On This Day

25 October 1853

Birth of Sidney Buxton, author, Liberal MP and member of the Campbell Bannerman and Asquith governments

Birth of Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton, Liberal MP for Peterborough 1883-85 and Poplar 1886-1914. Buxton first came to prominence with the publication of his Handbook to the Political Questions of the Day, a popular work which went through 11 editions. Buxton joined the 1905 Liberal cabinet as Postmaster General before succeeding Winston Churchill as President of the Board of Trade. In February 1914 Buxton was appointed the second Governor General of South Africa and served in that post throughout World War One, forming an effective partnership with Prime Minister Louis Botha. He retired in 1920 and returned to the United Kingdom retiring at the same time from frontline politics.