Harcourt Johnstone minister) and Anthony Eden amongst prominent government mourners. Harcourt Johnstone Harcourt Johnstone (19 May 1895 – 1 March 1945), nicknamed Crinks, was a British Liberal Party politician. Johnstone was born in London in 1895, the son of the Hon. Sir Alan Johnstone, a British diplomat, and his American wife Antoinette Pinchot. His nickname 'Crinks' is alleged to have derived from the wrinkled face he had as a baby. One of his ancestors was Sir William Vernon Harcourt (1827–1904) who was Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer under William Ewart Gladstone. His paternal grandfather was the first Baron Derwent. Harcourt
1880 Oxford by-election 1880 Oxford by-election The 1880 Oxford by-election was held in May 1880 due to the incumbent Liberal MP William Vernon Harcourt becoming Home Secretary and seeking re-election to Parliament. Harcourt was defeated. Harcourt had been one of the two MPs for Oxford since 1868 and had developed a reputation as a skilled debater but without tact. In the 1880 general election he had narrowly beaten his Conservative fellow MP, Alexander William Hall. Harcourt's campaign, particularly his acceptance speech, were regarded as insulting. The Liberals formed a government and Harcourt was invited to be Home Secretary which meant that he would