H. H. Asquith

Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith,, generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last Liberal Party prime minister to command a majority government, and the most recent Liberal to have served as Leader of the Opposition. He played a major role in the design and passage of major liberal legislation and a reduction of the power of the House of Lords. In August 1914, Asquith took Great Britain and the British Empire into the First World War. During 1915, his government was vigorously attacked for a shortage of munitions and the failure of the Gallipoli Campaign. He formed a coalition government with other parties but failed to satisfy critics, was forced to resign in December 1916 and never regained power.

12 September 1852

Born on the same birth day (12 September): Arthur Hays Sulzberger • Clayton Richard • Colin Ford • Daniel Muir • Dimitrios Regas • Hsinbyushin • Jean-François Martial • Jennifer Hudson • Joanne Jackson (swimmer) • Kenichi Suzumura • Kyuichi Tokuda • Larry Austin • Manuel Espinosa Batista • Martin Lapointe • Michael Ondaatje • Phillip Ramey • Richard Jordan Gatling • Richard Snell (cricketer) • Staciana Stitts • Sviatlana Pirazhenka

Born in the same month (September 1852): Alice Brown Davis • Charles Villiers Stanford • Hans Niels Andersen • Henri Moissan • James Carroll Beckwith • John French, 1st Earl of Ypres • Paul Bourget • William Stewart Halsted