No. 36911. London. 29 October 1902. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 22467". The London Gazette. 1 January 1861. p. 45.
- ^ "No. 27873". The London Gazette. 9 January 1906. p. 187.
- ^ "No. 29084". The London Gazette. 26 February 1915. p. 1975.
- ISBN 978-1-4456-1989-7.