Global InformationBonar Law information
The Right Honourable Bonar Law | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Portrait by Walter Stoneman, 1923 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 23 October 1922 – 20 May 1923 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | George V | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | David Lloyd George | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Stanley Baldwin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Conservative Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 23 October 1922 – 28 May 1923 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Sir George Younger, Bt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Austen Chamberlain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Stanley Baldwin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 December 1916 – 21 March 1921 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Balfour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Austen Chamberlain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the House of Commons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 23 October 1922 – 20 May 1923 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Himself | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Austen Chamberlain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Stanley Baldwin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 December 1916 – 23 March 1921 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | David Lloyd George | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | H. H. Asquith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Austen Chamberlain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 January 1919 – 1 April 1921 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | David Lloyd George | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | The Earl of Crawford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Austen Chamberlain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 December 1916 – 10 January 1919 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | David Lloyd George | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Reginald McKenna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Austen Chamberlain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 May 1915 – 10 December 1916 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | H. H. Asquith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lewis Harcourt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Walter Long | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 13 November 1911 – 25 May 1915 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | George V | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | H. H. Asquith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Arthur Balfour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Sir Edward Carson[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 11 July 1902 – 5 December 1905 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Arthur Balfour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | The Earl of Dudley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Hudson Kearley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Andrew Bonar Law 16 September 1858 Kingston, Colony of New Brunswick[b] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 30 October 1923 (aged 65) London, Middlesex, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Unionist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Annie Robley
(m. 1891; died 1909) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 6, including Richard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Iron merchant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andrew Bonar Law (/ˈbɒnər ˈlɔː/ BONN-ər;[1] 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923.
Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadian province). He was of Scottish and Ulster Scots descent and moved to Scotland in 1870. He left school aged sixteen to work in the iron industry, becoming a wealthy man by the age of thirty. He entered the House of Commons at the 1900 general election, relatively late in life for a front-rank politician; he was made a junior minister, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, in 1902. Law joined the Shadow Cabinet in opposition after the 1906 general election. In 1911, he was appointed a Privy Councillor, before standing for the vacant party leadership. Despite never having served in the Cabinet and despite trailing third after Walter Long and Austen Chamberlain, Law became leader when the two front-runners withdrew rather than risk a draw splitting the party.
As Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition, Law focused his attentions in favour of tariff reform and against Irish Home Rule. His campaigning helped turn Liberal attempts to pass the Third Home Rule Bill into a three-year struggle eventually halted by the start of the First World War, with much argument over the status of the six counties in Ulster which would later become Northern Ireland, four of which were predominantly Protestant.
Law first held Cabinet office as Secretary of State for the Colonies in H. H. Asquith's Coalition Government (May 1915 – December 1916). Upon Asquith's fall from power he declined to form a government, instead serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer in David Lloyd George's Coalition Government. He resigned on grounds of ill health early in 1921. In October 1922, with Lloyd George's Coalition having become unpopular with the Conservatives, he wrote a letter to the press giving only lukewarm support to the Government's actions over Chanak. After Conservative MPs voted to end the Coalition, he again became party leader and, this time, prime minister. Bonar Law won a clear majority at the 1922 general election, and his brief premiership saw negotiation with the United States over Britain's war loans. Seriously ill with throat cancer, Law resigned in May 1923, and died later that year. He was the fourth shortest-serving prime minister of the United Kingdom (211 days in office).
- ^ "Bonar Law – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 21 May 2015.