John Morley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Viscount Morley of Blackburn
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Lord Morley of Blackburn
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| Chief Secretary for Ireland | |
| In office 6 February 1886 – 20 July 1886 |
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| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Prime Minister | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Preceded by | W. H. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt |
| In office 22 August 1892 – 21 June 1895 |
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| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Prime Minister | William Ewart Gladstone The Earl of Rosebery |
| Preceded by | William Jackson |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Balfour |
| Secretary of State for India | |
| In office 10 December 1905 – 3 November 1910 |
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| Monarch | Edward VII George V |
| Prime Minister | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman H. H. Asquith |
| Preceded by | Hon. St John Brodrick |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Crewe |
| In office 7 March 1911 – 25 May 1911 |
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| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | H. H. Asquith |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Crewe |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Crewe |
| Lord President of the Council | |
| In office 7 November 1910 – 5 August 1914 |
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| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | H. H. Asquith |
| Preceded by | The Earl Beauchamp |
| Succeeded by | The Earl Beauchamp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 December 1838 Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 23 September 1923 (aged 84) |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Spouse | Rose Mary (d. 1923) |
| Alma mater | Lincoln College, Oxford |
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (born 24 December 1838 – died 23 September 1923) was a British Liberal politician, writer, and newspaper editor.
He started his career as a journalist in northern England. Later, he edited the Pall Mall Gazette newspaper from 1880 to 1883. In 1883, he became a Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party.
Morley held several important government jobs. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland twice (1886, and 1892–1895). He also served as Secretary of State for India (1905–1910 and 1911) and Lord President of the Council (1910–1914). He was known for his writings and for being one of the last great Liberals of the 1800s. Morley was against imperialism and the Second Boer War. He supported Home Rule for Ireland, which meant Ireland would govern itself. He left the government in August 1914 because he did not want Britain to join World War I as an ally of Russia.
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Early Life and Education
John Morley was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. His father, Jonathan Morley, was a surgeon. John went to Cheltenham College and then to Oxford University.
While at Oxford, he had a disagreement with his father about religion. His father wanted him to become a clergyman. Because of this, John had to leave the university early without a full degree. He later wrote a book called On Compromise (1874), which was likely about this conflict.
Starting a Career in Journalism
In 1873, Morley became a lawyer, but he soon decided to work in journalism instead. He later said he regretted leaving the law.
From 1880 to 1883, he was the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, a newspaper that supported the Liberal Party. After this, he entered politics.
Political Journey
Morley first tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1869 and again in 1880, but he did not win either time. However, in February 1883, he was elected as a Liberal MP for Newcastle upon Tyne.
Challenges in Newcastle
Morley was a strong supporter of William Gladstone, a leading Liberal politician. In Newcastle, he faced challenges from another MP, Joseph Cowen, who was also a Liberal but often disagreed with the party. Cowen even supported other candidates against Morley. Despite this, Morley managed to keep his seat until the 1895 general election, when he lost to the Conservative candidate.
Serving as Chief Secretary for Ireland
In February 1886, Morley became the Chief Secretary for Ireland. This was an important role, but his time in office was short. Gladstone's government fell in July 1886 because of disagreements over Home Rule for Ireland.
Morley returned to this role in 1892 when Gladstone's party came back to power. However, it was a difficult job because many Irish landowners made things hard for him. He lost his seat in the 1895 election but soon found another in Scotland, becoming an MP for the Montrose Burghs in 1896.
Views on Working Hours
From 1889 onwards, Morley did not support a law that would set a maximum working day of eight hours. He believed that the government should not interfere too much with how businesses and workers operated. He thought that such a law would be like "thrusting an Act of Parliament like a ramrod into all the delicate and complex machinery of British industry."
Morley believed that workers should try to limit their hours through their own actions, not through government laws. This view made some labor leaders unhappy.
Political Beliefs
Morley's political ideas changed over time. In 1880, he thought the government should protect people who could not protect themselves. However, by the mid-1890s, he became more against the government getting involved in social and economic issues. He warned against government actions that would "artificially disturb the basis of work and wages."
He also believed that politicians could not guarantee "steady work and good wages" because of large economic forces beyond their control. Morley was also against the government giving money to specific groups or classes of people. He saw this as a dangerous step that could lead to the government controlling too much.
Morley was very concerned about imperialism and foreign policies that increased the power of the state. He worried that the money spent on wars, like the Second Boer War (1899–1902), would lead to higher taxes and unfair changes to the country's economy. He strongly defended Free Trade and believed it helped prevent social problems and political unrest.
In 1899, Morley gave a famous speech in Manchester where he spoke against the Boer War: "You may make thousands of women widows and thousands of children fatherless. It will be wrong. You may add a new province to your empire. It will still be wrong. You may increase the shares of Mr Rhodes and his Chartereds beyond the dreams of avarice. Yea, and it will still be wrong!"
In 1902, he received the Order of Merit, a special award from King Edward VII.
Secretary of State for India
When Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman became Prime Minister in 1905, Morley was made Secretary of State for India. He would have preferred to be in charge of the country's money (Chancellor of the Exchequer).
In this role, he had to deal with unrest in India. He took strong actions to control the situation but also showed understanding. He appointed two important Indian people to the council and worked to give more power to local governments in India.
In 1908, when H. H. Asquith became Prime Minister, Morley kept his job. To make his work easier, he moved from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, becoming Viscount Morley of Blackburn.
Lord President of the Council
From 1910 until 1914, Morley was the Lord President of the Council. As a member of the House of Lords, he helped pass the Parliament Act 1911. This law reduced the power of the House of Lords to stop new laws.
As the Great War was about to begin, the British government decided to protect the French coast from the German Navy. Morley disagreed with this decision and resigned from the government in August 1914, along with John Burns. He was especially against being allied with Russia in a war against Germany.
Later Years and Writings
In 1917, Morley published his two-volume memoirs called Recollections. In these books, he compared the older ideas of Liberalism with the newer ones.
Even in retirement, Morley stayed interested in politics. He often shared his thoughts with his friend John Morgan. He was not a fan of the League of Nations, calling it "a mirage." He also criticized the Labour Party's ideas.
Morley liked Winston Churchill and thought he and Birkenhead would be a strong team in politics.
Literature and Legacy
Morley spent a lot of time on his writing. He wrote biographies of famous thinkers and politicians like Voltaire (1872), Rousseau (1873), and Burke (1879). He also edited a series of literary biographies called "English Men of Letters."
His book Life of Cobden (1881) defended the ideas of the politician Richard Cobden. In 1900, he wrote Life of Oliver Cromwell.
After the death of William Gladstone, Morley wrote a detailed biography of him, published in 1903. This book was very successful, selling over 25,000 copies in its first year.
Morley was a Trustee of the British Museum and Chancellor of the Victoria University of Manchester. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature eleven times.
Morley's ideas and strong character earned him respect, even from those who disagreed with him. He married Rose Mary Ayling, but they had no children.
Historian Stanley Wolpert suggested that if not for the social difficulties around his marriage, Morley might have become Britain's foreign secretary or even prime minister.
Lord Morley died on 23 September 1923, at the age of 84. His viscountcy (his title) ended with his death as he had no heirs. His ashes were buried at Putney Vale Cemetery.
Morley inspired many important people, including Mahomed Ali Jinnah, who founded Pakistan. The economist Friedrich Hayek noted in 1944 that writers like Morley, once admired for their political wisdom, were becoming less remembered in their own country.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Lord Morley of Blackburn by Walter William Ouless
