Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn

The Right Honourable The Earl St Aldwyn Bt PC DL
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 29 June 1895 – 11 August 1902
Monarchs	Victoria Edward VII
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	Sir William Harcourt
Succeeded by	Charles Ritchie
In office 24 June 1885 – 28 January 1886
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	Hugh Childers
Succeeded by	Sir William Harcourt
President of the Board of Trade
In office 21 February 1888 – 11 August 1892
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	The Lord Stanley of Preston
Succeeded by	A. J. Mundella
Personal details
Born	(1837-10-23)23 October 1837 London
Died	30 April 1916(1916-04-30) (aged 78) Coln St Aldwyn, Gloucestershire
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouses	Caroline Susan Elwes ​ ​ (m. 1864; died 1865)​ Lady Lucy Catherine Fortescue ​ ​ (m. 1874)​
Children	4, including Michael
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Michael Edward Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn, PC, DL (23 October 1837 – 30 April 1916), known as Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt, from 1854 to 1906 and subsequently as The Viscount St Aldwyn to 1915, was a British Conservative politician. Known as "Black Michael", he notably served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1885 to 1886 and again from 1895 to 1902 and also led the Conservative Party in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1886. Due to the length of his service, he was Father of the House from 1901 to 1906, when he took his peerage.