Sir Herbert Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet

Who was Sir Herbert Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet?

Sir Herbert James Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative politician.

He was born as Herbert James Whiteley, and was the younger son of George Whiteley of Blackburn, Lancashire. His elder brother, George, was a prominent Conservative, later Liberal politician, and was later created Baron Marchamley. Herbert, however, remained a Conservative in politics. He became a member of Blackburn town council, and in 1892 was mayor of the borough.

In 1895 he married Florence Kate Huntington, eldest daughter of William Balle Huntington of Darwen, Lancashire. They had two sons.

In 1895 he was elected as member of parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne, and held the seat for eleven years until defeated in the Liberal landslide election in 1906.

Whiteley moved to Thorngrove, near Worcester, and in 1913 was High Sheriff of the county. In 1916 he returned to The Commons at by-election for Droitwich.

In March 1918 Whiteley was granted a royal licence allowing him to add the surname and coat of arms of his late father in law to his own. In the same month he was created a baronet, "of Grimley in the County of Worcester".