Alexander Leslie Renton (6 July 1868 – 6 May 1947) was a British

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 ...

and then

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

politician.

Background

A son of James Hall Renton, who also stood for parliament. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

. He married in 1895, Kathleen Elliot Taylor of Horton Manor,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

. They had two sons and one daughter. She died in 1922.

Military career

He joined the

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the Army of Scotland that became a regiment of the British Army in 1707 upon the Union of Scotland and England, continuing until 1971 when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of ...

in 1888. He served with the

South African Light Horse The South African Light Horse regiment of the British Army were raised in Cape Colony in 1899 and disbanded in 1907. The commanding officer tasked with raising the regiment was Major (locally a Lieutenant Colonel) the Honourable Julian Byng. ...

in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

(despatches, medal and three clasps). Following his return to the United Kingdom he was appointed

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the

Northamptonshire Yeomanry The Northamptonshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1794 as volunteer cavalry. It served in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War before being reduced to squadron level in 1956. It cease ...

on 5 March 1902. He later served in

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 ...

1914–18. He travelled extensively in Africa and Central Asia.

Political career

He contested

South Dorset South Dorset is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 2024 by Lloyd Hatton, of th ...

at the 1900 General Election as a Liberal. He was MP for

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, Saskatchewan, Ca ...

from 1906 to 1910. He was elected as a Liberal, gaining the seat from the Conservatives in 1906. However he found himself out of step with the reforming nature of the government and left the Liberals in 1907 and sat as a Liberal Unionist for the rest of the parliament. In 1908 he opposed the Liberal Government's Licensing Bill, being one of the speakers to address a large demonstration in Hyde Park. He opposed the Liberal Government's House of Lord's reform proposals, considering them to be 'meddling'. Instead of trying to defend his seat under his new label he switched to contest

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

in January 1910 but was unable to unseat the Liberal MP. He did not stand for parliament again. He served as a Justice of the Peace.Who Was Who

Sources

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

References

External links

*Who Was Who; http://www.ukwhoswho.com
Parliamentary Archives, Correspondence, papers and press cuttings of Major A L Renton, MP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renton, Alexander Leslie 1868 births 1947 deaths People educated at Harrow School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 Northamptonshire Yeomanry officers Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies English justices of the peace British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Royal Scots Greys officers Volunteer Force officers British Army personnel of World War I