Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading

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Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading

by Walter Stoneman, for James Russell & Sons
bromide print, circa 1916
image size: 146 mm x 103 mm
Photographs Collection
NPG Ax39014

Sitterback to top

Artistsback to top

  • James Russell & Sons (active 1850s-1940s), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 692 portraits.
  • Walter Stoneman (1876-1958), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 18527 portraits, Sitter in 8 portraits.

Events of 1916back to top

Current affairs

As war drags on with heavy losses conscription is introduced with the Military Service Act. Conscientious objectors who refused to fight were compelled to do non-military war work, and some were jailed.
British Summer Time is introduced, putting the clocks forward an hour during the summer in order to capitalise on daylight hours.

Art and science

C. Hubert H. Parry sets William Blake's poem, Jerusalem, to music popularising the poem and tune as a patriotic English anthem. On hearing Edward Elgar's orchestrated version in 1922, King George V suggested that it replace God Save the King as the National Anthem.

International

The Irish Citizen Army starts a Nationalist rebellion in Dublin: The Easter Rising.
Massive losses are suffered on the Western Front at the battles of the Somme and Verdun.
The Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire (1916-18) led by Prince Faisal is assisted by T.E. Lawrence, who became known as Lawrence of Arabia.

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Barbara Haines

13 May 2021, 16:52

Rufus Daniel Isaacs (later, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1921-1926), served as the Lord Chief Justice of England from 21 Oct 1913 through 08 Mar 1921. He was the first person of Jewish heritage to serve as Lord Chief Justice.

In 1926, after his return from India, he was elevated to the title of Marquess of Reading, and was the first person of Jewish heritage to receive that title. I believe he was also the first Jew to be installed as Lord Warden and Admiral of the Cinque Ports (1934).

Rufus was also the nephew of Sir Henry Isaacs, who was High Sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1897-1898, and Lord Mayor of London 1899-1900.

You can find further information about him by viewing his page on Wikipedia (which is accurate), or by browsing either of the two posthumous biographies written by his son, Gerald Rufus Isaacs, who succeeded as the 2d Marquess of Reading:

Bio 1 (1860-1914): https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209583/page/n1/mode/1up
Bio 2 (1914-1935): https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226282/mode/1up

Additionally, there are numerous British Pathe film clips of him posted on their website and on YouTube (although, as of last night several of them incorrectly named his son, Gerald Rufus Isaacs, as the Viceroy of India).

His second wife, Miss Grace Stella Charnaud, survived him and in 1938 founded and became the chairwoman of the Women's Volunteer Society (now the Royal Volunteer Society). On 22 Sep 1958 she was raised to the title of Baroness Swanborough (after her residence, Swanborough Manor at Ilford, Sussex). She was the first woman to sit in the House of Lords. See the same sources: Wikipedia, British Pathe' (as Lady Reading), and the second volume of her step-son's biography.