Louis John Jennings Biography

Louis John Jennings was a politician of Conservation and Unionist party, also known as the Conservative party. His post was as a Member of Parliament. He was a well-known journalist before he became a politician.

He worked for very well-known publications such as the London Times and the New York Times. His work was appreciated both in Britain and the United States.

Early Life and Marriage

Louis was born in 1836, May 12th, in London, Walworth. His parents were John Jennings, who was a tailor, and Sarah Michel.

In 1867, Louis was married to Madeline Louis Henriques. They had eight children together, one of which Gertrude Jennings, daughter of Louis and Madeline, wrote one play whose debut was in England.

Louis John Jennings
Louis John Jennings

Literary Career of Louis John Jennings

Louis started his career as a journalist, during that time journalism was expanding and when he saw the opportunities, he seized them quickly and joined Saturday Review.

Journalism

Louis Jennings worked with Saturday Review until he got a job at the London Times. In 1863, Louis got an appointment as a correspondent at the London Times and was sent to India. His work as the correspondent was done very well and the Times’ Editor liked it. In 1865, as soon as Louis came back to London he was sent to the United States.

In the United States, Louis’s work included making relations between the newspaper and the government better. During the Civil War, the London Times supported the south and mended its fences with North, which seized victory. He did that working in the best way he could and both government and the Times appreciated his work.

In 1868, Louis published Eighty years of Republican Government, that he studied in the USA. Two years later, in 1870, he joined the New York Times as an editor. He worked for the New York Times till 1876.

During this time, he exposed Tweed Ring, Tweed used for William M. Tweed, who was a politician in America. Louis earned a public reputation because of this and also got a letter from 21st president of USA, Chester A. Arthur saying, his services will not be forgotten.

After this Louis released a collection of speeches of Randolph Churchill, whom he also supported during his advocacy of Conservative Democracy.

In 1876, Louis came back to London, when he failed to secure the New York Times’ financial control. During his time in the USA, he made a close relationship with John Murray, publisher of the New York Times. Louis would’ve stayed in the USA if he was successful in taking financial control of the New York Times.

After coming back to England, Louis started publishing his books and articles continuously. In 1885, he published The Millionaire. Also from 1881 to 1892, he was writing articles for Quarterly Reviews.

Louis also published two books during this time, in 1879 Peak of Derbyshire and the South Downs and 1878 Surrey and Sussex. These two books were about the country walk, he described green lanes, field paths, and hills.

Louis John Jennings - The Philadelphian
Louis John Jennings – The Philadelphian

The last novel published by Louis was The Philadelphian, this novel was published in 1891. After this Louis didn’t publish any article or novel.

The political career of Louis John Jennings

While Louis was writing for the Quarterly Review, all those articles were showing criticism of Gladstone. In 1885, due to this, he gained a seat in Parliament in Stockport, an industrial town on the Northside. He became an MP (Member of Parliament).

Meanwhile, he started working with John Murray to edit papers of John Wilson Croker. This project was a huge success, sold more than 2500 copies, and is still considered the best work ever on John Croker’s life.

In 1886, one year after he got a seat in Parliament, Louis wrote an article on William E Gladstone, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1868-1894, for a total of 12 years in 4 phases, the article showed criticism.

During the time Louis served as MP of Stockport, he worked closely with Randolph Churchill, he also campaigned with Randolph for “Tory Democracy”. Although later the alliance between Randolph and Louis came to an end.

Later Life and Death

Louis John Jennings died in 1893, at an age of 55 years, in London. He had a liver operation and couldn’t survive. He was still serving as a Member of Parliament when he died. On his death, London News published an article saying,

at times he almost became a power in the House of Commons, and he was great in the Lobby where his shrewd and detached criticism of party life and dislike of extreme views made him a favorite.”

Later in 2001, David Morphet published a biography of Louis John Jennings. This was the first-ever biography on him.