Vivian Phillipps
Encyclopedia
Vivian Phillipps (13 April 1870, Beckenham
, Kent
– 16 January 1955, Leigh, Kent
) was a British teacher, lawyer and Liberal
politician.
, Kent
the son of Henry Mitchell Phillipps. In 1883 he went to Charterhouse School
and in 1886 he travelled to Heidelberg
in southern Germany to study for three years, returning fluent in German. In 1890 he went to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
, obtaining his bachelor’s degree in the modern languages tripos
in 1893. In 1899 he married Agnes Ford from Edinburgh
and they had a son and two daughters.
in Edinburgh. While there he wrote a text-book, A Short Sketch of German Literature for Schools, published in 1895. He left Fettes in 1905 , deciding to opt for a career in the law. In 1907 he was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn and practised as a member of the Northern Circuit. From 1915 he served as a Justice of the Peace
in Kent
and became Vice-Chairman of the Bench
in 1931. He was Chairman of the West Kent
Quarter Sessions
between 1933 and 1945.
at Blackpool
in 1906
and then at Maidstone
in both the January and December 1910 general elections. In 1918
he was the Liberal candidate at Rochdale
but as a supporter of H H Asquith he was not a recipient of the Lloyd George Coalition Government coupon which went instead to his Conservative
opponent Alfred Law
, who won with a healthy majority of 7,847 votes.
, the Scottish Secretary. He continued briefly in that post under Wood’s successor Harold Tennant
. Tennant was the brother of Margot Asquith (née Tennant), the wife of the prime minister. When Asquith was replaced as prime minister by Lloyd George in December 1916, he asked Phillipps to become his private secretary, a post he held between 1917 and 1922. He gained a reputation at this time as being the most implacable opponent of Lloyd George of the circle around Asquith.
for the constituency of Edinburgh West
. In a straight fight with the sitting Conservative
Member of Parliament
John Gordon Jameson, Phillipps won the seat, albeit by the narrow margin of 666 votes. He held the seat at the 1923 general election
this time in a three-cornered contest with Tory
and Labour
opponents, increasing his majority to 2,232, when some commentators had forecast he would lose.
at Paisley
in 1920 but he and Lloyd George were initially cool on the possibility of reunion The problem of reunion spilled over into internal party appointments. In 1919, Asquith had selected George Rennie Thorne
, the MP for Wolverhampton East
as his Chief Whip
. Asquith was not in Parliament at this time and the remaining independent Liberals wanted James Myles Hogge
as Whip, so Asquith appointed him to be Thorne’s colleague. Thorne resigned in 1923 and Asquith took the opportunity to replace Hogge as well, immediately appointing Phillipps to the post of Chief Whip, even though as a newly elected MP he was inexperienced in Parliamentary terms. Moreover Phillipps was known to be totally committed to his old chief and was perhaps not the right choice to lead the negotiations between the rival wings of the party as they struggled to come to an accommodation and towards an eventual reunion. Or perhaps he was exactly what Asquith and the official party wanted. One historian comments that the appointment of Phillipps underlined the reluctance of the official Liberals to renew their connection with the former prime minister while another suggests that Asquith sacked Hogge and deliberately appointed Phillipps in order to thwart reunion at that time. The 1923 general election
helped the situation, as it was called on the issue of protectionism and tariff reform by prime minister Stanley Baldwin
and Liberals of all shades were able to come together in support of the traditional policy of free trade
. However, there were other issues to be resolved before formal reunion could be achieved, notably the question of access for the former independent Liberals to monies in the Lloyd George fund, the sizeable treasure chest which he had amassed over the years including by the sale of honours during his time in 10 Downing Street
. Further difficulties emerged with the formation of the first Labour government in January 1924. The Liberals, who held the Balance of power
in the House of Commons agreed to allow Labour to take office, causing further disagreements within the party. Phillipps, as Chief Whip, had to issue a statement at one point officially denying a split between Asquith and Lloyd George on the question of turning out the Baldwin government. On occasions the party’s MPs were split in Parliamentary votes and it was a disastrous miscalculation on a Liberal amendment to a Conservative censure motion on the Campbell case
which actually led to the downfall of the government against Liberal wishes. Phillipps presided over all this as Chief Whip.
. The electorate was coming to see the political system as a left-right battle between the principal challengers on those wings of British politics, Labour and Conservative. There was little room for the Liberals in a system which discriminated against third parties and in a tight three-way contest in Edinburgh West Phillipps lost his seat to the Conservatives. Overall the Liberal Party's Parliamentary strength was reduced to 40 seats. Phillipps stood again in Edinburgh West at the 1929 general election
but found himself out of step again with Lloyd George over the issue of reducing unemployment by state intervention. The impression given to the electorate was of a still divided Liberal Party. It was again a reasonably close three-cornered contest but Phillipps came third and he decided not to try for re-election Parliament again.
in 1925, playing a diminishing role in the party, eventually resigning as leader in 1926. Lloyd George assumed the leadership. Questions of money and organisation proved onerous. Phillipps chaired a fund raising initiative called the ‘Million Fighting Fund’ but the appeal was a disaster and he was forced to resign from the party’s Administrative Committee. The Liberal Council was set up by Phillipps and a number of other distinguished Liberals with the object of rallying those party members who opposed Lloyd George and his money and to supply sympathetic constituency associations with speakers, literature and candidates. Phillipps never overcame his distrust of Lloyd George and his enmity towards him. When Conservative newspapers began trying to uncover damaging information about the Lloyd George Fund and the sale of honours Phillipps was one of their prime sources.
Less controversially perhaps, Phillipps was a member of the West Kent Unemployment Appeal Tribunal, 1934–40 and the Kent Agricultural Wages Committee, 1935–40. He also served on the Board of Visitors
at Maidstone Convict Prison
.
near Tonbridge
in Kent on 16 January 1955 aged 84.
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
– 16 January 1955, Leigh, Kent
Leigh, Kent
Leigh , historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles south of Sevenoaks town and three miles west of Tonbridge....
) was a British teacher, lawyer and 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...
politician.
Family and education
Phillipps was born in BeckenhamBeckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
the son of Henry Mitchell Phillipps. In 1883 he went to Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and in 1886 he travelled to Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
in southern Germany to study for three years, returning fluent in German. In 1890 he went to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, obtaining his bachelor’s degree in the modern languages tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
in 1893. In 1899 he married Agnes Ford from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and they had a son and two daughters.
Career
Phillipps’ first employment was as a teacher of German at Fettes CollegeFettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
in Edinburgh. While there he wrote a text-book, A Short Sketch of German Literature for Schools, published in 1895. He left Fettes in 1905 , deciding to opt for a career in the law. In 1907 he was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn and practised as a member of the Northern Circuit. From 1915 he served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and became Vice-Chairman of the Bench
Bench (law)
Bench in legal contexts means simply the location in a courtroom where a judge sits. The historical roots of that meaning come from the fact that judges formerly sat on long seats or benches when presiding over a court...
in 1931. He was Chairman of the West Kent
West Kent
West Kent and East Kent are one-time traditional subdivisions of the English county of Kent, kept alive by the Association of the Men of Kent and Kentish Men: an organisation formed in 1913....
Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
between 1933 and 1945.
Parliamentary candidate
A convinced Liberal, Phillipps first tried to enter ParliamentParliament 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 Blackpool
Blackpool (UK Parliament constituency)
Blackpool was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Blackpool in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in 1906
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**...
and then at Maidstone
Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
in both the January and December 1910 general elections. In 1918
United 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...
he was the Liberal candidate at Rochdale
Rochdale (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochdale is a county constituency 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.-Boundaries:...
but as a supporter of H H Asquith he was not a recipient of the Lloyd George Coalition Government coupon which went instead to 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 Alfred Law
Alfred Law
Sir Alfred Joseph Law was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Born in West Bromwich, he was elected at the 1918 general election as Member of Parliament for the Rochdale constituency in Lancashire, but was defeated at the 1922 general election.He was returned to the House of...
, who won with a healthy majority of 7,847 votes.
Political secretary
Between 1912 and 1916, Phillipps was appointed to be private secretary to Thomas McKinnon WoodThomas McKinnon Wood
Thomas McKinnon Wood PC was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of H. H. Asquith's cabinet as Secretary for Scotland between 1912 and 1916 and as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between July and December 1916...
, the Scottish Secretary. He continued briefly in that post under Wood’s successor Harold Tennant
Harold Tennant
Harold John "Jack" Tennant PC was a Scottish Liberal politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under his brother-in-law H. H...
. Tennant was the brother of Margot Asquith (née Tennant), the wife of the prime minister. When Asquith was replaced as prime minister by Lloyd George in December 1916, he asked Phillipps to become his private secretary, a post he held between 1917 and 1922. He gained a reputation at this time as being the most implacable opponent of Lloyd George of the circle around Asquith.
Member of Parliament
Phillipps finally managed to enter the House of Commons at the 1922 general electionUnited 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...
for the constituency of 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...
. In a straight fight with the sitting 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...
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,...
John Gordon Jameson, Phillipps won the seat, albeit by the narrow margin of 666 votes. He held the seat at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
this time in a three-cornered contest with Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
and 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...
opponents, increasing his majority to 2,232, when some commentators had forecast he would lose.
Liberal Whip
After the 1922 general election, there were a number of attempts to bring about the reunion of the Asquith and Lloyd George factions within the Liberal Party.) Asquith was by now back in the House of Commons having won a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
at Paisley
Paisley (UK Parliament constituency)
Paisley was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1983, when it was divided into Paisley North and Paisley South...
in 1920 but he and Lloyd George were initially cool on the possibility of reunion The problem of reunion spilled over into internal party appointments. In 1919, Asquith had selected George Rennie Thorne
George Rennie Thorne
George Rennie Thorne was a British solicitor and politician.-Family and education:Thorne was educated at Tettenhall College, Wolverhampton and became a solicitor in 1876 . In 1886 he married Susan Mary Jones and they had two daughters...
, the MP for Wolverhampton East
Wolverhampton East (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton East was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
as 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:...
. Asquith was not in Parliament at this time and the remaining independent Liberals wanted 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...
as Whip, so Asquith appointed him to be Thorne’s colleague. Thorne resigned in 1923 and Asquith took the opportunity to replace Hogge as well, immediately appointing Phillipps to the post of Chief Whip, even though as a newly elected MP he was inexperienced in Parliamentary terms. Moreover Phillipps was known to be totally committed to his old chief and was perhaps not the right choice to lead the negotiations between the rival wings of the party as they struggled to come to an accommodation and towards an eventual reunion. Or perhaps he was exactly what Asquith and the official party wanted. One historian comments that the appointment of Phillipps underlined the reluctance of the official Liberals to renew their connection with the former prime minister while another suggests that Asquith sacked Hogge and deliberately appointed Phillipps in order to thwart reunion at that time. The 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
helped the situation, as it was called on the issue of protectionism and tariff reform by prime minister 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...
and Liberals of all shades were able to come together in support of the traditional policy of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
. However, there were other issues to be resolved before formal reunion could be achieved, notably the question of access for the former independent Liberals to monies in the Lloyd George fund, the sizeable treasure chest which he had amassed over the years including by the sale of honours during his time in 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
. Further difficulties emerged with the formation of the first Labour government in January 1924. The Liberals, who held the Balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
in the House of Commons agreed to allow Labour to take office, causing further disagreements within the party. Phillipps, as Chief Whip, had to issue a statement at one point officially denying a split between Asquith and Lloyd George on the question of turning out the Baldwin government. On occasions the party’s MPs were split in Parliamentary votes and it was a disastrous miscalculation on a Liberal amendment to a Conservative censure motion on the Campbell case
Campbell Case
The Campbell Case of 1924 involved charges against a British Communist newspaper editor for alleged "incitement to mutiny" caused by his publication of a provocative open letter to members of the military...
which actually led to the downfall of the government against Liberal wishes. Phillipps presided over all this as Chief Whip.
1924 General Election
Like so many other Liberal MPs, Phillipps was unable to overcome the swing to the right which occurred at the 1924 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
. The electorate was coming to see the political system as a left-right battle between the principal challengers on those wings of British politics, Labour and Conservative. There was little room for the Liberals in a system which discriminated against third parties and in a tight three-way contest in Edinburgh West Phillipps lost his seat to the Conservatives. Overall the Liberal Party's Parliamentary strength was reduced to 40 seats. Phillipps stood again in Edinburgh West at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
but found himself out of step again with Lloyd George over the issue of reducing unemployment by state intervention. The impression given to the electorate was of a still divided Liberal Party. It was again a reasonably close three-cornered contest but Phillipps came third and he decided not to try for re-election Parliament again.
Other political and public appointments
Phillipps served as Chairman of the Liberal Party Organisation from 1925–27 and was one of the secretaries to the Liberal Council These appointments proved difficult for Phillipps because Asquith was out of the House of Commons again after losing Paisley in 1924 and agreed to go to the House of LordsHouse 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....
in 1925, playing a diminishing role in the party, eventually resigning as leader in 1926. Lloyd George assumed the leadership. Questions of money and organisation proved onerous. Phillipps chaired a fund raising initiative called the ‘Million Fighting Fund’ but the appeal was a disaster and he was forced to resign from the party’s Administrative Committee. The Liberal Council was set up by Phillipps and a number of other distinguished Liberals with the object of rallying those party members who opposed Lloyd George and his money and to supply sympathetic constituency associations with speakers, literature and candidates. Phillipps never overcame his distrust of Lloyd George and his enmity towards him. When Conservative newspapers began trying to uncover damaging information about the Lloyd George Fund and the sale of honours Phillipps was one of their prime sources.
Less controversially perhaps, Phillipps was a member of the West Kent Unemployment Appeal Tribunal, 1934–40 and the Kent Agricultural Wages Committee, 1935–40. He also served on the Board of Visitors
Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Boards are statutory bodies established by the Prison Act 1952 to monitor the welfare of prisoners in the UK to ensure that they are properly cared for within Prison and Immigration Centre rules, whilst in custody and detention...
at Maidstone Convict Prison
Maidstone (HM Prison)
HM Prison Maidstone is a Category C men's prison, located in Maidstone, Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
.
Autobiography
In 1943 Phillipps published his autobiography My Days and Ways; published by Pillans & Wilson of Edinburgh and printed "for private circulation". Douglas has described it as a “useful record to how matters looked to a devoted Asquithian”.Death
Phillipps died at his home at Upper Kennards, Leigh, KentLeigh, Kent
Leigh , historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles south of Sevenoaks town and three miles west of Tonbridge....
near Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
in Kent on 16 January 1955 aged 84.