Bonar Law

The 20 Prime Ministers of the 20th Century
By Andrew Taylor

Andrew Bonar Law (1858-1923) Conservative politician, Prime Minister 1922-3. From an Ulster family, he was prominent in the opposition to Home Rule for Ireland. In 1922 he was the moving spirit in the the stormy meeting of the Conservative MPs which ended the Coalition, created the 1922 Committee and reinstated him as leader. The Conservatives easily won the resulting election. Bonar Law became Prime Minister in October 1922 but resigned due to ill-health the following May.

Professor Andrew Taylor is Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield. He is currently completing research on aspects of the long-term political evolution of the Conservative Party, having a particular interest in Bonar Law, as well as researching the concept of the state failure and the political reconstruction of post-conflict states.