Horatio Bottomley

Horatio William Bottomley was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine John Bull, and for his patriotic oratory during the First World War. His career came to a sudden end when, in 1922, he was convicted of fraud and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. His final years before his death in 1933 were spent in poverty, and he spent his final years in poverty.

About Horatio Bottomley in brief

Horatio William Bottomley was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine John Bull, and for his patriotic oratory during the First World War. His career came to a sudden end when, in 1922, he was convicted of fraud and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. Bottomley spent five years in an orphanage before beginning his career, aged 14, as an errand boy. In 1906 Bottomley entered parliament as Liberal Party member for Hackney South. In 1918, having been discharged from bankruptcy, Bottomley re-entered parliament as an Independent member. In 1927, he attempted unsuccessfully to relaunch his business career, and eked out a living by lecturing and appearances in music halls. His final years before his death in 1933 were spent in poverty, and he spent his final years in poverty. He was the second child and only son of William King Bottomley, a tailor’s cutter, and Elizabeth, née Holyoake. William bottomley died in 1864 and Elizabeth a year later. Horatio received a useful basic education, and won prizes for sporting activities. In later life he showed no resentment towards the institution, which he often visited, telling the children that the success I have achieved in life started at this place. In 1874 when Horatio was 14, he ran away from the orphanage without waiting for the formalities. His aunt Caroline Praill—his mother’s sister—who lived in nearby Edgbaston gave him a home.

Here he picked up a series of jobs in the offices of a City firm of solicitors and picked up knowledge of English legal procedures. In 1888, he founded his own publishing company, which launched numerous magazines and papers, including, in 1888, the Financial Times. He over-reached himself with an ambitious public flotation of his company, leading to his first arraignment on fraud charges in 1893. Despite evidence of malpractice, Bottomly, who defended himself, was acquitted. He subsequently amassed a fortune as a promoter of shares in gold-mining companies. The outbreak of war in 1914 revived his fortunes; as a journalist and orator Bottomley became a leading propagandist for the war effort, addressing well over 300 public meetings. His influence was such that it was widely expected that he would enter the War Cabinet, although he received no such offer. In the following year he launched his fraudulent ‘Victory Bonds’ scheme which, when exposed, led to his conviction, imprisonment and expulsion from parliament. He died in 1933, and was buried in Brompton, London, where he had lived since the age of 18. He had a daughter, Florence, and a son, Horatio, who was born in 1869, and had two daughters, Florence and Edith. Elizabeth belonged to a family of well-known radical agitators. Among her close associates was Charles Bradlaugh, who founded the National Republican League and became a controversial Member of parliament.

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