Lloyd George Society Marks the 162nd Anniversary of Lloyd George’s Birth
ON THIS DAY 17th January 1863:
Birth of David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, Liberal leader 1926-31.
Born in Manchester, David Lloyd George grew up in Wales. Originally trained as a solicitor, he was selected to fight the Conservative held seat of Caernarvon Boroughs in January 1889. He fought a by-election there the following year, winning the seat by 18 votes. He held the constituency at every election until he retired in 1945.
Lloyd George made his name in opposition to the Boer War and when the Liberals returned to power in 1905 he joined the cabinet as President of the Board of Trade. Promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1908 he formed an effective partnership with Prime Minister H.H. Asquith which dominated the government. Sadly, this fell apart under the stress of the First World War and the rupture was a decisive factor in the collapse of the Liberal Party in the 1920s.
Following Asquith’s retirement, Lloyd George succeeded him as party leader and the campaign he led in the 1929 election represented the last realistic attempt to form a government. He left the party for a while in opposition to the 1931 National Government, sitting as an Independent Liberal with other members of his family until 1935. With his health failing, Lloyd George accepted a peerage in February 1945 however, he was too ill to take up his seat and died the following month aged 82.
