John Henry Whitley

John Henry Whitley (8 February 1866 – 3 February 1935), often known as J. H. Whitley, was a British politician and Georgist.[2][3] He was the final Liberal to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, a role he held from 1921 to 1928.

For persons of a similar name, see John Whitley (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable
John Henry Whitley
Whitley in 1915
Speaker of the House of Commons
of the United Kingdom
In office
28 April 1921 – 20 June 1928
MonarchGeorge V
Preceded byJames William Lowther
Succeeded byEdward FitzRoy
Member of Parliament
for Halifax
In office
1900–1928
Succeeded byArthur Longbottom
Personal details
Born(1866-02-08)8 February 1866
Halifax, Yorkshire
Died3 February 1935(1935-02-03) (aged 68)
Halifax, Yorkshire
Resting placeLister Lane Cemetery, Halifax
53.7223°N 1.8741°W / 53.7223; -1.8741 (Lister Lane Cemetery)
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal
Alma materClifton College
OccupationCotton miller
Arms as displayed in Speaker's House.[1]

Family and early career

Whitley was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, on 8 February 1866[4][5] son of Nathan Whitley (1830–1889) from Ovenden. Nathan went on to serve as Mayor of Halifax (1876–1877), succeeding his cousin-in-law Edward Crossley, the son of Joseph Crossley (1813-1868), a partner in John Crossley & Sons carpet factory, Halifax.

After an early education boarding at Wiseman's House, Clifton College,[6] Whitley entered his uncle Samuel Whitley's cotton spinning business, S. Whitley & Co. at Hanson Lane Mills, Skircoat, Halifax.[7] Nathan was a partner in the business and took over after Samuel's death in 1884.

In 1892, Whitley married Margherita (Margaret) Virginia Marchetti.[8] Margherita was born in Putney in 1872,[9] a daughter of an Italian, Giulio (Julian) Marchetti, who had served as an officer under Garibaldi before settling in England to marry Anne Crossley in Halifax in 1871[10] and take his place in the carpet manufacturing business.

They had two daughters and two sons: Margaret Phyllis b.1895;[11] Percival Nathan b.1893;[12] Monica Virginia b.1903;[13] and Oliver John b.1912.[14] Margherita died in 1925[15] and John Henry remarried in 1928 to Helen Clarke in Chelsea.[16][17]

Political career

Pre-war

Whitley became Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax in 1900, a seat he held until he resigned in 1928. He served as Junior Lord of the Treasury from 1907 to 1910 in the Liberal Government 1905-1915. He was appointed Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means 1910–1911, Privy Counsellor in 1911 and he held the role of Chairman of Ways and Means, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, from 1911 to 1921.

Whitley Councils
Main article: Whitley Council

During World War I, in 1917, Whitley was appointed to chair a committee to report on 'the Relations of Employers and Employees' in the wake of the establishment of the Shop Stewards Movement and the widespread protest action against dilution. The smooth running of industry was vital to the war effort so maintaining good industrial relations was a priority.[18]

He proposed a system of regular formal consultative meetings between workers and employers, known to this day as "Whitley Councils". These would be empowered to cover any issue related to pay and conditions of service, and to take matters through to arbitration if necessary. This was a strong model which was to influence industrial relations beyond the UK.

The intention was to establish Whitley councils in the private sector, in particular in those industries most affected by the strike wave – to offset the demand for 'workers' control' – a demand which was rapidly gaining ground after the Russian revolution.

However, the councils failed to gain ground in coal, cotton, engineering and other heavy industries, but succeeded only in the sphere of government employment where they remain a major feature of public sector industrial relations to this day.

Speaker
Mr. Speaker's Retirement Act 1928
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to settle and secure an annuity upon the Right Honourable John Henry Whitley in consideration of his eminent services.
Citation18 & 19 Geo. 5. c. 16
Dates
Royal assent3 August 1928

Whitley was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons in 1921, a post he held until 1928, when he resigned[19] on grounds of ill health. He refused the customary peerage offered by the monarch – breaking a tradition that had originated in 1789.[7]

Some notable portraits of Whitley were commissioned during this period, with paintings by both William Rothenstein[20] and Glyn Warren Philpot.[21]

Post-Parliament

Despite resigning as MP and Speaker, his political work continued. He chaired the Royal Commission on Labour in India, which reported in 1931. The report surprised many by concurring with the criticisms of Mahatma Gandhi and others that poverty was the cause of India's social and industrial problems. It was also critical of British employers' role in perpetuating the problems.[22]

Whitley was offered a knighthood for his work on this report, but again, he, like a minority of others, declined.

BBC

His friendship with John Reith led to his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC in 1930.[23] In 1932, he made the first broadcast on the Empire Service, which developed into the World Service.[7] He held the Chairmanship until his death.

Death and burial

Whitley died on 3 February 1935, aged 68, shortly before his 69th birthday.[4] He is buried in Plot 456, Lister Lane Cemetery, Halifax.[24]

Works
  • Whitley, John Henry (1918). The Great Alternative; Saner Politics or Revolution. ISBN 1-154-17365-8.
  • Whitley, John Henry (1918). Chapman, S.J. (ed.). (Introduction): Labor and Capital after the War. p. 296. ISBN 978-1-104-21032-8.

The John Henry Whitley archive

The personal archive of John Henry Whitley was donated to the Archives and Special Collections of the University of Huddersfield in 2012.[25][26]

Honours

A blue plaque was to Whitley erected by the Halifax Civic Trust.[27]

References
  1. "Speaker Whitley, armorial name plate". Baz Manning. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. "His Majesty's Ministers and the Doctrines of Henry George". National Review. W.H. Allen. 1908. p. 419. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  3. The National Review. W.H. Allen. 1908.
  4. "Royal Academy of Arts Collections - Person". Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. March 1866. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  6. "Clifton College - Upper - Houses - Wiseman's House". Clifton College. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  7. "Mr Speaker, a son of Halifax". Halifax Courier. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  8. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. June 1892. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  9. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. September 1872. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  10. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. June 1871. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  11. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. June 1895. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  12. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. December 1893. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  13. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. December 1903. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  14. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. March 1912. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  15. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. December 1925. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  16. Bull, Malcolm (ed.). "Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion". Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  17. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. September 1928. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  18. Macrae-Gibson, J. H. (1922). "The Whitley system in the civil service". The Fabian Society. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  19. "GREAT BRITAIN New Speaker". Time. 2 July 1928. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  20. "National Portrait Gallery - Portrait - NPG 4799; John Henry Whitley". National Portrait Gallery. 1924. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  21. "Artwork - John Henry Whitley [ 1866-1935 Speaker ] - UK Parliament". Art in Parliament. 1929. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  22. "St. Gandhi Yessed". Time. 13 July 1931. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  23. "The BBC Story: BBC Chairmen Listing" (PDF). BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  24. "Lister Lane Cemetery - People". Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  25. "Historic political archive finds home in Huddersfield". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 29 December 2012.
  26. Devenney, Amy (2012). "New Deposits of the University of Huddersfield Archives and Special Collections". Huddersfield Local History Society Journal: 40–42.
  27. "List of Blue Plaques". Halifax Civic Trust. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
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