Alfred Ernest William Hazel (20 February 1869 – 20 August 1944) was a British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

Member of Parliament (MP) and legal academic at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Background

He was educated at

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

Wesleyan School and King Edward's School, Birmingham before going to study

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and Law at Jesus College, Oxford. He graduated with first-class honours and won the Eldon Law Scholarship. He was called to the bar by

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1898, and was appointed to a Fellowship in Law at Jesus College in the same year.

Politics

He was MP for

between 1906 (when the Liberal Party won a large majority) and January 1910 (when the Liberal Party lost 125 seats, including West Bromwich). He was re-selected as prospective Liberal candidate for West Bromwich and was to fight a general election expected in 1914/15 which was postponed due to the outbreak of war. When the election eventually took place in 1918, the partners in the Coalition Government decided to endorse his Unionist opponent so he withdrew from the contest. He did not stand for parliament again.

Career outside politics

He was Reader in Constitutional Law at the

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court: Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have s ...

from 1910 to 1926. In 1915, he also became University Lecturer on Criminal Law and the Law of Evidence at Oxford, a position he held until 1922, when he was appointed All Souls Reader in English Law (until 1933). Between 1915 and 1919, he was Deputy Controller in the Priority Department of the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1918 New Year Honours for his efforts during the First World War. In 1925, he was appointed Principal of Jesus College, and in 1930 he was appointed to the

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

. He was also Recorder of Burton-on-Trent between 1912 and 1938. Some accommodation for students at Jesus College is now named after Hazel.

Personal life

In 1919, he married Ethel Percival, with whom he had one son. He died in Oxford in 1944.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hazel, Alfred 1869 births 1944 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham Principals of Jesus College, Oxford 20th-century King's Counsel