The Chamberlains, the Churchills and Ireland, 1874–1922 By Ian C ...

certainly not a failure at school; on prize day at University College School he was awarded distinctions in mathematics and hydrostatics, Latin and French. His prize for mathematics was a book presciently entitled Adventures in the Path of Empire. There was nothing in his background or early childhood to suggest the immense part Ireland was to play in his future. Nevertheless, there is much in his background to explain his future determination to assert his way with people and events. J.L. Garvin, Chamberlain’s hagiographical biographer, described Chamberlain’s parents as being ‘endowed valuably as a family with a sort of cumulative persistence’.¹²

The Genesis of Chamberlain’s Politics

Both men entered parliament when the Conservatives led by Benjamin Disraeli were in office. Churchill was elected as a Conservative for the family borough of Woodstock at the general election in early 1874, and shortly after he married Jeanette Jerome, an American. Chamberlain replaced George Dixon as the Liberal member for Birmingham in June 1876. It is relatively easy to account for Churchill’s Conservative predilections at this stage. Given his family history, upbringing, and early experiences it is difficult to see him, in his early days, standing as a Liberal, even of the Whig persuasion.

Chamberlain, on the other hand, is a much more complex case because his early ideological leanings are not readily discernible. He was sent by his father to Birmingham in 1854 to assist his uncle, John Nettlefold, to develop his screw manufacturing business. His father had invested in the business and wanted young Chamberlain to keep an eye on his investment. It proved to be a very astute move because the young Chamberlain quickly demonstrated his gifts in business management and as an administrator. Nevertheless, care must be taken in attributing too much of the success of the business to Chamberlain. J.L. Garvin claimed that ‘In the eventually resistless commercial success of the firm during the next twenty years our “Mr Joseph” was the prime mover’.¹³ In fact, the reason Chamberlain’s father originally invested in the company was to assist it with capital to buy the patent