John Fletcher Moulton, Baron Moulton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Moulton
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"Patents". Caricature by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1900.
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| Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | |
| In office 1912–1921 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Fletcher Moulton
18 November 1844 Madeley, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 9 March 1921 (aged 76) |
| Spouse |
Clara Thomson (née Hertz)
(m. 1875; died 1888) |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
John Fletcher Moulton, Baron Moulton (born November 18, 1844 – died March 9, 1921) was an amazing English person. He was a brilliant mathematician, a lawyer (called a barrister), a judge, and a politician. He belonged to the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom.
Contents
Early Life and Amazing Brain
John Fletcher Moulton was born in Madeley, England. He was one of six children. His father was a minister in the Wesleyan Methodist Church.
When he was 11, John went to Kingswood School. He was incredibly smart and did very well in all his subjects. He got the highest scores in important exams for Oxford and Cambridge.
He earned a special scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge. In 1868, he graduated as the Senior Wrangler, which means he was the top math student in his year. He also won the Smith's Prize for his math skills. People at the time even said he was one of the twelve smartest men in the United Kingdom!
A Career of Many Talents
After his amazing time at Cambridge, Moulton became a lawyer in London. He was especially good at patent law. This type of law deals with new inventions and making sure inventors get credit for their ideas.
He also loved to experiment with electricity. Because of his scientific work, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very important group for scientists. He was also the first person to lead the Medical Research Council, which helps fund important health research.
Moulton even received a special award from France, the Legion of Honour. This was for his work in creating international ways to measure electricity. He also wrote letters to the famous scientist Charles Darwin.
Moulton in Politics
John Moulton was also a politician. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for different areas: Clapham, South Hackney, and Launceston.
He supported Gladstone's efforts to solve problems in Ireland. This included supporting the idea of Irish Home Rule, which meant Ireland would have more control over its own government.
In 1906, Moulton became a Lord Justice of Appeal. This is a very senior judge in the Court of Appeal. He also became a Privy Councillor, which means he advised the King.
In 1912, he joined the House of Lords. This is the upper house of the UK Parliament. He was given a life peerage, which meant he would be a Baron for the rest of his life. His title was Baron Moulton.
Leading During Wartime
The First World War brought Moulton his biggest challenge. In 1914, he was asked to lead a committee. Their job was to figure out how to get enough explosives for the war. This was hard because Britain didn't make many chemicals needed for explosives.
Soon, Moulton became the Director-General of the Explosives Department. He gathered a team of smart administrators and scientists. They worked incredibly hard and increased the production of explosives by more than 20 times! Throughout the war, Britain always had enough explosives. They also made fertilizers and, later, poisonous gases. Even though he followed orders, Moulton believed poison gas was not a civilized way to fight.
During the four years of the war, Lord Moulton worked ten hours a day. He took less than ten days off! On weekends, he would drive around the country to check on munitions factories and find places for new ones.
He received many important awards for his work during the war. These included the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1915 and the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1917. He also received awards from other countries, like the French Etoile Noir and the Belgian Order of Leopold (Belgium). He was also the last person to receive the Order of the White Eagle before the Russian monarchy fell.
After the war, many people wanted him to lead the growth of Britain's chemical industry. But Moulton chose to go back to his first love: the law. He passed away in London on March 9, 1921.
A few years after his death, a speech Lord Moulton gave was published. It was called "Law and Manners." In it, he talked about "the domain of Obedience to the Unenforceable." This means the things we do because it's the right thing, even if there isn't a law forcing us.
Family Life
John Moulton married Clara Thomson in 1875. She was a widow. Sadly, she passed away in 1888.
Arms
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See also
- Rev. Dr. James Hope Moulton, his nephew
- Rev. Dr. William Fiddian Moulton, his brother
- Rev. Dr. James Egan Moulton, his brother
- Dr. Richard Green Moulton, his brother
- Rev. James Egan Moulton Jr, his nephew
