Home > William Joynson-Hicks, 1st Viscount Brentford

He was born William Hicks to Henry Hicks and Grace Lynn in 1865 and educated at Merchant Taylors' School. In 1886 he changed his surname to Joynson-Hicks and practiced as a solicitor. He joined the Conservative Party and unsuccessfully contested seats in Manchester in the general elections of 1900 and 1906. In 1908 the Ministers of the Crown Act required newly appointed Cabinet Ministers to recontest their seats and the President of the Board of Trade Winston Churchill was obliged to restand. As Churchill had defected from the Conservatives to the LiberalsThe Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the 1920s, and a third party of varying strength and importance up to 1988, when it merged with the Social Democratic Party to form a new party which wo, the Conservatives were disinclined to allow him an uncontested return. Joynson-Hicks was adopted against him and in a high profile campaign defeated Churchill. This provoked a strong reaction across the county with The Daily TelegraphThis article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. Its sister paper, The Sunday Telegraph was founded in 1961. running the front page headline Winston Churchill is OUT! OUT! OUT!

Joynson-Hicks lost the seat in the 1910 general election but the following year was elected for the seat of TwickenhamTwickenham is a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in the south-west of London, England best known as the home of Twickenham Stadium the headquarters of the Rugby Football Union. Over the years the stadium has encourged the growth of the d, which he sat for until 1929Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 See also 1929 in aviation 1929 in film 1929 in literature 1929 in mu. By 1922Events January 7 Dali Eireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64-57 votes. January 10 Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dail Eireann January 11 First successful insulin treatment of diabetes. January 12 British government releases Irish prisoners he had established a reputation as one of the "die-hards" on the right-wing of the party, and in that year he emerged as a strong critic of the party's participation in a coalition government with David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM ( January 17, 1863 March 26, 1945) was a British statesman and the last Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Upbringing Although born in Manchester in 1863, David Lloyd George was a Welsh-spe. When the coalition fell in OctoberOctober is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. From the Latin octo for " eight" (it was originally the eighth month of the year, before January and February were inserted). Holidays Halloween Thanksgiving Day in Canada on, he entered government for the first time as Minister for Overseas Trade . In the fifteen month Conservative administration of first Andrew Bonar LawAndrew Bonar Law ( September 16, 1858 October 30, 1923) was a Conservative British statesman and Prime Minister. Although born in Kingston, New Brunswick, Canada, son of a Presbyterian minister, Law was raised by wealthy Scottish cousins. Law eventually b and then Stanley Baldwin, Joynson-Hicks was rapidly promoted, often filling positions left vacant by the promotion of Neville Chamberlain. In 1923 he became Paymaster-General then Postmaster General. When Stanley Baldwin became Prime Minister, he initially also retained his previous position of Chancellor of the Exchequer whilst searching for a permanent successor. To relieve the burden of this position, he promoted Joynson-Hicks to Financial Secretary to the Treasury and included him in the Cabient. Joynson-Hicks had hopes of eventually becoming Chancellor himself, but instead Neville Chamberlain was appointed to the post in August 1923. Once more Joynson-Hicks filled the gap left by Chamberlain's promotion, serving as Minister of Health until the government fell in January 1924.

The Conservatives returned to power in November 1924 and Joynson-Hicks was appointed to arguably his most famous role, that of Home Secretary. Joynson-Hicks became popularly known as Jix and was seen as a reactionary for his attempts to crack down on night clubs and other aspects of the "Roaring Twenties". During the General Strike of 1926 he emerged as one of the "hawks" of the government, wishing to pursue a confrontational policy, though in the event Baldwin overuled this. Later in 1927 Joynson-Hicks turned his fire on the proposed new version of the Book of Common Prayer. The law required Parliament to approve such revisions, normally regarded as a formality, but when the Prayer Book came before the House of Commons Joynson-Hicks argued strongly against its adoption as he felt it strayed far from the Protestant principles of the Church of England. The debate on the Prayer Book is regarded as one of the most eloquent ever seen in the Commons, and resulted in the rejection of the Prayer Book. A revised version was submitted in 1928 but rejected again. However the Church of England Convocation then declared an emergency and used this as a pretext to use the new Prayer Book for many decades afterwards. Joynson-Hicks also created a stir when, without consulting Baldwin, he pledged that the Conservatives would give the vote to all women over the age of twenty-one - a pledge which thus had to be honoured in 1928.

In 1929 the Conservatives lost power and Joynson-Hicks took a peerage as the 1st Viscount Brentford. He remained a leading figure in the Conservative Party, but due to his declining health he was not invited to join the National Government in either August or November 1931. The following June he died at the age of 66.