John Evelyn Denison, 1st Viscount Ossington PC (27 January 1800 – 7 March 1873) was a British statesman. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1857 to 1872.
[edit] Background and education
Born at Ossington, Nottinghamshire, Denison was the eldest son of John Denison (d. 1820), and the brother of George Anthony Denison, a conservative churchman. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
[edit] Political career
Sir Evelyn Denison, Speaker, in a Vanity Fair cartoon of 1870.
A Whig, he became Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1823, being returned for Hastings three years later, and holding for a short time a subordinate position in Canning's ministry. Defeated in 1830 both at Newcastle-under-Lyme and then at Liverpool, Denison secured a seat as one of the members for Nottinghamshire in 1831; and after the Great Reform Act he represented the southern division of Nottinghamshire from 1832 until the general election of 1837.
He represented Malton from 1841 to 1857, and North Nottinghamshire from 1857 to 1872. In April 1857 Denison was chosen Speaker of the House of Commons. Re-elected at the beginning of three successive parliaments he retained this position until February 1872, when he resigned and was created Viscount Ossington. He refused, however, to accept the pension usually given to retiring Speakers. Denison gave a justification—referred to as Speaker Denison's rule—as to why the Speaker casts his or her vote in most cases in favour of, rather than against, a government, where they have the casting vote.
[edit] Family
In 1827 he had married Lady Charlotte (d. 1889), daughter of William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland, but he left no children. He died on 7 March 1873, and his title became extinct. However, a street in London was named in his honour.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Parliament of the United Kingdom |
Preceded by
William Kinnersley
Sir Robert Wilmot, Bt | Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme
1823 – 1826
With: Sir Robert Wilmot, Bt | Succeeded by
Richardson Borradaile
Sir Robert Wilmot, Bt |
Preceded by
Sir William Curtis, Bt
Sir Charles Wetherell | Member of Parliament for Hastings
1826 – 1830
With: James Lushington, to 1831;
Joseph Planta, from 1831 | Succeeded by
Henry Fane
Joseph Planta |
Preceded by
Frank Sotheron
John Lumley | Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire
1831 – 1832
With: John Lumley | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for South Nottinghamshire
with The Earl of Lincoln
1832 – 1837 | Succeeded by
The Earl of Lincoln
Lancelot Rolleston |
Preceded by
Viscount Milton
John Childers | Member of Parliament for Malton
1841–1857
With: John Childers, to 1846;
Viscount Milton, 1846–1847;
John Childers, 1847–52;
Hon. Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam, from 1852 | Succeeded by
James Brown
Hon. Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam |
Preceded by
Lord Henry Bentinck
Lord Robert Clinton | Member of Parliament for North Nottinghamshire
1857 – 1872
With: Lord Robert Pelham-Clinton, to 1868;
Frederick Chatfield Smith, from 1868 | Succeeded by
Hon. George Monckton-Arundell
Frederick Chatfield Smith |
| Political offices |
Preceded by
Sir Charles Shaw-Lefevre | Speaker of the House of Commons
1857 – 1872 | Succeeded by
Hon. Sir Henry Brand |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| New creation | Viscount Ossington
1872 – 1873 | Extinct |
