Edward Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner

Edward Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner
Born	Edward Priaulx Tennant Scotland
Died	21 November 1920(1920-11-21) (aged 61)
Other names	Sir Edward Tennant, 2nd Baronet (1906–1911)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1892–1920
Known for	Liberal Member of Parliament for Salisbury; Baron Glenconner; Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire; Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Edward Priaulx Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner (31 May 1859 – 21 November 1920), initially known as Sir Edward Tennant, 2nd Baronet between 1906 and 1911, was a Scottish entrepreneur and a member of the Liberal political faction. He was ennobled in 1911 as Baron Glenconner.

Origins

Born on 31 May 1859, he was the eldest surviving offspring of Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet (deceased 1906). His family included notable siblings such as Harold Tennant and Margot Asquith, spouse of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. His extended relations encompassed distinguished individuals like niece Elizabeth Bibesco and nephew Anthony Asquith.

Career

Tennant received his education at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, subsequently undertaking extensive journeys through Africa, India, and America. From 1892 to 1895, he served as Assistant Private Secretary to Sir George Otto Trevelyan, the Secretary for Scotland. Despite unsuccessful attempts to secure parliamentary seats for Partick in 1892 and Peebles and Selkirk in 1900, he was elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Salisbury in 1906, holding the position until 1910.

Upon inheriting the baronetcy in 1906, he was later elevated to the peerage as Baron Glenconner of The Glen in Peeblesshire in 1911. He fulfilled the role of Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire from 1908 until his death in 1920 and acted as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland between 1911 and 1914, where his tenure was marked by dignity and tactfulness.

His travels included a notable visit to the Far East in 1902 with his wife, where they attended the Delhi Durbar. Throughout his life, Tennant balanced political duties with business activities tied to his extensive family connections and Scottish landholdings.

Other roles

• Chairman of the Union Bank of Scotland.
• Director of various enterprises including Mysore Gold Company.
• President of the Scottish Modern Arts Association.
• President of the Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club.
• Leader of the principal chemical manufacturing operation at St Rollox, Glasgow for Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company, succeeding his father who built the family wealth through textile manufacturing and links with St Rollox chemical works.
• President of the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis.

Personal qualities

• Preferred to avoid public attention and did not seek acclaim.
• Recognized for his politeness and empathy toward those facing hardship.
• Well-traveled with a keen sense for business matters.
• Demonstrated sound judgment coupled with prompt decision-making in public roles.
• Felt uneasy within party politics and parliamentary environments.
• Maintained integrity and offered wise counsel.
• Generously contributed inherited wealth to charitable causes.
• Actively engaged in local affairs within Peeblesshire and Wiltshire counties.
• Fundamentally more a businessman than a career politician.

Philanthropy

In 1914, he gifted thirteen acres within Glasgow’s St Rollox area to serve as public recreational space. Later, in 1918, he acquired Dryburgh Abbey for about £35,000 and donated it to the nation, safeguarding it from private neglect. This act encouraged similar contributions, resulting in several ancient Scottish landmarks entering public stewardship over the following two years.

Residences

Around the turn of the 20th century, he purchased the Wilsford estate close to Salisbury and engaged Detmar Blow to create a mansion in the Tudor architectural style, which was completed between 1904 and 1906. Later, in 1910, he undertook renovations on his London home at 34 Queen Anne's Gate, incorporating an art gallery to house his inherited collection. This gallery was opened to the public on designated days, a gesture that received considerable acclaim.

Marriage and issue

In 1895, he wed Pamela Wyndham, a writer and sibling of George Wyndham. Their union produced multiple children, including:

• Hon. Clarissa "Clare" Madeline Georgiana Felicite Tennant (1896–1960)
• Hon. Edward Wyndham Tennant (1897–1916), noted war poet
• Christopher Grey Tennant, 2nd Baron Glenconner (1899–1983), their heir; father to Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner, who developed the Caribbean island Mustique, and grandfather to author Emma Tennant
• Hon. David Pax Tennant (1902–1968), founder of London's Gargoyle Club, married to Hermione Baddeley; father of Pauline Tennant
• Hon. Stephen James Napier Tennant (1906–1987)

Death and succession

He passed away on 21 November 1920 due to heart failure, occurring ten days following surgery. His cremation took place at Golders Green Crematorium, with his ashes interred at Traquair in Peeblesshire. The peerage was inherited by his eldest surviving son, Christopher Tennant.

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990