Arthur Otway

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Sir Arthur John Otway, Privy Counsellor, 1st Baronet (8 August 1822 - 8 June 1912) was a man of many occupations. In his lifetime, he served as a barrister, a Member of Parliament, and a Privy Counsellor, among other accomplishments. He was also a great champion of administrative reform regarding India.

[edit] Biography

Sir Otway was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in August of 1822, the fourth son of Admiral Sir Robert Otway. He was brought up along with the rest of his family in Kemp Town, an estate of Brighton, England. At the age of six, he began his education at Marlborough Place. Following that, he travelled to France and Germany, and eventually began education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Naturally, his first career was in the military. In 1839, he signed on as an ensign of the 51st Yorkshire Light Infantry, which was then stationed in Australia. After two years' service, he was promored to the 2nd Queen's Regiment, stationed in India. He served with that regiment for approximately five more years, until 1846, at which time he retired from the Army. After his time in the military, he began to study law at the Middle Temple, one of London's four Inns of Court; in 1850 he was called to the Bar.

Before he had held his first brief, however, he began to percieve a need for reform in government, especially regarding the handling of the administration of India. He joined other notables of the time such as John Bright in forming the India Reform Society. Subsequently, he entered public office as a Liberal MP for Stafford. He represented that borough from 1852 to 1857. Later, he sat for Chatham from 1865 to 1874 and Rochester from 1878 to 1885.

At the end of 1868, three years into his term as MP of Chatham, he was appointed to William Ewart Gladstone's first Government in the post of Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. He served for three years in that post. His chief was Lord Clarendon, the Secretary of State. Lord Clarendon died on 19 July 1870, the eve of the Franco-Prussian War and was succeeded by Lord Granville. The months that followed were filled with anxiety for all representatives of the Foreign Office, until the war's end in 1871. Sir Otway retired from said post in that year over matters of opinion connected to Russia's treatment of the Black Sea Treaty in the Crimean War.

In 1878, Sir Otway was elected as the MP for Rochester. In 1881, Otway succeeded his brother as third baronet. Five years later, in 1883, he was appointed Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means. He held his post as Chairman until 1885, the year he retired from Parliamentary life entirely. In that same year, he became a Privy Councillor.

On 13 September 1851, he married Henrietta Langham, daughter of Sir James Langham. They had three children, Henrietta Evelyn Marianne Otway, Phoebe Eleanora Otway and Waller Angelo Otway. His only son, Waller, died unmarried in 1884, and the baronetcy became extinct. His wife died in 1909, and he died in 1912 at 34 Eaton Square, London.