Sir James Duke, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir James Duke, 1st Baronet (31 January 1792 – 28 May 1873) was a British Liberal Party
politician. He was Lord Mayor of London
in 1848–49, and sat in the House of Commons from 1837 to 1865.
He was elected at the 1837 general election
as a Member of Parliament
(MP) for the borough of Boston
in Lincolnshire
, and was re-elected at the 1841
and 1847 general election
s.
He was elected as Sheriff of the City of London in 1837 and Lord Mayor of London
in 1847. In June that year a vacancy arose in the City of London constituency
when the Liberal MP James Pattison
died age 62. A group of leading Liberals from the City met on 16 July and resolved to nominate Duke for the vacancy if he would consent, agreeing that:
A deputation was sent to the Mansion House
, where Duke was asked to stand, which he immediately agreed to do.
He resigned
his Boston seat by taking the Chiltern Hundreds, and at the by-election on 27 July 1849 he was elected as an MP for the City of London constituency
, winning more than twice as many votes as his sole opponent, the Conservative Party
candidate Lord John Manners
.
He was made a baronet
in October 1849, on 30 November he was appointed as a commissioner for enquiring into Smithfield Market.
He held the City of London seat until he stood down from the Commons at the 1865 general election
.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex
for 1872.
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. He was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1848–49, and sat in the House of Commons from 1837 to 1865.
He was elected at the 1837 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1837
The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....
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 the borough of Boston
Boston (UK Parliament constituency)
Boston was a parliamentary borough in Lincolnshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1547 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the constituency was abolished.-History:...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, and was re-elected at the 1841
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
and 1847 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1847
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
s.
He was elected as Sheriff of the City of London in 1837 and Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1847. In June that year a vacancy arose in the City of London constituency
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
when the Liberal MP James Pattison
James Pattison (London MP)
James Pattison was a Liberal Party politician in England. He sat in the House of Commons between 1835 and 1849.A member of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, he was elected at the 1835 general election as one of the four Members of Parliament for the City of London, and re-elected in...
died age 62. A group of leading Liberals from the City met on 16 July and resolved to nominate Duke for the vacancy if he would consent, agreeing that:
"impressed with the opinion that the personal character and commercial experience of the Rt. Hon. Sir James Duke, combined with his business habits, and his long acquaintance with public affairs as a member of the House of Commons, eminently qualify him for the representation of the various interests of this city in Parliament"
A deputation was sent to the Mansion House
Mansion House, London
Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...
, where Duke was asked to stand, which he immediately agreed to do.
He resigned
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...
his Boston seat by taking the Chiltern Hundreds, and at the by-election on 27 July 1849 he was elected as an MP for the City of London constituency
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
, winning more than twice as many votes as his sole opponent, the 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...
candidate Lord John Manners
John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland
|-...
.
He was made a baronet
Duke Baronets
There have been two Duke Baronetcies; both are now extinct. The first created 16 July 1661 for Edward Duke in the Baronetage of England, the second created 5 December 1848 for James Duke in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.-Duke of Benhall, Suffolk :...
in October 1849, on 30 November he was appointed as a commissioner for enquiring into Smithfield Market.
He held the City of London seat until he stood down from the Commons at the 1865 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1865
The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...
.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex
High Sheriff of Sussex
-History:The office of High Sheriff is over 1000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The Office of High Sheriff remained first in precedence in the counties until the reign of Edward VII when an Order in Council in 1908 gave the Lord-Lieutenant the prime office under the...
for 1872.