Harry Hylton-Foster

Who was Harry Hylton-Foster?

Sir Harry Braustyn Hylton-Foster PC, was a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1950 until his death. He was also the Speaker of the House of Commons for the final six years of his life.

Hylton-Foster was born in Surrey, his father was a barrister, and he was educated at Eton College before reading jurisprudence at Magdalen College, Oxford, in which he graduated with a first-class degree. He was called to the bar in 1928, at which time he was also working as a legal secretary for Robert Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay.

During World War II Hylton-Foster served in the Royal Air Force volunteer reserve and also as a deputy judge advocate in North Africa. After the end of the war, he stood as a candidate for the Shipley seat in the 1945 general election, but was unsuccessful. However, in the 1950 election he succeeded in taking the York seat, a seat he held for the next two elections before standing for the safer seat for the Cities of London and Westminster in the 1959 election.

In 1954 Hylton-Foster was named as the Solicitor General for England and Wales and also received his knighthood. The fact that he was serving as the Solicitor General when he was named as the Speaker of the House of Commons in 1959 was a source of some controversy, which was confounded by the fact that the Labour Party felt they had been insufficiently consulted about the nomination. However, once the controversy died down Hylton-Foster proved to be a popular and respected Speaker. He died suddenly in 1965 whilst still in office. His wife, Audrey, was given a life peerage as Baroness Hylton-Foster in his honour the same year.