Background
Kemp was born in Rochdale, Lancashire and educated at Shrewsbury.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
George Kemp
Edit ProfileEducation
Matriculating at Balliol College, Oxford in 1883, aged 16, Kemp transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1884, where he graduated Bachelor of Arts in the Classical Tripos in 1888.
Career
In business Kemp went into the woollen industry eventually becoming Chairman of Kelsall & Kemp, flannel manufacturers. From 1885 to 1892, Kemp played first-class cricket with Lancashire. A batsman, he scored three centuries in his career and also represented Cambridge University.
He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to William Ellison-Macartney, Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, until January 1900, when he resigned to serve in the Second Boer War.
In 1904, along with Winston Churchill, Kemp was among a group of Conservative and Liberal Unionist Free Traders who crossed the floor to join the Liberals in response to Joseph Chamberlain"s Tariff reform policies. In 1909, he was knighted for his war services and at the January 1910 general election he was elected Member of Parliament for Manchester North West, this time as a Liberal.
Kemp found himself increasingly out of step with the acions of the Liberal government. He was opposed to the Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George"s financial policies.
He also opposed Lloyd George"s advocacy of Welsh disestablishment.
His long standing opposition to Irish Home Rule had not diminished and he opposed the Liberal Government"s Irish Home Rule bill. As he still felt out of step with the Unionist"s advocacy of Tariff Reform, he decided to retire from the House of Commons. He declared that he "loathed politics".
A year later he was raised to the peerage as Baron Rochdale, of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster.
Kemp had been a captain of the Duke of Lancaster"s Own Yeomanry since July 1891. In early February 1900, Kemp was appointed a captain of the Imperial Yeomanry, in command of the Yeomanry detachment of the Duke of Lancaster"s Own Yeomanry to serve in 8th Battalion during the Second Boer War.
Foreign his service he was mentioned in despatches. He left again for South Africa in May 1902, as Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the 32nd Battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry, including a machine-gun section which he had helped raise.
The battalion arrived shortly after the war ended by the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902, and Kemp soon returned home.
Called to war again in 1914, Lord Rochdale was Lieutenant-Colonel in command the 1st/6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, part of 125th (1/1st Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade, and was temporarily Brigadier-general of 127th (1/1st Manchester) Brigade of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division during the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915. They had three children.
Membership
26th United Kingdom Parliament. 27th United Kingdom Parliament. 29th United Kingdom Parliament.
30th United Kingdom Parliament]
In 1895, he was elected Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Heywood as Liberal Unionist.
-
Born
-
Died
March 24, 1945 (aged 78) -
Nationality
United Kingdom -
Political Party
Conservative