03 February 1945

Death of Godfrey Rathbone Benson, 1st Baron Charnwood, academic, lawyer and Liberal MP

In a career of many successes Benson was first a distinguished academic, lecturing in philosophy at Balliol before becoming Liberal MP for Woodstock (1892-95). He was then called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1898. He unsuccessfully stood for election in St Pancras West in 1900 and Bewdley in 1906 but he had really decided he didn’t enjoy parliamentary life, although he did later serve as Mayor of Lichfield between 1909-11. Raised to the peerage in 1911 Benson seemed to take better to the House of Lords. A supporter of Home Rule he did however oppose women’s suffrage. An intellectual and writer he published a number of books on religion as well as biographies of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.