The Man Who Enriched – and Robbed – the Tories

Abstract

AbstractHorace Farquhar, financier, courtier and politician, was a man without a moral compass. He combined ruthlessness and dishonesty with great charm. As a Liberal Unionist MP in the 1890s, his chief aim was to get a peerage, for which he paid handsomely. He exploited everyone who came his way to increase his wealth and boost his social position, gaining an earldom from Lloyd George, to whose notorious personal political fund he diverted substantial amounts from the Conservative Party, of which he was treasurer from 1911 to 1923, the first holder of that post. The Tories’ money went into his own pocket as well. During these years, he also held senior positions at court, retaining under George V the trust of the royal family which he had won under Edward VII. By the time of his death in 1923, however, his wealth had disappeared, and he was found to be bankrupt. He was a man of many secrets. They have been probed and explored, drawing on such material relating to his scandalous career as has so far come to light.