Harold John Tennant PC (18 November 1865 – 9 November 1935), often known as Jack Tennant, was a Scottish

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

politician. He served as

Secretary for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...

under his brother-in-law

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

between July and December 1916.

Background and education

Born at The Glen,

Innerleithen Innerleithen () is a civil parish and a small town in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders. It was formerly in the historic county of Peeblesshire or Tweeddale. Etymology The name "Innerleithen" comes from the Scottish G ...

, Peeblesshire, Harold Tennant was a younger son of

Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Clow Tennant, 1st Baronet, (4 November 1823 – 4 June 1906) was a Scottish businessman, industrialist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Early life Tennant was the son of John Tennant (1796–1878) and Robina (née Arrol ...

, by his first wife Emma, daughter of Richard Winsloe. He was the brother of

Edward Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner Edward Priaulx Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner (31 May 1859 – 21 November 1920), known as Sir Edward Tennant, 2nd Baronet from 1906 to 1911, was a Scottish businessman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. In 1911 he was raised to the p ...

and

Margot Asquith Emma Alice Margaret Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith (' Tennant; 2 February 1864 – 28 July 1945), known as Margot Asquith, was a British socialite and author. She was married to British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith from 1894 to his ...

(and hence the brother-in-law of

) and the half-brother of Baroness Elliot of Harwood. Tennant was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

Political career

Tennant was Assistant Private Secretary to his brother-in-law

while the latter was Home Secretary between 1892 and 1895. In 1894 he was elected Member of Parliament for

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

. Asquith became Prime Minister in 1908 and in January 1909 he appointed Tennant

Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade in the United Kingdom was a member of Parliament assigned to assist the Board of Trade and its President with administration and liaison with Parliament. It replaced the Vice-President of the Board ...

. Tennant remained in this office until 1911, and then served under Asquith as

Financial Secretary to the War Office The Financial Secretary to the War Office and for certain periods known as the Finance Member of the Army Council, was a junior ministerial office of the British government established in 1870. In May 1947 the office was unified with that of the ...

from 1911 to 1912 and as

Under-Secretary of State for War Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

from 1912 to 1916. In 1914 he was sworn of the Privy Council. He entered the cabinet as

under Asquith in July 1916, a post he held until Asquith was ousted as Prime Minister in December 1916. Tennant did not serve under

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

. At the 1918 general election, the Berwickshire constituency was abolished, and Tennant contested the new Berwickshire and Haddingtonshire constituency. He faced two opponents: R. W. Foulis of the Labour Party, and the 1911–1918

Haddingtonshire East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the historic county was incorporated for loca ...

John Deans Hope John Deans Hope (8 May 1860 – 13 December 1949) was a Scottish Liberal Party politician. Family and education Hope was born in Duddington, Midlothian, the son of the late James Hope of Eastbarns, Dunbar, a famous agriculturalist. In 1899 he m ...

. With two incumbent Liberal MPs contesting one seat, Hope's receipt of the

coalition coupon The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place soon after British victory in the ...

secured his victory, with 54% of the votes. Tennant came a poor third, with only 16% of the votes. Tennant also unsuccessfully contested Glasgow Central in 1923 but never returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. During his time in Parliament, Tennant supported a number of progressive measures such as worker's compensation, minimum wage provisions, school medical inspections, factory inspections, and unemployment insurance.

Personal life

Tennant married factory inspector May Abraham in 1896. He bought

Great Maytham Hall Great Maytham Hall, near Rolvenden, Kent, England, is a Grade II* listed country house. The gardens are famous for providing the inspiration for ''The Secret Garden'' by Frances Hodgson Burnett. House The original name of the Manor here was G ...

, Rolvenden, Kent, in 1910. He commissioned

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

to rebuild the hall at a cost of £24,000. As leader of the war memorial committee, he also engaged Lutyens to design the Rolvenden War Memorial, erected in 1922. Tennant died in November 1935, aged 70.

References

*Torrance, David, ''The Scottish Secretaries'' (Birlinn 2006)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennant, Harold John 1865 births 1935 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Scottish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts ...

UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 Younger sons of baronets People from Rolvenden Deputy lieutenants of Aberdeen Parliamentary Secretaries to the Board of Trade Secretaries for Scotland