Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Joseph Davidson Qualtrough

CBE 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 ...

JP SHK (11 June 1885 – 14 January 1960) was

Speaker of the House of Keys The Speaker of the House of Keys () is the principal officer of the House of Keys, the lower house of the Isle of Man legislature. The Speaker is elected from the membership of the House at its first sitting after an election. He is responsibl ...

from 1937 to 1960. He was born in Castletown, the son of Joseph Qualtrough MLC,

Receiver General of the Isle of Man {{Politics of the Isle of Man The receiver-general of the Isle of Man was an appointment made by the Lieutenant Governor (Isle of Man), lieutenant governor. Until 1919, the receiver-general had a seat in the Legislative Council of the Isle of Ma ...

. He was educated at

King William's College King William's College () is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school for pupils aged 3 to 18 near Castletown, Isle of Man, Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Hea ...

and then served in the

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equi ...

from 1915 to 1919 as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. On his return from the war he was elected MHK for Castletown in 1919 in a by-election. He was returned unopposed in 1919, 1924, 1929 and 1934 and was again returned as MHK for the same constituency at the 1946, 1951 and 1956 General Elections. He was a Methodist local preacher and a Manx speaker. In 1954, he was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. He was appointed Speaker of the House of Keys on 7 December 1937 and served in that position until his death. The Second Report of the Tynwald Honours Committee 2004-2005 recommended his inclusion in the Manx Patriots' Roll of Honour, citing his championing of the campaigns for 'constitutional reform and a greater degree of self-government' as well as his role in the establishment of a national housing scheme and a winter works scheme. Tynwald approved of his inclusion, alongside 15 others, at its 13 July 2005 sitting.

References

Members of the House of Keys 1913–1919 Members of the House of Keys 1919–1924 Members of the House of Keys 1924–1929 Members of the House of Keys 1929–1934 Members of the House of Keys 1934–1946 Members of the House of Keys 1946–1951 Members of the House of Keys 1951–1956 Members of the House of Keys 1956–1962 Knights Bachelor Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers People educated at King William's College 1885 births 1960 deaths {{IsleofMan-politician-stub