File 004 - Asquith

Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, was born on September 12, 1852, in Morley, England.

He was a British politician. He graduated from Oxford University and began to work as a barrister in 1876. In 1886, his interest in politics saw him successfully stand for election as a Member of Parliament for East Fife. He was promoted to Home Secretary in 1892, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1905, and Prime Minister in 1908. Asquith's government was responsible for constitutional changes within British politics, including Lloyd George's People's Budget in 1909 and the Parliament Act 1911, which limited the powers of the House of Lords in passing legislation. Before the outbreak of World War I, Asquith introduced the Government of Ireland Act 1914, but later proved ineffectual as a war-time leader and resigned in 1916. Following the loss of his seat in the 1918 general election, Asquith remained the leader of the Liberal Party, was elected to represent Paisley in 1920 and became Earl of Oxford and Asquith in 1925. He resigned from the leadership of the Liberal party in 1926.

In 1877, he married Helen Kensall Melland (1854–1891), and in 1894, he remarried Emma Alice Margaret Tennant (1864–1945). He died on February 15, 1928, in Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire, England.