Lord Alwyne Compton (politician)
Encyclopedia
Lord Alwyne Frederick Compton DL
(5 June 1855 – 16 December 1911) was a British Army
officer who became a Liberal Unionist
and then Unionist
politician.
, and his wife Eliza, daughter of Admiral Sir George Elliot
. William Compton, 5th Marquess of Northampton
, was his elder brother.
and entered the 31st Foot as a sub-lieutenant
on 18 March 1874. He exchanged to the Grenadier Guards
on 12 May 1875. Promoted to supernumerary lieutenant
, Compton again exchanged into the 10th Hussars on 20 August 1879. In May 1882, he became aide-de-camp
to Lord Ripon
, the Viceroy of India, until the latter left office in February 1884, and was appointed full lieutenant on 28 November 1883.
Compton subsequently took part in the British campaign in the Sudan
in 1884, and fought at El Teb
and Tamai
. He was appointed adjutant
in March 1885, and resigned his adjutantcy on 20 October 1886. Compton married Mary Evelyn Violet, daughter of Robert Charles de Grey Vyner, in 1886.
He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1895 general election
as the Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Biggleswade division
of Bedfordshire. Compton was re-elected unopposed in 1900
, but at the 1906 general election
he was defeated by the Liberal Party
candidate Arthur Black
. He was returned to the Commons at the January 1910 election as Unionist MP for Brentford
, and held the seat until his resignation
on 15 March 1911 by the procedural device of appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. During this time, he also fought with the Imperial Yeomanry
during the Second Boer War
.
He died in December 1911, aged 56. Lady Alwyne Compton died in October 1957.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(5 June 1855 – 16 December 1911) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who became a Liberal Unionist
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...
and then 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...
politician.
Family
Compton was the third but second eldest surviving son of Admiral William Compton, 4th Marquess of NorthamptonWilliam Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton
Admiral William Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton, KG , known as Lord William Compton from 1828 to 1877, was a British peer and naval commander....
, and his wife Eliza, daughter of Admiral Sir George Elliot
George Elliot (1784–1863)
Admiral Sir George Elliot, KCB , was a Royal Navy officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the First Opium War....
. William Compton, 5th Marquess of Northampton
William Compton, 5th Marquess of Northampton
William George Spencer Scott Compton, 5th Marquess of Northampton, KG , known as Lord William Compton from 1877 to 1887 and as Earl Compton from 1887 to 1897, was a British peer and Liberal politician....
, was his elder brother.
Career
He was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and entered the 31st Foot as a sub-lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
on 18 March 1874. He exchanged to the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
on 12 May 1875. Promoted to supernumerary lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, Compton again exchanged into the 10th Hussars on 20 August 1879. In May 1882, he became aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Lord Ripon
George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon
George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC , known as Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later.-Background...
, the Viceroy of India, until the latter left office in February 1884, and was appointed full lieutenant on 28 November 1883.
Compton subsequently took part in the British campaign in the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
in 1884, and fought at El Teb
Battles of El Teb
The Battles of El Teb took place during the British Sudan Campaign where a force of Sudanese under Osman Digna won a victory over an 3500 strong Egyptian force under the command of General Valentine Baker which was marching to relieve Tokar on the 4th...
and Tamai
Battle of Tamai
The Battle of Tamai took place on March 13, 1884 between a British force under Sir Gerald Graham and a Mahdist Sudanese army led by Osman Digna....
. He was appointed adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
in March 1885, and resigned his adjutantcy on 20 October 1886. Compton married Mary Evelyn Violet, daughter of Robert Charles de Grey Vyner, in 1886.
He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
as the Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the Biggleswade division
Biggleswade (UK Parliament constituency)
Biggleswade was a county constituency in Bedfordshire which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until its abolition in 1918...
of Bedfordshire. Compton was re-elected unopposed in 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, but at the 1906 general election
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 was defeated by the Liberal Party
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...
candidate Arthur Black
Arthur Black (Liberal politician)
Sir Arthur William Black was an English lace manufacturer from Nottingham and a Liberal Party politician who served in local government in Nottingham before holding a seat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1918.- Career :...
. He was returned to the Commons at the January 1910 election as Unionist MP for Brentford
Brentford (UK Parliament constituency)
Brentford was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Brentford district of west London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, and held the seat until his resignation
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
on 15 March 1911 by the procedural device of appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. During this time, he also fought with the Imperial Yeomanry
Imperial Yeomanry
The Imperial Yeomanry was a British volunteer cavalry regiment that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Officially created on 24 December 1899, the regiment was based on members of standing Yeomanry regiments, but also contained a large contingent of mid-upper class English volunteers. In...
during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
He died in December 1911, aged 56. Lady Alwyne Compton died in October 1957.