Edward Beauchamp

Sir Edward Beauchamp, 1st Baronet JP (12 April 1849 – 1 February 1925)^[1] was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.

Sir Edward Beauchamp Bt JP
Beauchamp in 1910
Member of Parliament for Lowestoft
In office January 1906 – January 1910
Preceded by	Francis Lucas
Succeeded by	Harry Foster
In office December 1910 – November 1922
Preceded by	Harry Foster
Succeeded by	Gervais Rentoul

Background

Beauchamp was educated at Highgate School. He served as a midshipman in the Royal Navy.^[2] He was Chairman of Lloyd's of London from 1905 to 1913, and vice-chairman from 1915 to 1916.^[3] He was made a baronet on 27 June 1911, of Grosvenor Place, in the City of Westminster.^[4][3]

Political career

Beauchamp was a Justice of the peace for Norfolk.^[5] At the 1906 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lowestoft division of Suffolk. He was defeated at the January 1910 general election, but regained the seat at the December 1910 election.^[6] He was re-elected in 1918 as a Coalition Liberal, a holder the "coalition coupon" issued to supporters of the Coalition Government led by David Lloyd George.^[7] He did not contest the 1922 election, when his son Brograve stood as a National Liberal candidate, but lost by a wide margin to the Conservative Gervais Rentoul.^[7]

Electoral record

General election 1906: Lowestoft^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Beauchamp	6,510	57.0	+17.3
	Conservative	Francis Lucas	4,905	43.0	−17.3
Majority			1,605	14.0	n/a
Turnout			11,415	81.5	+15.0
Registered electors			14,002
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+17.3

General election January 1910: Lowestoft^[9][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harry Foster	6,530	50.9	+7.9
	Liberal	Edward Beauchamp	6,294	49.1	−7.9
Majority			236	1.8	n/a
Turnout			12,824	85.0	+3.5
Registered electors			15,084
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+7.9

General election December 1910: Lowestoft^[9][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Beauchamp	6,248	51.1	+2.0
	Conservative	Harry Foster	5,983	48.9	−2.0
Majority			265	2.2	n/a
Turnout			12,231	81.1	−3.9
Registered electors			15,084
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.0

General election 1918 Lowestoft^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Liberal	Edward Beauchamp	Unopposed
	Liberal hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Family

Beauchamp (centre) with his wife and son Brograve visiting Tutankhamen's tomb in 1923^[11]

Beauchamp was the second son of Reverend William Henry Beauchamp, who in turn was the second son of Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, 3rd Baronet. He was married twice:

1. On 20 July 1875 to Frances Mary (née Stephen), daughter of James Stephen. She died on 7 May 1886, having had two children with Edward Beauchamp:
   • Esmé Frances Nevill Augusta Beauchamp (17 June 1876 - 2 January 1913)
   • Arthur Sholto Beauchamp (28 February 1880 – 29 December 1880)
2. On 2 June 1890 to Betty Campbell (née Woods), the daughter of Archibald Woods, an American.^[12] She died on 26 January 1946, having had two children with Edward Beauchamp:
   • Edward Archibald Beauchamp (5 April 1891 – 22 December 1914), a Second Lieutenant serving in the Coldstream Guards, killed in the First World War^[13]
   • Brograve Campbell Beauchamp (5 May 1897 – 25 August 1976), who succeeded to the baronetcy and was Conservative MP for Walthamstow East from 1931 to 1945.^[14]