Arthur Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft

Summary

Arthur Michael Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft (6 December 1872 – 17 August 1942) was a British Conservative politician.

The Lord Mancroft
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee
In office
1929–1931
Preceded byWilliam Graham
Succeeded byMorgan Jones
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office
1 November 1927 – 5 June 1929
Prime MinisterStanley Baldwin
Preceded byRonald McNeill
Succeeded byFrederick Pethick-Lawrence
Secretary for Overseas Trade
In office
4 November 1924 – 1 November 1927
Prime MinisterStanley Baldwin
Preceded byWilliam Lunn
Succeeded byDouglas Hacking
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
23 December 1937 – 17 August 1942
Hereditary peerage
Preceded byPeerage created
Succeeded byThe 2nd Baron Mancroft
Member of Parliament
for Farnham
In office
14 December 1918 – 23 March 1937
Preceded byConstituency created
Succeeded byGodfrey Nicholson
Personal details
Born
Arthur Michael Samuel

(1872-12-06)6 December 1872
Norwich, England
Died17 August 1942(1942-08-17) (aged 69)
Uckfield, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Phoebe Fletcher
(m. 1912)
EducationNorwich School

Background edit

Born in Norwich,[1] Lord Mancroft was the eldest son of Benjamin Samuel, of Norwich (19 April 1840 – 16 April 1890), and Rosetta Haldinstein (died 29 April 1907, daughter of Philip Haldinstein and wife Rachel Soman), and grandson of Michael Samuel (1799–1857), all of them were Ashkenazi Jews.

Early life edit

He was educated at Norwich School.[2] He was Lord Mayor of Norwich from 1912 to 1913. He as the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Norwich [3] and was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Norwich in 1928.

Member of Parliament edit

in the two General elections of 1910 he stood for the Conservatives in the Stretford division of Lancashire, near Manchester, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. In 1918 he was elected as member of parliament (MP) for Farnham, a seat he would hold until 1937, and served under Stanley Baldwin as Secretary for Overseas Trade from 1924 to 1927 and as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1927 to 1929. He was also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons in 1930 and 1931. Samuel was created a Baronet, of Mancroft, in the City of Norwich in the County of Norfolk, on 15 January 1932,[4] and on 23 December 1937, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Mancroft, of Mancroft (referring to the area around St Peter Mancroft church) in the City of Norwich.[5]

Family edit

Lord Mancroft married Phoebe Fletcher, daughter of George Alfred Chune Fletcher and wife, in 1912. He died in Uckfield[6] on 17 August 1942,[7] aged 69, and was succeeded in the baronetcy and the barony by his son Stormont Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft. He was also to become a Conservative government minister.

The papers of Lord Mancroft are in the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge.[8]

Author edit

He published: "Life of Giovanni Battista Piranesi"; "The Working of the Bill of Exchange with an Explanation of the Overseas Trade Balance"; "The Herring: its Effect on the History of Britain"; and "The Mancroft Essays".[9]

Arms edit

Coat of arms of Arthur Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft
 
 
Crest
In front of a representation of Norwich Castle with three cupolas issuant from each a staff Proper flying therefrom a banner Argent charged with a cross Gules a sword sheathed Gules garnished Or pommelled and hilted Or and a mace Gold in saltire (i.e. a representation of the ancient Crystal Mace and the Sword in the Regalia of the Corporation of the City of Norwich).
Escutcheon
Gules a chevron chequy Argent and Sable between in chief two portcullises chained Or and in base a representation of Farnham Castle triple towered Or on a chief Or a lion passant guardant Sable.
Supporters
On either side a whiffler of the Corporation of the City of Norwich Proper.[10]
Motto
COURAGE, PATIENCE

References edit

  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ^ Who's Who 1938, page 2220
  3. ^ "Public Service". Jewish Lives Project. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ "No. 33791". The London Gazette. 19 January 1932. p. 419.
  5. ^ "No. 34375". The London Gazette. 26 February 1937. p. 1324.
  6. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Mr Arthur Samuel (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  8. ^ "The Papers of 1st Baron Mancroft". Archivesearch. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  9. ^ "The Papers of 1st Baron Mancroft". rchives centre. University of ambridge. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  10. ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 3534.

Sources edit

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Farnham
19181937
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary for Overseas Trade
1924–1927
Succeeded by
Preceded by Financial Secretary to the Treasury
1927–1929
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Mancroft
1937–1942
Succeeded by
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baronet
(of Mancroft)
1932–1942
Succeeded by