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Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, GCSI, PC (12 July 1872–30 September 1930) was a British Conservative statesman and lawyer of the early 20th century. He was a skilled orator, noted for his staunch opposition to Irish nationalism, his wit, pugnacious views, and hard living and drinking. He is perhaps best remembered today as Winston Churchill's greatest personal and political friend until Birkenhead's untimely death at age 58.

Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Marriage 3 First World War 4 Baron Birkenhead 5 Satire 6 External links

[edit] Early life and education

Smith was born in Birkenhead in Cheshire and was educated at Birkenhead School. He graduated from Wadham College, Oxford in 1896 and taught law at Oxford until 1899, when he was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn where he now lends his name to the F. E. Smith Birkenhead Award Scholarship.

In 1906 he entered the House of Commons representing the Walton constituency of Liverpool, and attracted attention by a brilliant maiden speech. He was soon a prominent leader of the Unionist wing of the Conservative Party.

[edit] Marriage

He married Margaret Eleanor Furneaux in April 1901 and they had three children, Eleanor, Frederick and Pamela.

[edit] First World War

On the outbreak of the First World War he was placed in charge of the Government's Press Bureau, with responsibility for newspaper censorship. In 1915 he was appointed Solicitor General by H. H. Asquith, and soon after succeeded his friend Sir Edward Carson as Attorney General. In 1916 he worked to secure the conviction and execution of the Irish nationalist Sir Roger Casement, who had been captured attempting to ship German arms to Ireland.

[edit] Baron Birkenhead

In 1919 he was created Baron Birkenhead, of Birkenhead in the County of Cheshire, and appointed Lord Chancellor by Lloyd George. He was instrumental to the passage of several key legal reforms, and also played an important role in the negotiations that led to the signature of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, which established an independent Irish Free State the following year. His support for this, and his warm relations with the Irish leaders Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, angered some of his former Unionist associates, notably Sir Edward Carson.

Smith was created Viscount Birkenhead, of Birkenhead in the County of Chester, in 1921, and Viscount Furneaux, of Charlton in the County of Northampton, and Earl of Birkenhead in 1922. From 1924 to 1928 he served as Secretary of State for India. After retiring from politics he became Rector of the University of Aberdeen, a director of Tate & Lyle, and High Steward of Oxford University. He died in London in 1930.

The opinion of Winston Churchill, who was a friend: "He had all the canine virtues in a remarkable degree — courage, fidelity, vigilance, love of chase." Of Margot Asquith, who was not: "F. E. Smith is very clever, but sometimes his brains go to his head."As "Lord Birkenhead", he is a character in the movie Chariots of Fire, an official of the British Olympic Committee.

In the year of his death, he published his utopian The World in 2030 A.D. with airbrush illustrations by E McKnight Kauffman.[1]

[edit] Satire

When the Welsh Disestablishment Bill came before Parliament, F. E. Smith declared it to be "A Bill which has shocked the conscience of every Christian community in Europe". This prompted G. K. Chesterton to write a satirical poem, "Antichrist, Or the Reunion of Christendom: An Ode", which asked if Breton sailors, Russian peasants and Christians evicted by the Turks would know or care of what happened to the Church of Wales.

[edit] External links

• Works by F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead at Project Gutenberg

Political offices
Preceded by: The Lord Finlay	Lord Chancellor 1919–1922	Succeeded by: The Viscount Cave
Preceded by: The Lord Olivier	Secretary of State for India 1924–1928	Succeeded by: The Viscount Peel
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by: New Creation	Earl of Birkenhead 1922–1930	Succeeded by: Frederick Smith
Preceded by: New Creation	Viscount Birkenhead 1921–1930
Preceded by: New Creation	Baron Birkenhead 1919–1930
Preceded by: New creation	Baronet (of Birkenhead) 1918–1930

pt:Lord Birkenhead