Percy Hurd
Encyclopedia
Sir Percy Angier Hurd was a British
journalist and Conservative Party
politician who served as a Member of Parliament
(MP) for nearly thirty years. He was the first of four generations of Hurds to serve as Conservative MPs.
He was founder and editor of a The Outlook, a weekly magazine published in London from 1898 to 1928. He later became editor of the Canadian Gazette and London editor of the Montreal Star
and other journals in Canada. During the First World War, he made various visits to the battle-front in order to study and record the work of the Canadian contingent. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Agricultural Relief of Allies Fund, and twice reported on the needs of the farmers in the provinces of France from which the Germans had been pushed back.
Hurd was a prolific advocate of the British Empire
, and wrote several books on the subject, including one written jointly with his brother Archibald (later Sir Archibald), a naval critic who was editor of the Naval and Military Record from 1896–1899 and then a journalist with the Daily Telegraph until 1928.
as the Coalition Conservative MP for the Frome division
of Somerset
. The seat had been held by the Liberal Party
for all but nine the preceding fifty years, but Hurd's possession of the "coalition coupon
" issued to supporters of David Lloyd George
's Liberal-Conservative coalition government combined with a strong showing from a Labour Party
candidate to allow him to win the seat, ousting Sir John Barlow
who had been Frome's MP since 1896. At the 1922 general election
Hurd faced only a Labour opponent, and was re-elected with a modest majority of only 2.4% of the votes. However, at the general election in December 1923
, Frome was one of many seats won by Labour.
Hurd did not stand again in Frome, and at the next general election in October 1924
he stood instead in the Devizes division
of Wiltshire
, a Conservative-leaning constituency which had been won by the Liberals
in 1923. Hurd took the seat with a majority of over 20% of the votes, and remained MP for Devizes until he retired from Parliament
at the 1945 general election
.
He was knighted
in the 1932 king's Birthday Honours, "for political and public services".
According to his grandson, Douglas Hurd
, Percy "wasn't very political. He used to go round villages in Wiltshire telling funny stories."
Anthony's eldest son Douglas
(born 1930), was an MP from 1974 to 1997 (for Mid Oxfordshire and then Witney
), rising to become Home Secretary and then Foreign Secretary
; he was made a life peer in 1997. Douglas's son, Nick
(born 1962) has been the MP for Ruislip-Northwood
since 2005
.
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...
journalist and Conservative Party
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 who served as a 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 nearly thirty years. He was the first of four generations of Hurds to serve as Conservative MPs.
Early life
Percy Hurd was the son of London-based solicitor William Hurd (1831–1913) and his wife Elizabeth (née Angier, died 1910).He was founder and editor of a The Outlook, a weekly magazine published in London from 1898 to 1928. He later became editor of the Canadian Gazette and London editor of the Montreal Star
Montreal Star
The Montreal Star was an English-language Canadian newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It folded in 1979 following an eight-month pressmen's strike....
and other journals in Canada. During the First World War, he made various visits to the battle-front in order to study and record the work of the Canadian contingent. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Agricultural Relief of Allies Fund, and twice reported on the needs of the farmers in the provinces of France from which the Germans had been pushed back.
Hurd was a prolific advocate of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and wrote several books on the subject, including one written jointly with his brother Archibald (later Sir Archibald), a naval critic who was editor of the Naval and Military Record from 1896–1899 and then a journalist with the Daily Telegraph until 1928.
Political career
Hurd was first elected to the House of Commons at the 1918 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
as the Coalition Conservative MP for the Frome division
Frome (UK Parliament constituency)
Frome was a constituency centred on the town of Frome in Somerset. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832, until it was abolished for the 1950 general election...
of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. The seat had been held 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...
for all but nine the preceding fifty years, but Hurd's possession of the "coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
" issued to supporters of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
's Liberal-Conservative coalition government combined with a strong showing from a Labour Party
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...
candidate to allow him to win the seat, ousting Sir John Barlow
Sir John Barlow, 1st Baronet
Sir John Emmott Barlow, 1st Baronet was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.Barlow was the son of Thomas Barlow and his wife Mary Ann . He was a senior partner in the family firms of Thomas Barlow & Brothers, of Manchester and London, and Barlow and Company, of Calcutta, Shanghai,...
who had been Frome's MP since 1896. 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...
Hurd faced only a Labour opponent, and was re-elected with a modest majority of only 2.4% of the votes. However, at the general election in December 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Frome was one of many seats won by Labour.
Hurd did not stand again in Frome, and at the next general election in October 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
he stood instead in the Devizes division
Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)
Devizes is a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire, England, which is now represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and before 1707 in the House of Commons of England....
of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, a Conservative-leaning constituency which had been won by the Liberals
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...
in 1923. Hurd took the seat with a majority of over 20% of the votes, and remained MP for Devizes until he retired from Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
He was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 1932 king's Birthday Honours, "for political and public services".
According to his grandson, Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
, Percy "wasn't very political. He used to go round villages in Wiltshire telling funny stories."
Family
In 1893 Percy married Hannah Cox (died 1949), the daughter of a Scottish clergyman, and they had three children:- Robert Hurd (c.1901–1963), an architect who did not marry and had no children
- Anthony Richard Hurd (1901–1966), a farmer and agricultural journalist who followed his father into politics and served as MP for NewburyNewbury (UK Parliament constituency)Newbury is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament , elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
from 1945 to 1964. Anthony was knighted in 1959 and became a life peerLife peerIn the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
in 1964. - Douglas William Hurd (c.1895–1916), a Captain in the Middlesex RegimentMiddlesex RegimentThe Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
who was killed in the First World War
Anthony's eldest son Douglas
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
(born 1930), was an MP from 1974 to 1997 (for Mid Oxfordshire and then Witney
Witney (UK Parliament constituency)
Witney is a county constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election, and was created for the 1983 general election....
), rising to become Home Secretary and then Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
; he was made a life peer in 1997. Douglas's son, Nick
Nick Hurd
Nicholas Richard Hurd , known as Nick Hurd, is a United Kingdom Conservative Member of Parliament.He was elected Member for Ruislip-Northwood at the May 2005 general election with 47.7% of the votes...
(born 1962) has been the MP for Ruislip-Northwood
Ruislip-Northwood (UK Parliament constituency)
Ruislip-Northwood was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
since 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.