Herbert Henry Asquith was born in Morley in 1852. He was educated at the City of London School and Balliol College, Oxford, and became a barrister in 1876. In 1886, he was elected Liberal Member of Parliament for East Fife and in 1892, was appointed Home Secretary, becoming one of the leading figures of his party within three years. After the Liberal government lost power in 1895, Asquith resumed his legal career, returning to government in 1906 as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Between 1908 and 1916, Asquith served as Prime Minister and was responsible for a series of reforms including the Old Age Pensions Act of 1908 and the Parliament Act of 1911, limiting the powers of the House of Lords. After the outbreak of the First World War, Asquith formed a coalition government but resigned in December 1916 after his ability as a war leader was questioned by cabinet members and the media.
Losing his seat in East Fife in 1918, he served as Member of Parliament for Paisley between 1920 and 1924, remaining leader of the Liberal Party until 1926. In 1925, he accepted a peerage as Earl of Oxford and Asquith, and was created a Knight of the Garter shortly afterwards. He died in 1928 at Sutton Courtney, Berkshire.
From the guide to the Herbert Asquith collection, [1909]-1916, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
