Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Honourable The Marquess of Reading GCB GCSI GCIE GCVO PC
Reading in 1917
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 25 August 1931 – 5 November 1931
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	The Lord Parmoor
Succeeded by	The Viscount Hailsham
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
In office 25 August 1931 – 5 November 1931
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	Arthur Henderson
Succeeded by	Sir John Simon
Viceroy and Governor-General of India
In office 2 April 1921 – 3 April 1926
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	See list David Lloyd George Bonar Law Stanley Baldwin Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	The Lord Chelmsford
Succeeded by	The Earl of Halifax
Lord Chief Justice of England
In office 21 October 1913 – 8 March 1921
Monarch	George V
Preceded by	The Viscount Alverstone
Succeeded by	The Lord Trevethin
Attorney-General for England
In office 7 October 1910 – 19 October 1913
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	H. H. Asquith
Preceded by	Sir William Robson
Succeeded by	Sir John Simon
Solicitor-General for England
In office 6 March 1910 – 7 October 1910
Monarch	Edward VII George V
Prime Minister	H. H. Asquith
Preceded by	Sir Samuel Evans
Succeeded by	Sir John Simon
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 9 January 1914 – 30 December 1935 Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	The 2nd Marquess of Reading
Member of Parliament for Reading
In office 6 August 1904 – 19 October 1913
Preceded by	George William Palmer
Succeeded by	Leslie Orme Wilson
Personal details
Born	Rufus Daniel Isaacs (1860-10-10)10 October 1860 Tower Hamlets, London, England
Died	30 December 1935(1935-12-30) (aged 75) Mayfair, London, England
Political party	Liberal
Spouses	Alice Edith Cohen ​ ​ (m. 1887; died 1930)​ Stella Charnaud ​ ​ (m. 1931)​
Children	Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading
Education	University College School
Profession	Lawyer, jurist, politician

Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (born October 10, 1860 – died December 30, 1935), was a very important British politician and judge. He was also known as The Earl of Reading for some years. He held many high-ranking jobs, including the top judge in England (called the Lord Chief Justice), the leader of British India (called the Viceroy of India), and the person in charge of foreign relations (called the Foreign Secretary). He was the last Liberal Party member to be Foreign Secretary.

Rufus Isaacs was also special because he was the first Jewish person to become Lord Chief Justice. He was also the first, and so far only, Jewish person in Britain to be given the very high title of a marquess.

Early Life and Family

Rufus Isaacs was born in London, England. His father was a Jewish fruit importer. Rufus went to University College School. When he was 15, he started working in his family's business. He even worked as a ship's boy for a year! Later, from 1880 to 1884, he worked on the stock market, helping to buy and sell shares.

In 1887, he married Alice Edith Cohen. She had a long-term illness and sadly passed away from cancer in 1930. They were married for over 40 years. A hospital in Peshawar was named after her.

After Alice died, Rufus married Stella Charnaud in 1931. She had been Alice's secretary. Their marriage lasted until Rufus passed away in 1935. Stella Isaacs also became a very important person later in her life.

Becoming a Lawyer

Rufus Isaacs drawn for Vanity Fair magazine in 1904.

Rufus Isaacs started studying law in 1885. He became a lawyer in 1887. He quickly became very successful. Within five years, he was able to pay off any money he owed. After 20 years, he was earning a huge amount of money each year.

In 1898, he became a Queen's Counsel. This is a special title for very experienced lawyers. He was known for being calm and smart in court. He worked very hard, preparing his cases early in the morning.

Working in Politics

Rufus Isaacs first tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1900 but didn't win. However, in 1904, he was elected as an MP for Reading. He held this seat for nine years.

In 1910, he became the Solicitor General, a top legal job for the government. He was also made a knight, so he became "Sir Rufus Isaacs." Just six months later, he was promoted to Attorney General. This was an even higher legal role. He was the first Attorney General to be part of the Cabinet, which is the group of most important government ministers.

As a government lawyer, he handled many big cases. He helped create important laws like the Parliament Act 1911 and the National Insurance Act 1911. He also helped investigate the sinking of the famous ship, the RMS Titanic.

Becoming a Judge and Diplomat

In 1913, Rufus Isaacs became the Lord Chief Justice of England. This is the highest judge in England. He was also given the title Baron Reading.

Even though he was a judge, the government often asked him for advice. When World War I started in 1914, he helped deal with money problems. In 1915, he went to the United States to get financial help for Britain and its allies.

In 1917, he was sent to the United States and Canada as a special representative. In 1918, he became the British Ambassador to the United States. This meant he was Britain's main representative in America. He held this job while still being Lord Chief Justice! For his important work during the war, he received even higher titles: Viscount Reading in 1916 and Earl of Reading in 1917.

Leading India

Statue of Rufus Isaacs as Viceroy of India in Reading, Berkshire.

In 1921, he left his judge job to become the Viceroy and Governor-General of India. This was a very powerful role, like being the leader of British India. He wanted to be fair and end unfair treatment based on race. He met with important Indian leaders like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He also visited Amritsar to show he wanted peace.

However, he sometimes had to use force to keep order. For example, he ordered the stopping of the Malabar rebellion in 1921. In 1922, he had Gandhi arrested for speaking out against the government. He also worked well with Indian princes, but he made two maharajas (Indian rulers) give up their power.

When he returned from India in 1926, he received the highest title of all: Marquess of Reading. He was the first person to rise from a regular citizen to a marquess since the famous Duke of Wellington.

Later Life and Work

After his time in India, Rufus Isaacs joined the boards of several companies. He became the president of Imperial Chemical Industries, a large chemical company. From 1931 to 1935, he was the leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords.

He also took part in important meetings about the future of British India. In 1931, he briefly served as the Foreign Secretary and the Leader of the House of Lords in the government. However, he had to step down due to poor health.

In 1934, he was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, another important historical role.

Death and Legacy

Lord Reading passed away in London in December 1935 at the age of 75. His ashes were buried in a Jewish cemetery. The house where he died has a special blue plaque on it to remember him.

He received many awards and honors throughout his life. He was given five different noble titles and five knighthoods. He also received honorary degrees from many famous universities around the world.

Even though he didn't have a clear connection to Canada, a law society for Jewish lawyers in Quebec was named in his honor. A power station in Tel Aviv, Israel, called the Reading Power Station, was also named after him.

Rufus Isaacs believed in fairness and progress. He supported ideas like taxing land values and improving laws for workers' unions, education, and social insurance. He was a strong supporter of the Liberal Party because he believed it stood for freedom, tolerance, and progress.

Images for kids

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  Mr. Lloyd George, Lord Reading and M. Albert Thomas visiting the Front in France.

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  Lord Reading and his wife at Haifa Power Station in the 1930s.