Maxwell Ruthven Thornton
Encyclopedia
Maxwell Ruthven Thornton (11 July 1878 – 30 August 1950) was an English Liberal
politician and lawyer.
. He was educated at St Paul's School (London). He went into the law, becoming a solicitor
in 1901. In 1903 he was appointed Advocate and Solicitor to the Straits Settlements
in South East Asia and from April until October 1908, he served as an Acting Member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements
. In 1909 he married Katherine Yates and they had one daughter.
(MP) for Tavistock
at the 1922 general election
enjoying a majority of 1,051 over his Conservative
opponent. As soon as he was in Parliament, Thornton was drawn into the efforts to reunite the National
, or Lloyd George
Liberals with the Independent Liberals led by H H Asquith. He called a meeting of both sides of the party, held in the House of Commons on 27 November 1922 which according to the report in the Times newspaper was attended by about 70 MPs but the official record of which indicates that there were nearly one hundred MPs present. There was lots of goodwill and fraternal sounding speeches but beyond fine words the meeting did not bring about any definite conclusion. On the contrary, although Lloyd George appeared willing to continue negotiation, even letting it be known he would be willing to serve under Asquith, Asquith was hostile. In some respects Thornton’s initiative on Liberal reunion proved to be counter-productive. One outcome of Thornton’s meeting was Asquith’s sacking of his Chief Whip
James Myles Hogge
in February 1923 because he supported reunion and his replacement by Vivian Phillipps, Liberal MP for Edinburgh West
who was strongly opposed.
At the 1923 general election
Thornton held his seat, having what was at that time described a ‘strong hold on this agricultural constituency’ – although his majority increased only slightly over its 1922 total to one of 1,811 votes. In 1924 he was appointed as one of the Liberal Whips
.
was a disaster for the Liberal Party, with net losses of 118 seats. Thornton, who had previously been well supported in his largely agricultural seat, was defeated by the Conservative candidate Major Kenyon-Slaney (who had also been his opponent in 1922 and 1923) and who was returned with a majority of 1,272. In the general election campaign the Tories played strongly on rural grievances. Despite Thornton's arguing that only a Liberal government could provide security for the farmer and good wages for the agricultural labourer, and his reputation for being on the Right of his party the Tories led by Stanley Baldwin
came to be regarded as the champion of the countryside against the urban areas and London based politicians. In addition the appearance of many more Labour
candidates in 1924, together with a plea from Labour for its supporters not to vote at all in those seats it was not contesting meant that Liberals were fighting many more three-cornered contests and not picking up enough votes from agricultural labourers in straight fights. Asquith lost his seat in the 1924 election, Lloyd George became party leader and a ferment of new ideas and policy initiatives flowed forward in the next few years. One such policy called for a form of land nationalisation as set out in the publication Land and the Nation (or Green Book). This was a step too far for some former MPs from rural areas and Thornton resigned from the party in protest in 1925 and at what he described as “coquetting with Socialism”.
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...
politician and lawyer.
Early life
Thornton was the son of George Ruthven Thornton MA, the Vicar of St Barnabas’ church in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
. He was educated at St Paul's School (London). He went into the law, becoming a solicitor
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...
in 1901. In 1903 he was appointed Advocate and Solicitor to the Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
in South East Asia and from April until October 1908, he served as an Acting Member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements
Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements
The Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements was a legislature formed on April 1, 1867, when the Straits Settlements was made a crown colony...
. In 1909 he married Katherine Yates and they had one daughter.
Member of Parliament for Tavistock
Thornton was elected as Liberal Member of ParliamentMember 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 Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
enjoying a majority of 1,051 over his 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...
opponent. As soon as he was in Parliament, Thornton was drawn into the efforts to reunite the National
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
, or Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
Liberals with the Independent Liberals led by H H Asquith. He called a meeting of both sides of the party, held in the House of Commons on 27 November 1922 which according to the report in the Times newspaper was attended by about 70 MPs but the official record of which indicates that there were nearly one hundred MPs present. There was lots of goodwill and fraternal sounding speeches but beyond fine words the meeting did not bring about any definite conclusion. On the contrary, although Lloyd George appeared willing to continue negotiation, even letting it be known he would be willing to serve under Asquith, Asquith was hostile. In some respects Thornton’s initiative on Liberal reunion proved to be counter-productive. One outcome of Thornton’s meeting was Asquith’s sacking of his Chief Whip
Chief 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:...
James Myles Hogge
James Myles Hogge
James Myles Hogge was a British social researcher and Liberal politician.Hogge was educated at the Edinburgh Normal School, Moray House School of Education, and Edinburgh University, where he was president of the Liberal Association. Hogge at first wanted to be teacher...
in February 1923 because he supported reunion and his replacement by Vivian Phillipps, Liberal MP for Edinburgh West
Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , first used in the 1885 general election...
who was strongly opposed.
At the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
Thornton held his seat, having what was at that time described a ‘strong hold on this agricultural constituency’ – although his majority increased only slightly over its 1922 total to one of 1,811 votes. In 1924 he was appointed as one of the Liberal Whips
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
.
The 1924 general election
The 1924 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
was a disaster for the Liberal Party, with net losses of 118 seats. Thornton, who had previously been well supported in his largely agricultural seat, was defeated by the Conservative candidate Major Kenyon-Slaney (who had also been his opponent in 1922 and 1923) and who was returned with a majority of 1,272. In the general election campaign the Tories played strongly on rural grievances. Despite Thornton's arguing that only a Liberal government could provide security for the farmer and good wages for the agricultural labourer, and his reputation for being on the Right of his party the Tories led by 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...
came to be regarded as the champion of the countryside against the urban areas and London based politicians. In addition the appearance of many more Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidates in 1924, together with a plea from Labour for its supporters not to vote at all in those seats it was not contesting meant that Liberals were fighting many more three-cornered contests and not picking up enough votes from agricultural labourers in straight fights. Asquith lost his seat in the 1924 election, Lloyd George became party leader and a ferment of new ideas and policy initiatives flowed forward in the next few years. One such policy called for a form of land nationalisation as set out in the publication Land and the Nation (or Green Book). This was a step too far for some former MPs from rural areas and Thornton resigned from the party in protest in 1925 and at what he described as “coquetting with Socialism”.