#OTD 1928: Birth of Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, Liberal MP for Orpington 1962-70. Lubbock came to prominence with his victory in the Orpington by-election of March 1962, coming from third place to win the seat. As MP, he campaigned for electoral reform and a reduction in the voting age. 🧵 1/3

#OTD 1988: Paddy Ashdown delivers his first leader’s speech. The speech was well received by a packed hall, with it receiving a five-and-a-half-minute standing ovation. Ashdown noted that spirits were very high at Glee Club.

#OTD 1956: Clement Davies steps down as Liberal leader, stating, 'It is time that the tiller was placed in the hands of a younger man. Fortunately, I can step down knowing that there is a worthy successor waiting.' He is succeeded in November by Jo Grimond.

#OTD 1735: Birth of Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, PM 1768-70. His government was not a success. The cabinet, largely inherited from the previous ministry, lacked a common purpose. Hit by a series of resignations, the government fell apart.

#OTD 1932: Sir Herbert Samuel and Sir Archibald Sinclair resign from the National Government in protest at the protectionist schemes proposed at the Ottawa Conference. The resignations, along with eight junior ministers, completed the split with the Liberal Nationals.

#OTD 1842: The marriage takes place of Peter Alfred Taylor (MP for Leicester 1862-1884) and Clementia Doughty, a remarkable, radical couple who became engaged in all the main political debates of the day. 🧵 1/2

#OTD 1963: Death of Goronwy Owen, Liberal MP for Caernarvonshire 1923-45. He worked as a teacher before serving on the Western Front in WW1. Elected to the House of Commons in 1923, he briefly served as Liberal Chief Whip 1931-32 and as a whip in the National Government.

#OTD 1941: Death of James Daniel Gilbert, banker, city merchant and Liberal MP for Newington West 1916-18 and for Southwark Central 1918-24. He was also a Progressive Party member of the London County Council from 1898-1928.

#OTD 1970: The Liberal Party assembly at Eastbourne passes by 348 votes to 236 a Young Liberal amendment, moved by Tony Greaves, to a motion on party strategy and tactics calling for a dual approach to politics...🧵 1/3

#OTD 1962: Death of Frank Kingsley Griffith, barrister and judge who was Liberal MP for Middlesbrough West 1928-40. He was chair of the Young Liberals and a member of the Liberal Organising Committee. He retired from the Commons in 1940 upon appointment as a County Court Judge.

#OTD 1992: Paddy Ashdown attends a dinner for Boris Yeltsin at Chequers, at which he records PM John Major made a banal speech and Yeltsin made an even more banal reply. But he took the opportunity to discuss the situation in the Balkans, one of his own areas of specialty, with David Owen.

#OTD 1896: William Ewart Gladstone delivers his last major public speech at Hengler's Circus, Liverpool. In a speech lasting an hour and 20 minutes, he denounced the Turkish atrocities in Armenia and called on the Government to take action.

#OTD 1893 Birth in Norwich of Sir Geoffrey Shakespeare, 1st Baronet. He served as private secretary to David Lloyd George, 1921-23, and attended the negotiations which led to the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty.

#OTD 1923: Death of John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley, Liberal MP (1883-95 & 1896-1908), a strong supporter of Irish Home Rule. In 1905, Morley became Secretary of State for India and became Lord President of the Council in 1910. He resigned from government in opposition to Britain's entry into WW1.

#OTD 1961: The Liberal Party Assembly meeting in Edinburgh votes overwhelmingly to apply to join the Common Market in a motion moved by Jeremy Thorpe MP. This prompted the resignation of Oliver Smedley, later Chair of the 'Keep Britain Out' campaign and one of the founders of the IEA.

#OTD 1921: Mrs Margaret Wintringham wins the Louth by-election in a three-cornered contest, becoming the first woman Liberal MP. In parliament, Wintringham campaigned for an equalisation of the voting age, for women to be allowed to sit in the House of Lords and for equal pay.

#OTD 1932: Samuelite Liberal candidate David Owen Evans wins the Cardiganshire by-election (a three-cornered fight with the Conservatives and Labour) with a 4571 (16.6%) majority; showing that the Liberals, even after their recent split, could still win in a three-cornered fight.

#OTD 1937: Death of (Jessie) Chrystal Macmillan (1872-1937), barrister, pacifist, campaigner for women's suffrage, and Liberal PPC for Edinburgh North in 1935. She served on the executive of the NUWSS and was one of the first generation of female barristers.

#OTD 1881: Birth of Thomas Arthur Lewis, schoolteacher, barrister and Liberal MP. In parliament, Lewis campaigned for Welsh home rule and the rights of Nonconformists. In 1922 he was appointed a Junior Lord of the Treasury.

#OTD 1916: Liberal candidate Sir Charles Seely wins the Mansfield by-election with a majority of 3,141. His independent opponent's strong second place was seen as showing that the public favoured a stronger prosecution of the war than Asquith's coalition was perceived as giving.

#OTD 1959: Frank Byers, Chairman of the Liberal Party, announces at a press conference that the Liberal Party will fight the next general election as a totally independent party. He states that Liberalism is an independent political faith and there would be no deals to compromise this independence.

#OTD 1830: Birth of Edward Read, naval architect and Liberal MP for Pembroke 1874-80, Cardiff 1880-95 & 1900-06. As the Royal Navy's Chief Constructor, he oversaw the final transition from wood to ironclad warships.

#OTD 1882: Birth of Sir Arthur Comyns Carr, barrister and Liberal MP for Islington East 1923-24. He was involved in the cross-examining of independent MP Horatio Bottomley (which led to his expulsion from the House of Commons) and the trials of German and Japanese war criminals after World War II.

#OTD 1858: Birth of Sir Henry Norman, journalist and Liberal MP for Wolverhampton South 1900-10 and Blackburn 1910-23. He chaired several committees, including the Wireless Telegraphy Committee, which drew up a complete wireless scheme for the British Empire.

#OTD 1841: Death of Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham. Whig MP for Dover 1826-32 and Manchester 1832-39. As Governor General of Canada, he oversaw the implementation of the Union Act of 1840, which united Upper and Lower Canada as one province.

#OTD 1949: Death of Sir William Sutherland, Parliamentary Private Secretary and Press Secretary to David Lloyd George (an early example of a Government spin doctor). He was also one of Lloyd George's go-betweens in the sale of honours.

New Journal of Liberal History available; fringe meeting on 'Liberalism: the ideas that built the Liberal Democrats', 20 September; and survey - mailchi.mp/cdc7f27cffae...

#OTD 1981: Amid ringing cheers at the party conference in Llandudno and against the background of the surge in support for the newly formed SDP and its Alliance with the Liberal Party, David Steel tells delegates, "go back to your constituencies and prepare for government".

#OTD 2003: Sarah Teather becomes the new MP for Brent East, winning a byelection with a 29% swing against Labour. Commenting on this, Charles Kennedy said, 'In Britain's most diverse community, we have shown that we can speak for every section of society".

#OTD 1903: Liberal candidate Edward Charles Ellice gains St Andrews Burghs from the Liberal Unionists in a by-election by the narrow majority of 36 votes. Whilst opposed to traditional Liberal policies on Irish Home Rule and disestablishmentarianism, he supported Free Trade.

#OTD 1987: Following a disappointing result in the 1987 General Election, the Liberal Party conference meeting in Harrogate votes by 998 votes to 21 in favour of merger with the SDP and elects a 17-person team to begin negotiations with the SDP.

#OTD 1968: Happy birthday to Ian Room, Lib Dem MP for Devon North since July 2024. He was born and raised in Sheffield and joined the RAF. On leaving the RAF, he worked as a mental health nurse at North Devon District Hospital. He would later lead North Devon District Council.

#OTD 1861: The Post Office Savings Bank is established by Lord Palmerston's Liberal government to provide the working class with a safe means of savings. Its acceptance and success was one of the indicators which led to a widening of the franchise in the Second Reform Act.

#OTD 1957: Happy birthday to Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP for Norfolk North 2001-19. Before that, he was a Norwich City Councillor, serving as Group Leader 1989-91. With the formation of the coalition government, he was appointed Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser to Deputy PM Nick Clegg.

#OTD 1932: Sir Herbert Samuel writes to the King's Secretary, suggesting the Liberals withdraw from the National Government to 'offer an alternative both to Protectionist Conservatism and Socialism.' 🧵 1/4

#OTD 1909: Death of Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth, Liberal MP for Berwickshire 1880-94. In 1905, he became First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1908, correspondence between him and the Kaiser was leaked to the press, showing that he gave details of the UK's shipbuilding programme.

#OTD 1881: Birth of Roderick Kedward, Wesleyan minister and Liberal MP for Bermondsey West 1923-24 and Ashford 1929-31. He was known as 'the fighting parson' while in Hull, by physically defending a woman from her violent husband. As MP, he campaigned against the Church of England collecting tithes.

#OTD 1894: Birth of George Garro-Jones, Liberal MP for Hackney South 1924-29. He later defected to the Labour Party and was MP for Aberdeen North. He was created Baron Trefgarne in 1947.

#OTD 1854: The British army invades the Crimea. Publicity about the poor administration of the army and inadequate provision for casualties undermined Lord Aberdeen's coalition of Peelites, Whigs and Radicals. These factions regrouped in 1859 to form the Liberal Party.

#OTD 1799: Birth of Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham. Whig MP for Dover 1826-32 and Manchester 1832-39. Thomson joined Earl Grey's government in 1830 as Vice-President of the Board of Trade (an office he held again in 1834 & 1835-39) and Treasurer of the Navy.

#OTD 1806: Death of Charles James Fox, Whig MP, orator, radical thinker, and possessor of one of the most colourful and dissolute private lives of all politicians. Fox was Foreign Secretary at the time of his death and had held that post twice before, albeit very briefly.

#OTD 1982: Happy birthday to Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon since 2017 and the first MP of Palestinian descent. Following the defeat of Jo Swinson at the 2019 election, Moran stood against Sir Ed Davey in the subsequent leadership contest.

#OTD 1783: Birth of Edward Ellice, at first Whig-Radical and later Liberal MP for Coventry from 1818 to 1826 and again from 1830 to 1863. Ellice was the brother-in-law of PM Earl Grey (1830-34), and he served as an unofficial whip and played a significant role in the passage of the First Reform Act.

#OTD 1852: Birth of Herbert Henry Asquith. After establishing a lucrative legal career, he was elected Liberal MP for East Fife in 1886. Appointed Home Secretary at 39, he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer before succeeding Henry Campbell-Bannerman as PM. 🧵 1/3

#OTD 1900: Death of William White (1820-1900), a bookseller and publisher in Birmingham. White's interest in moral and social improvements led him through the Society of Friends to Liberal politics, and in 1873 he was elected a councillor in St Mary's Ward. 🧵 1/3

#OTD 1933: A Memorial Service for Viscount Edward Grey of Fallodon, the Liberal Foreign Secretary, is held at Westminster Abbey. He's best remembered for remarking at the outbreak of WW1: 'The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our life-time.'

#OTD 1954: Happy birthday to Baroness Lorely Burt, Liberal Democrat MP for Solihull 2005-15, Chair of the Lib Dem Parliamentary Party, 2007- 2013, Lib Dem spokesperson for Business, Innovation and Skills in July 2015, and Lib Dem spokesperson for Women and Equalities 2016-19.

#OTD 1966: 200 Welsh Liberal delegates attend a conference at Llandiloes, Montgomeryshire. Under the leadership of Emlyn Hooson MP, they founded the Welsh Liberal Party as a separate state party from England and Scotland. This brings about the modern-day federal structure of the Liberal Democrats.

#OTD 1876: Following the publication of his famous pamphlet, The Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East, 3 days earlier, Gladstone speaks at a rally in Blackheath. Employing less emotional language, he used physical presence and oratorical techniques to stir the crowd.

#OTD 1963: Death of Geoffrey Mander, industrialist and Liberal MP for Wolverhampton East 1929-1945, a strong supporter of the League of Nations and a leading critic of appeasement. In 1932, Mander Brothers was the first company in the UK to introduce the 40-hour week.