Austen Chamberlain

Austen Chamberlain died on March 17, 1937 at the age of 73. He was survived by his wife and three children.

Austen Chamberlain was born on October 16, 1863 in Birmingham. His father, Joseph Chamberlain, was a rising industrialist, who later became a renowned statesman. Austen’s mother, Harriet Chamberlain, was Joseph’s first wife. The couple had two children; Beatrice Mary and Joseph Austen.

Harriet died three days after giving birth to Austen. Five years later Joseph married Harriet’s cousin Florence Kenrik. From this marriage, Austen had four half siblings; Arthur Neville, Ida, Hilda and Ethel. Much later, Arthur Neville became the Prime Minister of Britain.

Florence had also given birth to another son; but both the baby and mother died soon after. Although Joseph got married once again, the union did not produce any offspring.

Austen Chamberlain had his schooling at Rugby, one of the oldest and most expensive public schools in England. Later, he joined Trinity College, Cambridge. There he joined the Political Society, where he made his first political address. Besides, he was also a member of Cambridge Union Society and later became its Vice President.

From the beginning, Joseph wanted his eldest son to join politics. Consequently, after graduating from Cambridge, Austen was sent first to France and then to Germany so that he could have direct knowledge about their political culture.

On coming back to England, Austen Chamberlain began to work closely with his father, who by this time had become a national leader. He soon gathered enough experience to contest 1892 general election. Austen won his first parliamentary seat from East Worcestershire representing his father’s Liberal Union Party.

On entering the House of Commons, Austen chamberlain was made a Junior Whip. It was his job to see that his father’s ideas were reflected in all policy matters. However, owing to parliamentary instability, he could not make his maiden speech until 1893.

In his maiden speech, Austen Chamberlain attacked W. E. Gladstone, the then Prime Minister of Great Britain, for his Government of Ireland Bill, 1893. In spite of such attack, the speech was highly praised by Gladstone and he publicly congratulated both the father and son for such a great performance.

When in 1895, a coalition of the Conservatives and Unionists won the general election with a thumping majority Austen Chamberlain was made the Civil Lord of Admiralty. He was around thirty two years old then. He worked in that position for five years.

In 1900, Chamberlain was appointed as the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the fourth most important ministerial post within the Treasury. In 1902, he got his first cabinet berth and became the Post Master General.

Austen Chamberlain is best remembered for his role in forming the Locarno Treaties in 1925. It consisted of seven agreements among the major powers of Europe including Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy; it paved the way for stability and improved the diplomatic climate in the continent.