John Holms

John Holms JP, DL (21 September 1830 – 31 March 1891), was a Scottish businessman and Liberal politician.

"Military changes"
Holms as caricatured by Spy (Leslie Ward) in Vanity Fair, February 1882

Background

Holms was the son of James Holms of Sancel Bank, Paisley, and his wife Janet Love, daughter of James Love, of Paisley. His brother William Holms was MP for Paisley.

Career

Holms was a partner in W. Holms Bros, spinners, of Glasgow.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Hackney in 1860, and served in the second Liberal administration of William Ewart Gladstone as a Junior Lord of the Treasury from 1880 to 1882 and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade from 1882 to 1885. When Hackney was divided into single-member constituencies in 1885 John stood for the Central division. He was defeated by his Conservative opponent by 193 votes. Just a few days later he was seriously injured in an accident on the London Underground and rendered an invalid for the remainder of his life.

He was also a Justice of the Peace for Lanarkshire, Middlesex and Westminster and a Deputy Lieutenant for Tower Hamlets.[1] He was the author of military books including The British Army in 1875 and Our Military Difficulty.[1]

Personal life

Holms married Elizabeth Lyon, daughter of Edward Lyon of Kennington in 1856. He died in March 1891, aged 60.[1]

References
  1. Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1881
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Hackney
1868 – 1885
With: Sir Charles Reed 1868–74
Henry Fawcett 1874–84
James Stuart 1884–85		 Constituency abolished
Political offices
Preceded by
Rowland Winn
Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt
Viscount Crichton		 Junior Lord of the Treasury
1880–1882
With: Sir Arthur Hayter, Bt 1880–82
Charles Cecil Cotes 1880–82
Herbert Gladstone 1881–82		 Succeeded by
Charles Cecil Cotes
Herbert Gladstone
Robert Duff
Preceded by
Evelyn Ashley		 Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade
1882–1885		 Succeeded by
Baron Henry de Worms
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