Background
Leonard Courtney was the eldest son of J. S. Courtney, a banker, was born at Penzance on the 6th of July 1832.
(Originally published in 1901. This volume from the Cornel...)
Originally published in 1901. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume.
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Leonard Courtney was the eldest son of J. S. Courtney, a banker, was born at Penzance on the 6th of July 1832.
At Cambridge, Leonard Courtney was second wrangler and first Smith's prizeman, and was elected a fellow of his college, St John's.
Leonard Courtney was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1858, was professor of political economy at University College from 1872 to 1873, and in December 1876, after a previous unsuccessful attempt, was elected to parliament for Liskeard in the Liberal interest.
In 1880 he was under-secretary of state for the home department, in 1881 for the colonies, and in 1882 secretary to the treasury; but he was always a stubborn fighter for principle, and upon finding that the government's Reform Bill in 1884 contained no recognition of the scheme for proportional representation, to which he was deeply committed, he resigned office.
He became known in the House of Commons principally for his candid criticism of the measures introduced by his nominal leaders, and he was rather to be ranked among the Opposition than as a Ministerialist; and when the crisis with the Transvaalcame in 1899, Mr Courtney's views, which remained substantially what they were when he supported the settlement after Majuba in 1881, had plainly become incompatible with his position even as a nominal follower of Lord Salisbury and Mr Chamberlain.
Among the birthday honours of 1906 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Courtney of Penwith (Cornwall).
(Originally published in 1901. This volume from the Cornel...)
A Liberal Unionist, however, could only be elected by Conservative votes, and he had made himself objectionable to a large section of the party by his independent attitude on various questions, on which his Liberalism outweighed his party loyalty.
Courtney married Catherine Potter, daughter of Richard Potter and an elder sister of Beatrice Webb, in 1883. They had no children.