Introduction

J. H. Whitley, famously Speaker of the House of Commons in the 1920s, was a vitally important figure in many other areas of politics and civic, urban and religious life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Whitley's lifetime corresponded almost exactly with the period when legislation saw Britain move from constitutional government to democracy, provoking within the United Kingdom and the Empire notions of self-government and self-regulation. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book captures the changes in British society and politics through the medium of the life of Whitley. It reflects upon how Whitley was shaped by his Halifax roots throughout his political life and outlines his career from social reformer, to municipal councillor and MP and eventually to Speaker of the House of Commons.