Father of the House
House of Commons

Father of the House

Section Title: House of Commons
Table Section Text: None

Name	Entered Parliament	Father (Standing Order No 1)	Left House	Party	Constituency

Sir John Fagg	1654	1701	1701	Steyning

Thomas Turgis	1659	1701	1704	Gatton

Sir Christopher Musgrave, 4th Baronet	1661	1704	1704	Westmorland

Thomas Strangways	1673	1704	1713	Dorset

Sir Richard Onslow	1679	1713	1715	Whig	Guildford (1713–14) Surrey (1714–15)

Thomas Erle	1679	1715	1718	Whig	Wareham

Edward Vaughan	1679	1718	1718	Whig	Cardiganshire

Richard Vaughan	1685 continuous from 1689	1718	1724	Whig	Carmarthen

Lord William Powlett	1689	1724	1729	Tory	Winchester (1689–1710, 1715–29) Lymington (1710–15)

Sir Justinian Isham, 4th Baronet	1685 continuous from 1694	1729	1730	Tory	Northampton (1685–90, 1694–98) Northamptonshire (1698–30)

Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet, of Warham	1695	1730	1738	Tory	King's Lynn

Sir Roger Bradshaigh	1695	1738	1747	Tory	Wigan

Sir Edward Ashe	1695	1747	1747	Tory	Heytesbury

Sir Thomas Cartwright	1695 continuous from 1701	1747	1748	Tory	Northamptonshire

Sir Richard Shuttleworth	1705	1748	1749	Tory	Lancashire

Phillips Gybbon	1707	1749	1762	Whig	Rye

Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet	1713	1762	1768	Tory	Malmesbury (1713–22) Evesham (1722–68)

William Aislabie	1721	1768	1781	Whig	Ripon

Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore	1733	1781	1782	Whig	Thetford (1733–54, 1774–82) Hereford (1754–68) Heytesbury (1768–74)

The Earl Nugent	1741	1782	1784	Tory	St Mawes (1741–54, 1774–84) Bristol (1754–74)

Sir Charles Frederick	1741	1784	Tory	New Shoreham (1741–54) Queenborough (1754–84)

The Lord Mendip	1741	1784	1790	Tory	Cricklade (1741–47) Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (1747–61, 1774–90) Aylesbury (1761–68) Petersfield (1768–74, 1791–95)

William Drake	1746	1790	1796	Amersham

Sir Philip Stephens, 1st Baronet	1759	1796	1806	Tory	Liskeard (1759–68) Sandwich (1768–1801)

Clement Tudway	1761	1806	1815	Wells

Sir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet	1768	1815	1826	Tory	Wallingford (1768–74, 1780–84) Aylesbury (1774–1780) Buckinghamshire (1780–90) Clitheroe (1790–96) Aldeburgh (1796–1801) Steyning (1812–20) Horsham (1820–26)

Sir Samuel Smith	1788	1826	1832	Tory	St Germans (1788–90) Leicester (1790–1818) Midhurst (1818–20) Wendover (1820–32)

George Byng	1790	1832	1847	Whig	Middlesex

Charles Williams-Wynn	1797	1847	1850	Conservative	Old Sarum (1797–99) Montgomeryshire (1797–1850)

George Harcourt	1806	1850	1861	Whig	Lichfield (1806–31) Oxfordshire (1831–62)

Sir Charles Burrell, 3rd Baronet	1806	1861	1862	Conservative	New Shoreham

Henry Cecil Lowther	1812	1862	1867	Conservative	Westmorland

Thomas Peers Williams	1820	1867	1868	Conservative	Marlow

Henry Lowry-Corry	1825	1868	1873	Conservative	Tyrone

George Weld-Forester	1828	1873	1874	Conservative	Wenlock

Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot	1830	1874	1890	Liberal	Glamorganshire (1830–85) Mid Glamorganshire (1885–90)

Charles Pelham Villiers	1835	1890	1898	Liberal Unionist	Wolverhampton (1835–85) Wolverhampton South (1885–1898)

Sir John Mowbray, 1st Baronet	1853	1898	1899	Conservative	Durham City (1853–85) Oxford University (1885–1899)

William Wither Beach	1857	1899	1901	Conservative	North Hampshire (1857–85) Andover (1885–1901)

Michael Hicks Beach	1864	1901	1906	Conservative	Gloucestershire East (1864–85) Bristol West (1885–1906)

George Finch	1867	1906	1907	Conservative	Rutland

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman	1868	1907	1908	Liberal	Stirling Burghs

Sir John Kennaway, 3rd Baronet	1870	1908	1910	Conservative	East Devon (1870–85) Honiton (1885–1910)

Thomas Burt	1874	1910	1918	Lib-Lab	Morpeth

T. P. O'Connor	1880	1918	1929	Irish Nationalist	Galway Borough (1880–85) Liverpool Scotland (1885–1929)

David Lloyd George	1890	1929	1945	Liberal	Caernarvon Boroughs

The Earl Winterton	1904	1945	1951	Conservative	Horsham (1904–18, 1945–51) Horsham and Worthing (1918–45)

Sir Hugh O'Neill	1915	1951	1952	UUP	Mid Antrim (1915–22) Antrim (1922–50) North Antrim (1950–52)

David Grenfell	1922	1952	1959	Labour	Gower

Sir Winston Churchill	1900 continuous from 1924	1959	1964	Conservative	Oldham (1900–06) Manchester North West (1906–08) Dundee (1908–22) Epping (1924–45) Woodford (1945–64)

R. A. Butler	1929	1964	1965	Conservative	Saffron Walden

Sir Robin Turton	1929	1965	1974	Conservative	Thirsk and Malton

George Strauss	1929 continuous from 1934	1974	1979	Labour	Lambeth North (1929–31, 1934–50) Vauxhall (1950–79)

John Parker	1935	1979	1983	Labour	Romford (1935–45) Dagenham (1945–83)

James Callaghan	1945	1983	1987	Labour	Cardiff South (1945–50) Cardiff South East (1950–83) Cardiff South and Penarth (1983–87)

Sir Bernard Braine	1950	1987	1992	Conservative	Billericay (1950–55) South East Essex (1955–83) Castle Point (1983–92)

Sir Edward Heath	1950	1992	2001	Conservative	Bexley (1950–74) Sidcup (1974–83) Old Bexley and Sidcup (1983–2001)

Tam Dalyell	1962	2001	2005	Labour	West Lothian (1962–83) Linlithgow (1983–2005)

Alan Williams	1964	2005	2010	Labour	Swansea West

Sir Peter Tapsell	1959 continuous from 1966	2010	2015	Conservative	Nottingham West (1959–64) Horncastle (1966–83) East Lindsey (1983–97) Louth and Horncastle (1997–2015)

Sir Gerald Kaufman	1970	2015	2017	Labour	Manchester Ardwick (1970–83) Manchester Gorton (1983–2017)

Kenneth Clarke	1970	2017	incumbent	Conservative	Rushcliffe (1970–present)

Sentence(s)

The Father of the House of Commons is Kenneth Clarke, Conservative for Rushcliffe, who began his continuous service at the 1970 general election.

final_sentence: The Father of the House of Commons is Kenneth Clarke, Conservative for Rushcliffe, who began his continuous service at the 1970 general election.