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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 October 2009
On 17 March 1921 Bonar Law unexpectedly announced his resignation on grounds of ill-health. Having abandoned all expectation of obtaining the leadership for himself a decade earlier, Chamberlain now found the prize equally suddenly and unexpectedly within his grasp. His conduct during this period illustrates much about Chamberlain's character. In particular, it revealed again that lack of steely ambition and ‘pushfulness’ so evident in his father: a weakness he cloaked beneath an acute sensitivity to the outward appearance of political propriety and personal delicacy. As he wrote to J. C. C. Davidson after his succession, with regard to such matters he had ‘a great honor of anything that savours of intrigue or pushfulness on the part of a possible candidate, and felt then as I felt ten years ago … that the only right thing to do was to keep quiet and have members to make up their own minds without either courting their favour or shunning responsibility if their choice fell upon me’. Having thus ‘emerged’ by acclamation as undisputed leader, another feature of Chamberlain's character swiftly manifested itself in his initial sense of weary trepidation at entering upon an apparently unpalatable task with grave reluctance. Like every other office, therefore, he confessed to his family that he accepted the leadership as ‘an obvious duty but without pleasure or any great expectation except of trouble and hard labour’.
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2 In proposing Chamberlain as leader in the Commons on 21 March 1921 Captain Ernest Pretyman first articulated the notion that Conservative leaders ‘emerge’ when he declared, ‘Great leaders of parties are not elected they are evolved … I think it will be a bad day for this or any party to have solemnly to meet to elect a leader. The leader is there, and we all know it when he is there’. Gleanings and Memoranda, LIII, 301.Google Scholar
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4 T.Jones to Law, 24 April 1921, Whitehall Diary, I, 152.Google Scholar
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34 Law much later told Chamberlain that ‘before the War had stirred deeper emotions … he cared intensely for only two things: Tariff Reform and Ulster; all the rest was only part of the game’, Down the Years, 224. See also Blake, R., The Unknown Prime Minister, 125–6Google Scholar.
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47 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 8 and 9 11 1921Google Scholar, AC 6/1/456–7. See also Law to J.P. Croal, 12 November 1921, Law MSS 107/1/83, saying he was trying to get the party to follow him.
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49 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 19 11 1921Google Scholar, AC 6/1/466.
50 Frederick Edwin Smith (1872–1930) Conservative MP for Liverpool Walton 1906–18 and Liverpool West Derby 1918–19. Solicitor-General 1915; Attorney-General 1915–1919; Lord Chancellor 1919–1922; Secretary for India 1924–28. Knighted 1915, created Baronet 1918, Baron Birkenhead 1919, Viscount 1921 and Earl of Birkenhead 1922.
51 Edward Hilton Young (1879–1960) Liberal MP for Norwich 1915–23, 1924–1926 thereafter continued as a Conservative until 1929. Conservative MP for Sevenoaks 1929–1935. Financial Secretary to Treasury 1921–22; Chief National Liberal Whip 1922–23; Secretary Overseas Trade Dept 1931; Minister of Health 1931–35. Created Baron Kennet 1935.
52 Edward Frederick Lindley Wood (1881–1959) Conservative MP for West Riding (Ripon) 1910–25. PUS for Colonies 1921–October 1922; President of the Board of Education 1922–1924 and 1932–1935; Minister of Agriculture 1924–1925; Viceroy of India 1926–31; Secretary for War 1935; Lord Privy Seal 1935–1937; Lord President 1937–1938; Foreign Secretary 1938–1940; Ambassador to Washington 1941–1946. Created Baron Irwin 1925; succeeded father as 3rd Viscount Halifax 1934 and created Earl of Halifax 1944.
53 Hilton Young unsuccessfully contested East Worcestershire against Chamberlain in January 1910.
54 Speech to New Members Coalition Group, 5 May 1921. Next day the Daily Telegraph commented that it ‘was like all his speeches — the clean-cut, straightforward utterance of an honest, sagacious and fearless mind’.
55 Eamon de Valera (1882–1975). Sinn Fein MP for Clare East, 1917–21; member of Dáil for Co. Clare 1921–59; President of Dáil 1919–22; President Sinn Fein 1917–26; President Fianna Fail 1926–59; Minister for External Affairs, 1932–48; Taoiseoch 1937–48, 1951–54, 1957–59; President of the Republic 1959–73.
56 Frank Hodges (1887–1947) General Secretary, MFGB 1918–1924; Member Royal Commission on Coal Mines 1919; Labour MP for Lichfield 1923–1924. Civil Lord of Admiralty January-November 1924. Secretary International Miners' Federation 1925–1927; member Central Electricity Board 1927–47.
57 Herbert Smith (1862–1938) President Yorkshire Miners' Association 1906–38; President MFGB 1922–29; President International Miners' Federation 1921–29.
58 Warren Gamaliel Harding (1865–1923) American journalist and politician. Republican Senator Ohio 1915–21; 29th President of the USA November 1920. Died in office August 1923.
59 Arthur Meighen (1874–1960) Canadian teacher, barrister, businessman. MP Liberal-Conservative 1908–32. Solicitor-General 1913; Secretary of State 1915–17; Minister of Interior 1917–20; PM 1920–21, 1926. Senator 1932–41. Represented Canada at Imperial Conference, 1921.
60 James Craig (1871–1940) Unionist MP for East Down 1906–18 and mid-Down 1918 until resigned June 1921. Treasurer of the Household 1916–1918; Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Pensions 1919–1920; Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to Admiralty 1920–1921. Created Baronet 1918 and Viscount Craigavon 1927. Sat in Parliament of Northern Ireland for Co. Down 1921–29 and North Down 1929–40. Prime Minister of Northern Ireland June 1921 until death in November 1940.
61 Arthur Griffith (1872–1922) Journalist and a leader of Sinn Fein. Interned three times up to 1920. Sinn Fein MP for Cavan East June-December 1918. In 1918 returned for both E. Cavan and N.W. Tyrone but did not take his seat for either. Member of Northern Ireland Parliament for Fermanagh and Tyrone 1921–22. Member of Dáil for E. Cavan to 1921 and Cavan 1921–22 as a pro-Treaty member. Secretary for Foreign Affairs 1921–22. President of Dáil Eireann January-August 1922.
62 Robert Childers Barton (1881–1975) Educated Rugby and Christ Church Oxford. Escaped Mountjoy Gaol March 1919 and re-arrested February 1920. Sentenced to 3 years under Defence of Realm Act. Sinn Fein MP for W. Wicklow December 1918 but did not take seat. Member of Dáil for W. Wicklow to 1921, for Kildare & Wicklow 1921–23 as an Anti-Treaty Member. Minister for Economic Affairs 1921–22. Signatory of 1921 Treaty but later opposed it.
63 Austin Stack (1880–1829) Imprisoned Belfast Gaol for his part in Sinn Fein movement 1918 and escaped Strangeways October 1919. Sinn Fein MP for W. Kerry in December 1918 but did not take seat. Member of Dáil for W Kerry to 1921, Kerry & W. Limerick 1921–23 and Kerry 1923–27. An Anti-Treaty Member remaining a member of Sinn Fein after formation of Fianna Fail. Minister of Home Affairs 1921–22.
64 Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948) Attorney and professor of Law. Governor of New York 1907–8, 1909–10. Associate Justice, US Supreme Court 1910–16. Republican Presidential candidate 1916; Secretary of State 1921–25; Chairman, Washington Arms Limitation Conference 1921; Member, Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague 1926–30; Judge, Permanent Court of International Justice 1928–30; US Chief Justice 1930–41.
65 On 19 July 1921 the Government lost a vote on the taxation of cooperatives but Chamberlain, as Leader of the House, decided it was not a ‘real’ defeat and did not adopt the customary practice of adjourning the House for one day. House of Commons Debates, 5 Series, 144 col 2127.
66 Col. George Harvey (1864–1928) Editor and proprietor, North American Review, 1899–1926. US Ambassador in London 1921–24.
67 Although this letter clearly bears this date, all the internal evidence relating to Smuts and Addison suggests that it must have been written in mid-June.
68 Alfred Moritz Mond (1868–1930) Liberal MP for Chester 1906–10, Swansea 1910–23, Carmarthen 1924–28. Joined Conservative Party 1926. First Commissioner of Works 1916–1921; Minister of Health 1921–1922. Created baronet 1910 and Baron Melchett 1928.
69 In early June a large number of Unionists had put down a motion criticizing Addison's £5000 salary as Minister without Portfolio. Chamberlain warned Lloyd George the majority of Unionist MPs would support it: a view endorsed by McCurdy, the Liberal Chief Whip.
70 Godfrey Lampson Tennyson Locker-Lampson (1875–1946) Conservative MP for Salisbury January 1910–1918 and Wood Green December 1918–1935. PPS to Home Secretary 1916–18 and to Assistant Foreign Secretary 1918. Represented First Commissioner of Works in Commons 1924–1925; Under-Secretary Home Office 1923–1924 and 1924–1925 and for Foreign Affairs 1925–1929. Older brother of Oliver Locker-Lampson who had also served as PPS to Austen Chamberlain, 1919–22.
71 Arthur John Bigge (1849–1931) Soldier 1869–1880. Assistant private secretary to Queen Victoria 1880–1895; private secretary 1895–1901, private secretary to Prince (later King) George V, 1901–1931. Created Baron Stamfordham 1911.
72 In the belief that the daily ‘King's Letter’ had become ‘redundant and farcical’, Chamberlain had proposed to discontinue the practice when he emerged as leader but he was prevailed upon to retain them as more personal reports, Waterhouse, N., Private and Official, 218–19Google Scholar.
73 Michael Collins (1890–1922) Arrested at the Post Office, Dublin during Easter Rising. Sinn Fein MP for S. Cork December 1918 but did not take seat. Member of Northern Ireland Parliament for Armagh 1921–22. Member of Dáil for S. Cork until 1922 as a Pro-Treaty Member. Finance Minister in Provisional Government 1921–22 and Chairman from January 1922. C-in-C of Army July-August 1922. Ambushed and killed by Irish Irregulars at Bealnabla, Co. Cork 22 August 1922.
74 George Gavan Duffy (1882–1951) Solicitor in London and later Ireland where he prepared the defence in the Casement case. Sinn Fein MP for Dublin Co. South in December 1918 but did not take seat. Member of Dáil for Dublin Co. S. to 1921, for Dublin Co. 1921–23 initially as a Pro-Treaty Member but later as an opponent of the Treaty. Minister for Foreign Affairs in Provisional Government 1922. Called to Inner Bar 1929; High Court Judge from 1936 and President of High Court of Ireland from 1946.
75 Between 18–22 December 1921 a series of meetings were held in London with Briand at which Lloyd George proposed a general conference to consider remedying the paralysis of the European financial and commercial system, DBFP 1st Series vol XV, 760–804.
76 In June 1921 the French sent Henri Franklin-Bouillon (1870–1939) to Angora without consulting the British. The mission resulted in a separate treaty between France and the Kemalists in October leaving the British isolated in support of the Greeks and the ‘neutral zones’.