Walter Foster, 1st Baron Ilkeston

After graduation he became Prolector of Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, but abandoned hopes of a medical career, even going as far as to apply for a naval commission.

He became a doctor at Birmingham General Hospital, where he was galvanized by what he described as a "new atmosphere of modern thought and scientific enterprise" compared to the traditionalism of medicine in Dublin.

[citation needed] In 1885, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Chester[3] as a Liberal candidate with a programme of free education and improved housing for the poor.

In 1886, he was made President of the National Liberal Federation, where he played a large part in keeping Chamberlain's supporters loyal to William Ewart Gladstone.

Foster took the position of Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, effectively resigning from the House of Commons, and Seely was duly elected in March 1910.