Sir John Power, 1st Baronet
Sir John Cecil Power, 1st Baronet, (21 December 1870 – 5 June 1950) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.[1][2]
Born at Eldon, County Down, he was the son of William Taylor Power by his wife, Cecilia née Burgoyne.[1][2] The family moved to London when he was aged 10. With his brother, Frederick, he entered the family business of Power, Power and Company export merchants. As a young man he travelled extensively in Europe and North America.[1] In 1902 he married Mabel Perks, with whom he had five children.[1]
Power subsequently started his own real estate business, becoming a wealthy developer owning much property in central London including Adastral House in the redeveloped Kingsway.[1][2] Power became known for his generous financial gifts to various institutions.[2] Of £24,000 collected to allow the construction of the Institute of Historical Research in 1921, Power gave £20,000. In 1923 he gave a large donation that allowed for the purchase of the site of Chatham House as the headquarters of the Institute of International Affairs;[2] Power was Honorary Treasurer of the Institute from 1921 to 1943.[1][2] He was also an active member of the League of Nations Union, sitting on its executive for seven years and also on various committees.[1] He was a committee member of the Royal Humane Society and donated a site for the first headquarters of the British Council.[1][2]
In 1924, Power was created a baronet, of Newlands Manor, in the Parish of Milford, in the County of Southampton.[3] In the general election in same year he was elected as Member of Parliament for Wimbledon, holding the seat until his retirement due to ill health at the 1945 general election.[1][2] Lady Power died suddenly in the same year, a loss that affected him deeply. His retirement years were spent at his Hampshire home and a villa at Grasse on the French Riviera. He died in France in 1950, aged 79.[2]
Sir John was succeeded in the baronetcy by his elder son, Ivan McLannahan Cecil Power, a London County Councillor and director of various companies who had, by his first wife Nancy, daughter of Rev John Griffiths: John Power (3rd baronet) and Hilary, Lady Cardoss.[1][2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Macadam, I. S. (2004). "Power, Sir John Cecil, first baronet (1870–1950)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35594. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Obituary: Sir John Power. Historical And Political Research". The Times. 9 June 1950. p. 8.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 32918. p. 2229. 14 March 1924.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir John Power
- www.thePeerage.com
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Joseph Hood, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Wimbledon 1924–1945 |
Succeeded by Arthur Palmer |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Newlands Manor) 1924–1950 |
Succeeded by Ivan McLannahan Cecil Power |