Edward Algernon FitzRoy (24 July 1869 – 3 March 1943) was a British Conservative politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1928 until his death in 1943.
Early life
FitzRoy was the second son of the 3rd Baron Southampton and his second wife, Ismania Catherine Nugent, a granddaughter of Sir Charles Jenkinson, 10th Baronet. He came from a family with a long line of public service and was a descendant of Charles II's illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton. Through ancestor Anne Warren, the daughter of Admiral Peter Warren, he was a descendant of the Schuyler family, the Van Cortlandt family, and the Delancey family, all from British North America.
His mother was Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and young FitzRoy was a Page of Honour to the Queen. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Northamptonshire in 1901. He was re-elected during the January 1910 general election for Northamptonshire South. He held the seat in the December 1910 general election.
During World War I, whilst still an MP, he served in the British Army as a captain of the 1st Regiment of Life Guards, was wounded at the First Battle of Ypres and commanded the mounted troops of the Guards Division from 1915–16. He held the seat in the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931 and 1935 general elections.
He served as deputy chair of the Committee of Ways and Means from 1924 to 1928. He was made a Privy Councillor in February 1924. He was elected Speaker of the House of Commons on 20 June 1928. In 1931, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Cambridge and an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Oxford in 1934. In 1935, there was considerable controversy when the Labour Party decided to stand a candidate against him in the general election. According to The Times obituary, "In addition to his former party Mr. Lloyd George and the Liberal leaders came out strongly in defence of his position. Even on the lowest ground of party interest Labour made a grave mistake, for Captain FitzRoy was returned by a resounding majority." were the same as those of the Dukes of Grafton.