The Lord Aberconway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament forBosworth | |
| In office 4 July 1892 – 3 December 1910 | |
| Preceded by | James Ellis |
| Succeeded by | Henry McLaren |
| Member of Parliament forStafford | |
| In office 3 April 1880 – 24 November 1885 | |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Salt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Benjamin Bright McLaren (1850-05-12)12 May 1850 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 23 January 1934(1934-01-23) (aged 83) London, England |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 (includingHenry,Francis andPriscilla) |
| Parent(s) | Duncan McLaren Priscilla Bright |
Charles Benjamin Bright McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway,PC, KC, JP (12 May 1850 – 23 January 1934), known asSir Charles McLaren, 1st Baronet, between 1902 and 1911, was aScottish jurist andLiberal Party politician. He was a landowner and industrialist.
Born inEdinburgh, McLaren was the son of the politicianDuncan McLaren andPriscilla Bright.[1] Priscilla was McLaren's third wife, and was the daughter of Jacob Bright and the sister of the Liberal statesmanJohn Bright and temperance activistMargaret Bright Lucas. His full siblings included the Liberal MPWalter McLaren and the philanthropistHelen Priscilla McLaren, wife of Italian dietitianAndrea Rabagliati. Among McLaren's half-siblings were the judgeJohn McLaren from his father's first marriage and the doctorAgnes McLaren from his father's second marriage.
McLaren was educated atGrove House School and then studied at theUniversity of Heidelberg as well as theUniversity of Bonn.[2] He finally graduated from theUniversity of Edinburgh first class honours with aMaster of Arts.
McLaren began his career in journalism, but turned to the law and in 1874, he was admitted toLincoln's Inn as abarrister. In 1880, he was elected to theHouse of Commons asMember of Parliament (MP) forStafford; he served that constituency until 1886. In 1892, he returned to the Commons as MP forBosworth, which he represented until 1910.
McLaren's political career advanced during his second term, and in 1897 he was appointed aQueen's Counsel.[3] It was announced that he would receive abaronetcy in the1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902 for the (subsequently postponed) coronation ofKing Edward VII,[4] and on 24 July 1902 he was created aBaronet, of Bodnant, in the County ofDenbigh.[5] He was sworn of thePrivy Council in 1908, and held the office ofJustice of the Peace in Middlesex, Flint, Denbighshire, and Surrey. In 1911, a year after he had left the Commons (his son replaced him), he was raised to thePeerage of the United Kingdom with the titleBaron Aberconway, of Bodnant, in the County of Denbigh.
McLaren was decorated with the 3rd class of the JapaneseOrder of the Sacred Treasure and received the SerbianOrder of the Cross of Takovo.[6] He was awarded a Commander of the GreekOrder of the Redeemer.
His father-in-law, a noted industrialist, died in 1895, and McLaren became increasingly involved in the management of the companies inherited from him. He would become chairman of the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company and the British Iron Trade Association.[2] McLaren chaired also the London-basedMetropolitan Railway Company and the shipbuilding firmJohn Brown & Company.[2]
On 6 March 1877, McLaren marriedLaura, the daughter of the chemistHenry Davis Pochin and suffragistAgnes Heap, inWestminster; the couple had four children. He and his wife were neighbours and friends ofJames McNeill Whistler, owning several of his works.[7]
Laura died in 1933 and McLaren survived her until the following year. They are buried at amausoleum called "The Poem" withinBodnant Garden, which became the traditional burial place of the Lords Aberconway.[8] On his death in 1934, inBelgrave Square in London, the barony and baronetcy passed to his eldest son,Henry. His second sonFrancis sat also in theParliament of the United Kingdom, however was killed during theFirst World War in his father's lifetime. The older daughterPriscilla was a socialite as well as activist and married the journalistSir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet. Her younger sister Elsie was the wife ofSir Edward Johnson-Ferguson, 2nd Baronet.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forStafford 2-seat constituency until 1885 1880–1886 With:Alexander Macdonald 1880–1881 Thomas Salt 1881–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBosworth 1892 –December 1910 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Aberconway 1911–1934 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Bodnant) 1902–1934 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| Other | |