Signed: "T.STEVENS COVENTRY" on back at pointed end
Stevens logo on the reverse pointed end of this bookmark
Joseph Chamberlain. Born 1836 and died 1914.
He was Mayor of Birmingham from 1873-1876, and became a Liberal MP in 1876. In 1886 he left the Liberal Party because of Gladstone's support of Irish Home Rule.
In 1895 he became Colonial Secretary in the Conservative Government, and his reputation was enhanced by his policies in the Boer War. His commitment to imperial preference in tariff rates however caused a split in the Conservative ranks which led to his resignation in 1903. This contributed to the election victory of the Liberal Party in 1906.
Chamberlain's eldest son, Sir (Joseph) Austen Chamberlain (1863-1937) became a Liberal-Unionist MP in 1892.
Below is an image of a point of sale display, with this election badge and two others for sale at One Penny Each (that is, when there were 240 penny to the pound)
