Arthur Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft

For the American computer scientist, see Arthur Samuel (computer scientist).

Arthur Michael Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft (6 December 1872 – 17 August 1942) was a British Conservative politician.

The Right Honourable The Lord Mancroft
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee
In office 1929–1931
Preceded by	William Graham
Succeeded by	Morgan Jones
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office 1 November 1927 – 5 June 1929
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Ronald McNeill
Succeeded by	Frederick Pethick-Lawrence
Secretary for Overseas Trade
In office 4 November 1924 – 1 November 1927
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	William Lunn
Succeeded by	Douglas Hacking
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 23 December 1937 – 17 August 1942 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	The 2nd Baron Mancroft
Member of Parliament for Farnham
In office 14 December 1918 – 23 March 1937
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Godfrey Nicholson
Personal details
Born	Arthur Michael Samuel (1872-12-06)6 December 1872 Norwich, England
Died	17 August 1942(1942-08-17) (aged 69) Uckfield, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Phoebe Fletcher ​ (m. 1912)​
Education	Norwich School

Background

Born in Norwich,^[1] Lord Mancroft was the eldest son of Benjamin Samuel, of Norwich (19 April 1840 – 16 April 1890), and Rosetta Haldinstein (died 29 April 1907, daughter of Philip Haldinstein and wife Rachel Soman), and grandson of Michael Samuel (1799–1857), all of them were Ashkenazi Jews.

Early life

He was educated at Norwich School.^[2] He was Lord Mayor of Norwich from 1912 to 1913. He was the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Norwich ^[3] and was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Norwich in 1928.

Member of Parliament

in the two General elections of 1910 he stood for the Conservatives in the Stretford division of Lancashire, near Manchester, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. In 1918 he was elected as member of parliament (MP) for Farnham, a seat he would hold until 1937, and served under Stanley Baldwin as Secretary for Overseas Trade from 1924 to 1927 and as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1927 to 1929. He was also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons in 1930 and 1931. Samuel was created a Baronet, of Mancroft, in the City of Norwich in the County of Norfolk, on 15 January 1932,^[4] and on 23 December 1937, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Mancroft, of Mancroft (referring to the area around St Peter Mancroft church) in the City of Norwich.^[5]

Family

Lord Mancroft married Phoebe Fletcher, daughter of George Alfred Chune Fletcher and wife, in 1912. He died in Uckfield^[6] on 17 August 1942,^[7] aged 69, and was succeeded in the baronetcy and the barony by his son Stormont Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft. He was also to become a Conservative government minister.

The papers of Lord Mancroft are in the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge.^[8]

Author

He published: "Life of Giovanni Battista Piranesi"; "The Working of the Bill of Exchange with an Explanation of the Overseas Trade Balance"; "The Herring: its Effect on the History of Britain"; and "The Mancroft Essays".^[9]

Arms

Coat of arms of Arthur Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft

Crest In front of a representation of Norwich Castle with three cupolas issuant from each a staff Proper flying therefrom a banner Argent charged with a cross Gules a sword sheathed Gules garnished Or pommelled and hilted Or and a mace Gold in saltire (i.e. a representation of the ancient Crystal Mace and the Sword in the Regalia of the Corporation of the City of Norwich). Escutcheon Gules a chevron chequy Argent and Sable between in chief two portcullises chained Or and in base a representation of Farnham Castle triple towered Or on a chief Or a lion passant guardant Sable. Supporters On either side a whiffler of the Corporation of the City of Norwich Proper.[10] Motto COURAGE, PATIENCE