Neville Chamberlain: Encyclopedia II - Neville Chamberlain - Early life

Neville Chamberlain - Early life

Chamberlain was the eldest son of the second marriage of Joseph Chamberlain, Lord Mayor of Birmingham, and a half-brother to Austen, later Sir Austen Chamberlain. Joseph's first wife had died shortly after giving birth to Austen; Neville's mother also died in childbirth in 1875 when Neville was six years old. The Chamberlain children found their relations with their father strained, and Neville grew up developing strong bonds with those siblings who were closest to him in age, most notably his sisters Ida and Hilda, to whom he would write every week he was away from them.

Chamberlain was educated at Rugby School, but the experience unsettled him and he became rather shy and withdrawn. At first he declined to join the school debating society, changing his mind only in 1886 when he spoke in favour of his father's position in the controversy over Irish Home Rule. It was during this period that Chamberlain developed a love of botany, and he was later to become a fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society. He was also fascinated by birds, becoming a keen ornithologist; he would later become interested in angling. Chamberlain had a passion for music and literature, and in later life would at crucial times quote William Shakespeare.

After leaving school, Chamberlain became a day attender at Mason Science College (later the University of Birmingham), thus becoming one of only two future Prime Ministers to attend a university other than Oxford or Cambridge (the other being Lord John Russell, who attended Edinburgh). He took a degree in science and metallurgy, but shortly after graduation became apprenticed to an accounting firm.

In 1890, Joseph Chamberlain's finances took a downturn, and he decided, against better advice from his brothers, to try growing sisal in the Bahamas. Neville and Austen were sent to the Americas to investigate the island of Andros, which seemed a good prospect for a plantation, but the crops failed in the unsuitable environment, and by 1896 the business was shut down at a heavy loss.

Chamberlain's later ventures at home were more successful. He served as chairman of several manufacturing firms in Birmingham, including "Elliots", a metal goods manufacturer, and "Hoskins", a cabin berth manufacturer. He gained a reputation for being a hands-on manager, taking a strong interest in the day-to-day running of affairs.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Early life", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki