Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
Encyclopedia
Maurice Herbert Towneley Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan (20 February 1882 – 18 December 1961), was a British
Liberal
and later Conservative
politician.
O'Hagan was the second son of Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
, the Liberal
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
in Gladstone's
first two governments; and his second wife Alice Mary, daughter and co-heiress of Colonel Charles Towneley; and he succeeded in the barony on the death of his elder brother in 1900, when he was still eighteen. He was educated at Marlborough College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
.
He was Assistant Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Tweedmouth
from 1906 to 1907 and served in the Liberal administrations
of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
and later H. H. Asquith
as a Lord-in-Waiting
(government whip in the House of Lords
) from 1907 to 1910.
During World War I
he had been a Major in the Essex
Royal Horse Artillery
, for which he raised a regiment in 1914. He was invalided out of the army in 1918.
He continued to support the Liberals through the years of the Lloyd George government, but switched to supporting the Conservatives under Stanley Baldwin
in the mid-1920s. He never again held government office. Many years later, between 1950 and 1961, O'Hagan was a Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of the House of Lords
. He remained an Honorary Major in the Royal Horse Artillery
(TA) and an Honorary Colonel in the 4th (Cadet) Battalion of the Essex Regiment
and in the 6th Battalion of the Essex Regiment (TA). In 1909, he assumed by Royal license his maternal grandfather's surname of Towneley in addition to that of O'Hagan.
Lord O'Hagan married firstly the Hon. Frances Constance Maddalena, daughter of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
, in 1911. She died in 1931. He married secondly Evelyn Violet, daughter of Harry Thornton Ross and widow of Henry Osbet Samuel Cadogan, in 1937. O'Hagan died in December 1961, aged 79, and was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Charles. Lady O'Hagan died in 1965.
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...
Liberal
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...
and later 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...
politician.
O'Hagan was the second son of Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan KP, PC, QC , was an Irish lawyer and judge. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1868 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1881.-Background and education:...
, the Liberal
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...
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
in Gladstone's
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
first two governments; and his second wife Alice Mary, daughter and co-heiress of Colonel Charles Towneley; and he succeeded in the barony on the death of his elder brother in 1900, when he was still eighteen. He was educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
He was Assistant Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Tweedmouth
Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth
Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth KT, PC was a British Liberal Party statesman who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1894 when he inherited his peerage and then sat in the House of Lords...
from 1906 to 1907 and served in the Liberal administrations
Liberal Government 1905-1915
With the fall of Arthur Balfour's Conservative government in the United Kingdom in December 1905, the Liberals under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman were called in to form a government. In the subsequent election, the Liberals won an enormous majority...
of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
and later H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
as a Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
(government whip in 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....
) from 1907 to 1910.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he had been a Major in the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
, for which he raised a regiment in 1914. He was invalided out of the army in 1918.
He continued to support the Liberals through the years of the Lloyd George government, but switched to supporting the Conservatives under 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 the mid-1920s. He never again held government office. Many years later, between 1950 and 1961, O'Hagan was a Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of 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....
. He remained an Honorary Major in the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
(TA) and an Honorary Colonel in the 4th (Cadet) Battalion of the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
and in the 6th Battalion of the Essex Regiment (TA). In 1909, he assumed by Royal license his maternal grandfather's surname of Towneley in addition to that of O'Hagan.
Lord O'Hagan married firstly the Hon. Frances Constance Maddalena, daughter of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie PC , known as Sir Edward Strachey, Bt, between 1901 and 1911, was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H...
, in 1911. She died in 1931. He married secondly Evelyn Violet, daughter of Harry Thornton Ross and widow of Henry Osbet Samuel Cadogan, in 1937. O'Hagan died in December 1961, aged 79, and was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Charles. Lady O'Hagan died in 1965.