Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Herbert James Craig (30 September 1869 – 18 March 1934) 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 ...

politician,

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

officer, businessman, barrister and amateur sportsman who played cricket for Cambridge University and lawn tennis.

Background

He was born the son of James Craig MP and Kate Sophia Hould. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

and

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 ...

. He married, in 1909, Elsie Rundall.Who Was Who

Career

Craig was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1892 at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

, and practised on the North-Eastern Circuit. He served as a Justice of the Peace in Northumberland. He served as Liberal MP for

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne, hence its name. It is east-northeast of Newcastle up ...

from 1906 to 1918. He was elected for the first time at

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting e ...

, standing for the first time and gaining the seat from the Conservatives. He was re-elected at both the January 1910 December 1910 general elections. He served in the Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve (Tyneside division), reaching the rank of Commander during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At the 1918 general election, when Liberal MPs were forced to choose between support for Lloyd George's government or Asquith's opposition, he was absent from the

Maurice debate The Maurice Debate was a debate in the British House of Commons which took place on 9 May 1918, during the First World War. A senior British Army officer, Major-General Sir Frederick Maurice, alleged that the War Cabinet had misled Parliament ...

division. He then sought government endorsement for his candidature but the 'coupon' was issued to his Unionist opponent, and he lost his seat at the 1918. He stood again at the 1922 general election, trying to regain his seat. However, he was unsuccessful and did not stand for parliament again.British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S. He was head of the firm, Borries, Craig & Co., Ltd, export merchants and shipbrokers, of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was a Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteers and commanded the Tyne Division from 1920 to 1929. He was an Aide-de-camp from 1926 to 1929. He was appointed a CBE in 1929.

Election results

Sources

*Who Was Who *British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, Craig, F. W. S.

References

External links

* *Who Was Who; http://www.ukwhoswho.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Herbert James 1869 births 1934 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple British businesspeople in shipping Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I