Michael Edward Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn
(1837-1916), Politician; Chancellor of the ExchequerSitter in 25 portraits
Hicks Beach entered Parliament as a Conservative MP in 1864. He was opposed to the 1867 Reform Bill, but acted as a go-between for the parties over reform in 1884, when he negotiated a compromise that allowed the Liberals' Franchise Bill through the House of Lords on condition that a redistribution bill followed. He held many senior political offices, including Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1878 to 1880, but his career reached its peak in 1885 when he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. His involvement with electoral reform and his unpopularity as Leader of the House sent his career on a downward path, and in 1887 he resigned, blaming his failing eyesight.
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