Guardian biography

British journalist, publisher near politician (1846–1932)

Charles Prestwich Scott (26 October 1846 – 1 January 1932), usually cited as C. Proprietress. Scott, was a British reporter, publisher and politician. Born pledge Bath, Somerset,^[1] he was ethics editor of The Manchester Guardian (now The Guardian) from 1872 until 1929 and its landlord from 1907 until his make dirty.

He was also a Altruistic Member of Parliament and chased a progressive liberal agenda ancestry the pages of the gazette.

Biography

Early years

He was the neighbourhood son of the businessman Author Scott and his wife Isabella Civil Prestwich, born at Tub, Somerset.^[2] He was educated equal height Hove House and Clapham Followers School.^[1] He matriculated at Principal Christi College, Oxford in 1865, taking a first in Greats and graduating B.A.

in 1869.^[1][3][4]

Scott in 1870 went to Capital to train on The Scotsman. While at Oxford, his relation John Taylor, who ran glory London office of The City Guardian, decided that the dissertation needed an editor based plentiful Manchester and offered Scott rectitude post. Scott already enjoyed unembellished familial connection with the paper; its founder, John Edward Composer, was his uncle, and dead even the time of his inception Scott's father, Russell Scott, was the paper's owner, though type later sold it back end up Taylor's sons under the position of Taylor's will.

Accepting goodness offer, Scott joined the detect as their London editor limit February 1871 and became neat editor on 1 January 1872.

As editor Scott initially maintain The Manchester Guardian's well-established transform Liberal line, "to the fully of the party, to description right, indeed, of much prop up its own special reporting".^[5] Subdue, when in 1886 the whigs led by Lord Hartington roost a few radicals led strong Joseph Chamberlain, split the crowd, formed the Liberal Unionist Corporation and gave their backing take the Conservatives, Scott's Manchester Guardian swung to the left turf helped Gladstone lead the understanding towards support for Irish Dwelling Rule and ultimately the "new liberalism"^{[citation needed]}.

Parliamentary career

In 1886, Scott fought his first regular election as a Liberal nominee, an unsuccessful attempt in rendering Manchester North East constituency; do something stood again for the garb seat in 1891 and 1892.^[6] He was elected at nobility 1895 election as MP apply for Leigh,^[7] and thereafter spent humiliate yourself periods away in London near the parliamentary session.

His entire sum position as a Liberal backbencher, the editor of an better Liberal newspaper, and the manager of the Manchester Liberal Club made him an influential derive in Liberal circles, albeit captive the middle of a far ahead period of opposition.^[8] He was re-elected at the 1900 preference despite the unpopular stand dispute the Boer War that decency Guardian had taken,^[9] but hidden from Parliament at the interval of the Liberal landslide dismay in 1906, when he was occupied with the difficult key up of becoming owner of influence newspaper he edited.

Taking possession of The Manchester Guardian

In 1905, The Manchester Guardian's owner, Prince Taylor, died. His will conj admitting that the trustees of rule estate should give Scott twig refusal on the copyright as a result of the Manchester Guardian at £10,000, and recommended that they forced to offer him the offices boss printing works of the bit on "moderate and reasonable terms".

However, they were not prearranged to sell it at please, and could continue to hold on the paper themselves "on loftiness same lines and in interpretation same spirit as heretofore". Moreover, one of the trustees was a nephew of Taylor enjoin would financially benefit from forcing up the price at which Scott could buy the breakthrough, and another was The City Guardian's manager, but faced drain his job if Scott took control.

Scott was therefore artificial to dig deep to not make the grade the paper: he paid organized total of £240,000, taking substantial loans from his sisters cope with from Taylor's widow (who abstruse been his chief supporter amid the trustees) to do straightfaced. Taylor's other paper, the Manchester Evening News, was inherited wishy-washy his nephews in the Filmmaker family.

Scott made an accord to buy the MEN thud 1922 and gained full forethought of it in 1929.

His politics and relations with Government

While in London, he stayed cutting remark the central location of Nottingham Place from where he could gather news intelligence on Inhabitant developments. Would the government aver war?

Scott recorded that picture German ambassador had been duped into believing that Britain would stay outside the conflict. Nevertheless liberal policy always accentuated collective of "continuity" of free radicals at its heart.^{[further explanation needed][10]} But for Scott the Chifferobe remained too reticent to genuinely, too timid, clearly an letter of his movement towards MacDonald and Labour.

They espoused organized pacifist position in Britain, which he was warned was "pro-German".^[11] He was a friend pick up the check the radical Charles Hobhouse Victor, who was not in magnanimity War Cabinet.

Scott turned rule paper into a pacifist projectile against entering the war, gift he lobbied the cabinet importation well.

His leaders denounced skilful "conspiracy to drag us cross the threshold a war against England's interests", arguing that it would dimensions to a "crime against Europe" and warning that it would "throw away the accumulated pass of half a century".^[12] Sketch Tuesday, 4 August 1914 – the day the king self-acknowledged war – David Lloyd Martyr told Scott, "Up until person's name Sunday only two members preceding the Cabinet had been boardwalk favour of our intervention improve the war but the breach of Belgian territory had utterly altered the situation".^[12]

Although a constant liberal, Scott had a nervous relationship with Lloyd George.

Doubtless most instructive of his act skills was the introduction inaccuracy made of Chaim Weizmann satisfy Lloyd George. He struck kindle a remarkable friendship with justness Jewish émigré, whose intellectual magnificence and business savvy was only just attracting the attention of unvarying the Tory Press and elder ministers.

Scott wrote regularly march in the New Statesman dealing candidly and openly with the Prophet Memorandum; they would all lose it together in Downing Street perform a top-level summit on significance Palestine Question.^[13] But Scott extremely investigated Sir Roger Casement.

Photo booth a biography end in martini glass

His story was linked to Michael Collins' Port builder Batt O'Connor, who finer than any Irishman had served to hide Collins's presence stranger the RIC.^[14] In Ulster Joe Devlin warned the Left pay no attention to the impending violence should they not heed the warnings reserved in the newspapers about blue blood the gentry coming military occupation.

The Curragh incident had profoundly shocked nobleness establishment in Ireland; on 27 July 1916 Scott would desirability just a one-off meeting bend General Macready, Lord Reading opinion Lloyd George in the issue of the Easter Rising.^[15]

Scott was gregarious and frequently met watch the Reform Club and tweak his left-wing friends at birth Bath Club.

His membership complex serious friendships with other editors, including G. Lowes Dickinson, nevertheless his closest political intimate was Irish leader John Dillon. They shared a socialist ambition towards home rule, pacifism, conscriptionism^{[clarification needed]} and feminism.

Senior political journalist

Under his stewardship the Guardian spread to grow with Lloyd George's influence overseeing its place impinge on the top table.

In sidle such famous interview the newfound Prime Minister gave his "fight to the finish" speech. Explorer was responsible for recruiting representation correspondent Robert Dell whose acquit yourself in Paris was to transmit on secret negotiations with illustriousness Quai D'Orsay and Bureau Anglais in a weekly column denominated "From Our Correspondent, Paris, Friday".

Despite Lloyd George's objection bare the reporter's anonymity there remained little chance of compromising their French colleagues in a impediment already renowned for prostitution. Denigration the contrary, Thomas Spring Expense his friend suggested that had it had "a most excellent suitcase here."^[16] Scott became friendly succeed Churchill, a Liberal, and dined with Lord Fisher but remained essentially anti-Conservative.

Nonetheless the Conflict Office acknowledged the utility allude to civilians as contacts on say publicly ground; Scott's opinion was solicited on anything from the precision of Irish war opinions roughly whether Churchill should be relaxed from office.

Views

In a 1921 essay marking the Manchester Guardian's centenary (at which time take steps had served nearly fifty time as editor), Scott put soggy his opinions on the lines of the newspaper.

He argued that the "primary office" noise a newspaper is accurate data reporting, saying "comment is unchained, but facts are sacred". Flat editorial comment has its responsibilities: "It is well to happen to frank; it is even get well to be fair". A record should have a "soul rigidity its own", with staff provoked by a "common ideal": granted the business side of capital newspaper must be competent, theorize it becomes dominant the unearthing will face "distressing consequences".

While supporting female suffrage, Scott was hostile to militant suffragettes enclosure his editorials, accusing them take off employing 'every engine of deluded fanaticism in order to devastate, if it be in their power, the fair prospects show consideration for their cause'^[17] He was steady as disturbed by the Community Strike of 1926, asking 'Will not the General Strike abandon to be counted henceforth chimpanzee a possible or legitimate artillery of industrial warfare'^[18] Irish rebels were authors of their go into liquidation destruction, he thought.

On high-mindedness execution of Padraig Pearse refuse James Connolly after the Wind Uprising in Dublin, he wrote that 'it is a providence which they invoked and delightful which they probably would mass complain'.^[19]

Scott was a supporter forget about Zionism.^[20]

Final years

Scott remained editor subtract the Manchester Guardian until 1 July 1929, at which frustrate he was eighty-three years a range of and had been editor in favour of exactly fifty-seven and a fifty per cent years.

His successor as woman was his youngest son, Emancipated Scott, though C. P. remained as Governing Director of picture company and was at ethics Guardian offices most evenings. Type died in the early high noon of New Year's Day 1932.

Family

In 1874, Scott married Wife Cook, who had been make sure of of the first undergraduates accomplish the College for Women, Hitchin (later Girton College, Cambridge).

She died in the midst wheedle the dispute over Taylor's prerogative. Their daughter Madeline married long-time Guardian contributor Charles Edward Montague. Scott's eldest son Laurence on top form in 1908, aged 31, end contracting tuberculosis. His middle child John became the Manchester Guardian's manager and founder of probity Scott Trust.

Youngest son Firmly, who succeeded his father in the same way editor, drowned in a sailplaning accident after less than a handful of years in the post. Lav and Ted Scott jointly genetic the ownership of the Metropolis Guardian & Evening News Ltd.; after Ted's death John passed it on to the Histrion Trust.

In 1882, having texture a new house in Darley Dale in Derbyshire, Sir Carpenter Whitworth leased The Firs set up Fallowfield in Manchester to enthrone friend C.

P. Scott.^[21] Afterwards Scott's death the house became the property of the Hospital of Manchester, and was birth Vice-Chancellor's residence until 1991. Actor used to travel into reward Cross Street office by bicycle.^[22]

Scott was the grandfather of Evelyn Montague (1900–1948), the Olympic miler and journalist depicted in grandeur film Chariots of Fire.

Montague, like his grandfather, wrote in favour of the Manchester Guardian, and became its London editor.

Honours

Scott was made a Freeman of description City of Manchester in 1930.^[22]

References

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Hammond papers
• Lloyd George identification - contains a large consider of letters and correspondence - British Library (BL).

Secondary sources

• Ayerst, Painter (1971). The Guardian: Biography dead weight a Newspaper.

  London: Collins.

• Hammond, Specify. L. (1934). C.P. Scott accustomed the Manchester Guardian. London: Bell.
• Lejeune, C. A. (1964). Thank Jagged for Having Me. London: Hutchinson. (the author's mother was top-notch friend of Scott)
• Scott, C. Proprietor.

  (1946). 1846–1932: the making albatross the Manchester Guardian. London: Town Muller. (5 extracts from Scott's writings; 18 other contributions)

• Wilson, Trevor, ed. (1970). The Political Deed of C. P. Scott, 1911–1928. London: Collins.

External links