Home > Father of the House
:There is also the designation of Father of the House of Lords The longest continuously serving member of certain national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, is customarily designated Father of the House. If two or more MPs have equal lengths of service, then whoever was sworn in first is named Father.
The most important duty of the Father of the House is to preside over the election of a new Speaker, should that office be vacant at the beginning of a Parliament. However, a minister of the Crown is prohibited from presiding at the election of a speaker in the House of Commons; therefore, a minister is never considered the Father of the House, even if that minister is more senior than any other member. In theory a woman in the same position would be called Mother of the House.
The current Father of the House in the United Kingdom is Tam Dalyell ( Labour Party), who was first elected for the seat of West Lothian (since renamed Linlithgow) in a by-election on 14th June 1962. He has stated his intention to stand down at the next general election; the next in line to be Father is Alan Williams, MP for Swansea West.
1 Fathers of the House
- Sir John Fagg (1701)
- Thomas Turgis (1701-1704)
- Sir Christopher Musgrave (1704)
- Thomas Strangways (1704-1713)
- Sir Richard Onslow (1713-1715)
- Thomas Erle (1715-1718)
- Edward Vaughan (1718)
- Richard Vaughan (1718-1724)
- Lord William Powlett (1724-1729)
- Sir Justinian Isham (1729-1730)
- Sir Charles Turner (1730-1738)
- Sir Roger Bradshaigh (1738-1747)
- Edward Ashe (1747)
- Thomas Cartwright (1747-1748)
- Richard Shuttleworth (1748-1749)
- Phillips Gybbon (1749-1762)
- Sir John Rushout (1762-1768)
- William Aislabie (1768-1781)
- Charles Fitzroy Scudamore (1781-1782)
- Robert Nugent, 1st Earl NugentRobert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent ( 1702 October 13, 1788), Irish politician and poet, son of Michael Nugent, was born at Carlanstown, Co. He was tersely described by Richard Glover as a jovial and voluptuous Irishman who had left popery for the Protestant r (1782-1784)
- Sir Charles Frederick (1784)
- Welbore EllisWelbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip ( 15 December 1713 2 February 1802) was a British statesman of the 18th century. In 1741, he was elected MP for Cricklade, then moved to Weymouth and Melcombe Regis ( 1747- 1754), Aylesbury ( 1761- 1768), Petersfield ( 1768 (1784-1790)
- William Drake (1790-1796)
- Sir Philip Stephens (1796-1806)
- Clement Tudway (1806-1815)
- Sir John AubreyJohn Aubrey ( March 12, 1626 June, 1697) was an English antiquary and writer, best known as the author of a work usually referred to as Brief Lives''. He was born at Maston Pierse or Percy, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, of a wealthy and famous family of the (1815-1826)
- Samuel SmithThere have been several well-known people named Samuel Smith including: Samuel Smith (brewer) Samuel Smith (doctor) Samuel William Smith (politician) Samuel Smith (1752-1839) ( U. Senator and Representative from Maryland) Samuel Smith (Upper Canada) Admin (1826-1832)
- George ByngGeorge Byng could refer to: George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington (1663-1733) George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington (1701-1750) George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington (1740-1812) George Byng, 6th Viscount Torrington (1768-1831) George Byng, 7th Viscount Torri (1832-1847)
- Charles Watkin Williams Wynn (1847-1850)
- George Granville Vernon Harcourt (1850-1861)
- Sir Charles Merrik Burrell (1861-1862)
- Henry Cecil Lowther (1862-1867)
- Thomas Peers Williams (1867-1868)
- Henry Thomas Lowry-Corry (1868-1873)
- George Cecil Weld Forester (1873-1874)
- Christopher Talbot (1874-1890)
- Charles Pelham VilliersCharles Pelham Villiers ( January 3, 1802 January 16, 1898) was a British politician and lawyer of the 19th century. He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and St John's College, Cambridge, becoming a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1827 (1890-1898)
- Sir John Mowbray (1898-1899)
- William Wither Beach (1899-1901)
- Sir Michael Hicks-BeachMichael Edward Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn ( 23 October 1837 30 April 1916), known as Sir Michael Hicks Beach from 1854 to 1915, was an English statesman. The son of Sir Michael Hicks Beach, 8th Baronet, whom he succeeded in 1854, he was born in Londo (1901-1906)
- George Henry Finch (1906-1907)
- Sir Henry Campbell-BannermanSir Henry Campbell-Bannerman ( September 7, 1836 April 22, 1908) was a British Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister from December 5 1905 until resigning due to ill health on April 3 1908. Campbell-Bannerman was born in Glasgow in 1836 as "Henry (1907-1908)
- Sir John Kennaway (1908-1910)
- Thomas Burt (1910-1918)
- Thomas Power O'Connor (1918-1929)
- David Lloyd George (1929-1945)
- Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton (1945-1951)
- Sir Hugh O'Neill (1951-1952)
- David Grenfell (1952-1959)
- Sir Winston Churchill (1959-1964)
- Rab Butler (1964-1965)
- Sir Robin Turton (1965-1974)
- George Strauss (1974-1979)
- John Parker (1979-1983)
- James Callaghan (1983-1987)
- Sir Bernard Braine (1987-1992)
- Sir Edward Heath (1992-2001)
- Sir Thomas Dalyell, Bt (2001-)
