Portrait of Edwin Montagu

Birthday profile

Edwin Montagu

Edwin Samuel Montagu, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (died 1924)

Born
February 6, 1879
Died
November 15, 1924
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1879

About Edwin Montagu

Edwin Samuel Montagu PC (6 February 1879 – 15 November 1924) was a British Liberal politician who served as Secretary of State for India between 1917 and 1922. Montagu was a "radical" Liberal and the third practising Jew (after Sir Herbert Samuel and Sir Rufus Isaacs) to serve in the British cabinet. He was primarily responsible for the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms which led to the Government of India Act 1919, committing the British to the eventual evolution of India towards dominion status. He was opposed by his cousin Herbert Samuel, a moderate Zionist, who became the first High Commissioner of the British Mandate of Palestine. When Hankey was promoted to the newly created post of Cabinet Secretary, he recommended Montagu as Minister for National Service, for which he was considered in December 1916 (the job was given in the end to Neville Chamberlain). Montagu was not initially part of Lloyd George's inner circle, when he became Prime Minister, but he remained in office until his resignation in March 1922. Montagu was a "radical" Liberal and the third practising Jew to serve in the British cabinet.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Edwin Montagu timeline

  1. When Hankey was promoted to the newly created post of Cabinet Secretary, he recommended Montagu as Minister for National Service, for which he was considered in December 1916 (the job was given in the end to Neville Chamberlain).
  2. Montagu was not initially part of Lloyd George's inner circle, when he became Prime Minister, but he remained in office until his resignation in March 1922.

The world when Edwin Montagu was born

Edwin Montagu was born in 1879. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlineThomas Edison demonstrates practical incandescent light bulb
  • Technology milestoneEdison's light bulb — practical electric lighting
  • Notable inventionSaccharin (artificial sweetener) discovered
  • World population~1.39 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRutherford B. Hayes
  • U.S. population45.9M

1879 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Edwin Montagu's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18792026
Population45.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.