Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Conway of Allington
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Conway in 1895
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| Member of Parliament for Combined English Universities with H. A. L. Fisher (1918–1926) and Eleanor Rathbone (1926–1931) |
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| In office 28 December 1918 – 7 October 1931 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency Established |
| Succeeded by | Sir Reginald Craddock and Eleanor Rathbone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1856 Rochester, Kent, England |
| Died | 19 April 1937 (aged 81) London, England |
| Children | Agnes Conway |
| Occupation | Art critic, politician, mountaineer |
William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (born April 12, 1856 – died April 19, 1937), also known as Sir Martin Conway, was an amazing English explorer, art expert, and politician. He was famous for his trips to mountains in Europe, South America, and Asia.
Conway held different jobs at universities. From 1918 to 1931, he was a member of the House of Commons, which is part of the UK Parliament. He represented universities in England.
He started mountain climbing in 1872. He went on big trips to places like Spitsbergen (near the North Pole) and the Andes mountains in Bolivia. He also wrote many books about art and his adventures, like Mountain Memories and Art Treasures of Soviet Russia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
William Martin Conway was born in Rochester, England, on April 12, 1856. His father, William Conway, was a church leader who later worked at St Margaret's, Westminster. William was the youngest of three children. He had two older sisters, Elizabeth Ann and Martha.
He went to school at Repton and then Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he studied mathematics. He became good friends with Karl Pearson, a famous scientist. He also met Henry Bradshaw, a librarian, and John Ruskin, an art critic. Ruskin helped Conway become interested in art and the Alps mountains. Conway loved old printed books and art like woodcuts. He wrote a book about woodcut artists in the Netherlands in 1884.
Amazing Mountain Adventures
Conway loved climbing mountains. He was a member of the Alpine Club (UK), a group for mountaineers, and was even its president from 1902 to 1904.
In 1892, he went on a big climbing trip supported by important science groups like the Royal Society. During this trip, he climbed a part of Baltoro Kangri mountain. He thought he had set a new world record for climbing the highest. Later, measurements showed his climb was a bit lower, but it was still a huge achievement!
From 1896 to 1897, Conway explored Spitsbergen with others. They were the first to cross the main part of the island. The next year, he explored the Andes mountains in Bolivia. He climbed "Sorata" (now called Ancohuma) and Illimani, which are very tall peaks. He also tried to climb Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside Asia, but stopped just 50 feet from the top. He explored Tierra del Fuego and tried to climb Monte Sarmiento.
For his amazing mountain surveys, he won a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. In 1905, he received a special medal from the Royal Geographical Society for his work in Spitsbergen. A place called Conway Island is named after him!
In 1924, Conway looked at information from the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition. He believed that climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had reached the top of Mount Everest.
Life as a Professor and Collector
From 1884 to 1887, Conway taught art at University College, Liverpool. Later, from 1901 to 1904, he was a special art professor at Cambridge University. He was made a knight in 1895. This was because he had mapped a huge area of the Karakoram mountains in the Himalayas three years earlier.
In 1889, he published a book about the famous artist Albrecht Dürer. He got help from Lina Eckenstein, whose brother was also a mountaineer.
In the early 1900s, Conway was active in the Society of Antiquaries of London. This group studies old things and history. He gave many talks and served on their council several times. He was also the president of the Kent Archaeological Society for many years, starting in 1923.
Conway loved collecting art. He started his collection in 1887. He was the first leader of the Imperial War Museum and helped guide the National Portrait Gallery. His collection of photographs became the basis for the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. He also helped fix up Allington Castle in Kent.
Political Career
Conway was involved in politics for a long time. He joined different political groups. In 1918, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Combined English Universities. He served in this role until 1931.
In 1931, he was given a special honor and became a Baron. This meant he was given the title Baron Conway of Allington.
William Martin Conway passed away in London on April 19, 1937. Since he had no sons, his title ended when he died.
Books by William Martin Conway
Books on Art and History
- History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century, 1884
- Early Flemish Artists, 1887
- The Literary Remains of Albrecht Dürer, 1889
- The Dawn of Art in the Ancient World, 1891 (about art from ancient Chaldea, Assyrian, and Egyptian cultures)
- Early Tuscan Art, 1902
- Art Treasures of Soviet Russia, 1925
- Giorgione as a Landscape Painter, 1929
Books on Mountaineering and Travel
- Climbing and Exploration in the Karakoram-Himalayas, 1894
- The Alps from End to End, 1895 and 1900
- The First Crossing of Spitsbergen, 1897
- The Bolivian Andes, 1901
- Aconcagua and Tierra Del Fuego: A Book of Climbing, Travel and Exploration, 1902
- Early Dutch and English Voyages to Spitsbergen in the Seventeenth Century, 1904
- No Man's Land, a History of Spitsbergen from its discovery in 1596 to the beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country, 1906
- Mountain Memories, 1920
- Palestine and Morocco, 1923
His Own Story
- Episodes in a Varied Life, 1932
- The Sport of Collecting, 1914
