Sir Herbert Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet

Sir Herbert James Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet (8 December 1857 – 22 January 1936), was a British politician affiliated with the Conservative Party.

He was born as Herbert James Whiteley, the younger son of George Whiteley of Blackburn, Lancashire. His elder brother, George Whiteley, was a prominent political figure who initially served as a Conservative, later as a Liberal, and was subsequently elevated to the peerage as Baron Marchamley. Herbert Whiteley remained a member of the Conservative Party throughout his political career.

Herbert Whiteley's early public service included membership on the Blackburn town council. In 1892, he served as the mayor of the borough. In 1895, he married Florence Kate Huntington, the eldest daughter of William Balle Huntington of Darwen, Lancashire. The couple had two sons.

In 1895, Whiteley was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne, a position he held for eleven years until his defeat in the 1906 general election, which was characterized by a significant Liberal victory. Following his parliamentary service, Whiteley relocated to Thorngrove, near Worcester. In 1913, he was appointed High Sheriff of Worcestershire.

During World War I, he continued his political engagements. In 1916, he returned to the House of Commons as the MP for Droitwich in a by-election. In March 1918, he was granted a royal licence that permitted him to adopt the additional surname and coat of arms of his late father-in-law, William Balle Huntington. In the same month, he was created a baronet, with the territorial designation "of Grimley in the County of Worcester." The creation of the baronetcy was formalized as "Baronet Huntington-Whiteley."

The constituency of Droitwich was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918, leading to Whiteley's retirement from Parliament. He subsequently retired from political life and resided at his home in Worcestershire until his death.

Sir Herbert Huntington-Whiteley died in January 1936 at the age of 78. He was a great-great-grandfather of model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. His family lineage includes notable figures, such as his grandson, Herbert Oliver ("Peter") Huntington-Whiteley, who served as a captain in Ian Fleming's 30 Assault Unit during World War II. Additionally, his maternal grandfather was Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin; Baldwin's mother, Louisa Macdonald, was related to poet Rudyard Kipling and was the sister-in-law to the painters Sir Edward Burne-Jones and Sir Edward Poynter.

References for his biography include Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs and an obituary published in The Times on 23 January 1936, page 12.

External sources include records of his contributions in Parliament available through Hansard from 1803 to 2005.