Henry Duke, 1st Baron Merrivale
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Henry Edward Duke, 1st Baron Merrivale PC (5 November 1855-20 May 1939), was a British judge and Conservative politician. He served as Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1916 and 1918.
Duke was the second son of William Edward Duke, a granite merchant of Merrivale, Devon, and his wife Elizabeth Ann (née Lord). From a modest background, he was educated locally and did not attend a public school or university. In early life he worked as a journalist for the local newspaper the Western Morning News, but at the age of 25 he came to London to cover the House of Commons. While in London Duke began to study law, and was called to the Bar, Gray's Inn, in 1885. He at forst worked on the Western circuit but later established a successful legal practice in London. He was a recorder for Devonport and Plymouth from 1897 to 1900 and for Devonport alone until 1914, and was made a Queen's Counsel in 1899.
The following year Duke was elected to the House of Commons for Plymouth as a Unionist, a seat he held until 1906 when he was defeated. He returned to Parliament in the January 1910 general election as the representative for Exeter. He retained the seat in the December 1910 election by only a single vote (after a scrutiny of the votes), and held it until 1918. Duke sat on the front opposition bench during the early years of the First World War and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1915. In July 1916 he was appointed by Prime Minister H.H. Asquith to succeeded Augustine Birrell as Chief Secretary for Ireland, with a seat in the cabinet, after Birrell had resigned due to the consequences of the Easter Rising. Duke's tenure as Chief Secretary saw the troubles in Ireland continue and he resigned in May 1918.
After his resignation Duke was knighted and appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal. In 1919 he was made President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice, a post he held until 1933. In 1925 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Merrivale, of Walkhampton in the County of Devon.
Lord Merrivale married Sarah, daughter of John Shorland, in 1876. They had one son and a daughter. His wife died in 1914. Merrivale survived her by 25 years and died in May 1939, aged 83. He was succeeded in the barony by his only son Edward.
[edit] Styles
- Henry Duke, Esq. (1855–1899)
- Henry Duke, Esq., QC (1899–1900)
- Henry Duke, Esq., QC, MP (1900–1906)
- Henry Duke, Esq., QC (1906-1910)
- Henry Duke, Esq., QC, MP (1910-1915)
- The Rt Hon. Henry Duke, QC, MP (1915-1918)
- The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Duke (1918-1919)
- The Rt Hon. Sir Henry Duke (1919-1925)
- The Rt Hon. The Lord Merrivale, PC (1925-1939)
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sigismund Ferdinand Mendl Ivor Guest |
Member of Parliament for Plymouth with Ivor Guest 1900–1906 |
Succeeded by Thomas William Dobson Charles Edward Mallet |
| Preceded by Sir George William Kekewich |
Member of Parliament for Exeter 1910–1918 |
Succeeded by Robert Neman |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Augustine Birrell |
Chief Secretary for Ireland 1916–1918 |
Succeeded by Edward Shortt |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Merrivale 1923–1939 |
Succeeded by Edward Duke |
[edit] References
- Legg, L.G. Wickham (editor). The Dictionary of National Biography: 1931-1940. Oxford University Press, 1949.
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
