George Rennie Thorne
Encyclopedia
George Rennie Thorne was a British solicitor
and politician
.
, Wolverhampton
and became a solicitor in 1876 . In 1886 he married Susan Mary Jones and they had two daughters. He went on to become senior member of the law form G R Thorne & Sons of Wolverhampton and London.
. He was Mayor
of Wolverhampton in 1902-03 and Chairman of South Staffordshire Joint Smallpox Hospital from its formation. Her also served as a Justice of the Peace
.
and West
divisions of Wolverhampton before getting elected in 1908 at by-election
on 5 May to succeed Sir Henry Fowler
who had been made a peer
.
In nearly every way Thorne seemed the stereotypical Liberal of his day; a pronounced nonconformist, a Baptist
, in a constituency where there were many nonconformist voters. In his election meetings and literature he declared himself a supporter of Free Trade, the proposed Bill on Old Age Pensions, restricting to eight the hours that miners could be made to work daily, women’s suffrage, Irish Home Rule and any necessary reform of the House of Lords. He was also strongly in favour of temperance and a supporter of the disestablishment of the Church of England.
Thorne won the by-election by a majority of just eight votes from the Unionist
candidate Leo Amery. One of reasons it was such a narrow margin was the policy of the Suffragettes at this time to oppose the candidates of the Liberal government because they would not bring in a Bill to provide votes for women. This was despite the individual views of the candidates, many of whom, like Thorne, were pro-women’s suffrage. Interestingly in this election, a Mrs Lois Dawson, who had incorrectly been placed on the electoral register as Louis Dawson, was allowed to vote by a very surprised polling station presiding officer, as she was clearly on the electoral roll. Her vote was allowed to stand, although had there been a court scrutiny of the election result it would almost certainly have been rejected.
of the Independent Liberals led by H H Asquith and held the post until 1923. In that year he was the Vice-Chairman of Liberal Parliamentary Party.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and politician
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...
.
Family and education
Thorne was educated at Tettenhall CollegeTettenhall College
Tettenhall College is a mixed independent school located in the Wolverhampton suburb of Tettenhall.-History:The College was founded in 1863 by a group of prominent local businessmen and industrialists, most of who were associated with the Queen Street Congregational Church. Tettenhall Towers was...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and became a solicitor in 1876 . In 1886 he married Susan Mary Jones and they had two daughters. He went on to become senior member of the law form G R Thorne & Sons of Wolverhampton and London.
Local politics
Thorne entered local politics in Wolverhampton being a Borough Councillor for many years and later an AldermanAlderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
. He was Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Wolverhampton in 1902-03 and Chairman of South Staffordshire Joint Smallpox Hospital from its formation. Her also served as a Justice of the Peace
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...
.
Wolverhampton East by-election, 1908
Thorne had stood unsuccessfully for election twice in the SouthWolverhampton South (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton South was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
and West
Wolverhampton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton West was a borough constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
divisions of Wolverhampton before getting elected in 1908 at by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on 5 May to succeed Sir Henry Fowler
Henry Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton
Henry Hartley Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton PC , was a British solicitor and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1908 when he was raised to the peerage...
who had been made a peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
In nearly every way Thorne seemed the stereotypical Liberal of his day; a pronounced nonconformist, a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, in a constituency where there were many nonconformist voters. In his election meetings and literature he declared himself a supporter of Free Trade, the proposed Bill on Old Age Pensions, restricting to eight the hours that miners could be made to work daily, women’s suffrage, Irish Home Rule and any necessary reform of the House of Lords. He was also strongly in favour of temperance and a supporter of the disestablishment of the Church of England.
Thorne won the by-election by a majority of just eight votes from the Unionist
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...
candidate Leo Amery. One of reasons it was such a narrow margin was the policy of the Suffragettes at this time to oppose the candidates of the Liberal government because they would not bring in a Bill to provide votes for women. This was despite the individual views of the candidates, many of whom, like Thorne, were pro-women’s suffrage. Interestingly in this election, a Mrs Lois Dawson, who had incorrectly been placed on the electoral register as Louis Dawson, was allowed to vote by a very surprised polling station presiding officer, as she was clearly on the electoral roll. Her vote was allowed to stand, although had there been a court scrutiny of the election result it would almost certainly have been rejected.
Member of Parliament
Thorne held his seat at every general election after the by-election before announcing he would stand down in 1929. In 1919 he was appointed joint Chief WhipChief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
of the Independent Liberals led by H H Asquith and held the post until 1923. In that year he was the Vice-Chairman of Liberal Parliamentary Party.