Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford
Gerald Strickland | |
---|---|
First Lord of the Admiralty | |
In office 28 January 1924 – 7 November 1924 | |
Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
Preceded by | Leo Amery |
Succeeded by | William Bridgeman |
Personal details | |
Born | London, United Kingdom | 12 August 1868
Died | 1 April 1933 London, United Kingdom | (aged 64)
Spouse | |
Children | 6 |
Parent(s) | Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford Adria Heath |
Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Profession | Politician and Colonial Administrator |
Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford,
Early life
Thesiger was born on 12 August 1868 in London, England, the son of the
A keen cricketer, he captained the Oxford XI and also played for Middlesex.[3]
He was member of the London County Council between 1904 and 1905 and again as an alderman from 1913 and 1919.[4]
Governor of Queensland
On 9 April 1905, he succeeded as 3rd Baron Chelmsford upon his father's death and in July 1905 accepted his appointment as the
Following the 1907 election, William Kidston, who had founded his own party, became Premier of Queensland with Labor support. The legislative council, then being an appointed chamber, then refused Kidston's legislative programs on electoral reforms and wage-fixing.[6] Kidston then made a request to Chelmsford to appoint enough members to the Council in order to get his legislation through. Chelmsford refused, on the grounds that he did not have a sufficient mandate from the people to make such demands. Kidston resigned in protest and Chelmsford commissioned the Leader of the Opposition, Robert Philp, who formed a ministry, which was promptly defeated in the assembly. Chelmsford then granted Philp a dissolution, though the parliament was only six months old. Because Supply was denied by Kidston, Chelmsford stepped in and used the reserve powers to ensure that supply was passed until the election.[6]
Kidston was returned to office in the 1908 election. The new assembly passed a motion criticising Chelmsford's action and there was widespread speculation that he would be recalled. However, nothing came of this. Despite the admission that their representative had been mistaken in granting a dissolution, the Colonial Office and the British government remained in his favour. Chelmsford's term expired just after Kidston resigned from the Labor Government and formed a coalition with Philp's Conservatives.[6]
Governor of New South Wales
In May 1909 Chelmsford accepted the appointment as Governor of New South Wales and was sworn in at Government House on 28 May 1909. Unlike in Queensland, his term was comparatively stable and was distinguished by good relations with the state government. At the start of his term, Charles Wade, of the Liberal Reform Party, was the Premier.
However, following the 1910 election, Wade's Liberals were defeated and the
From 21 December 1909 to 27 January 1910 Chelmsford acted as Administrator of the Commonwealth when the Governor-General of Australia, The Earl of Dudley was on leave.[citation needed]
From April to November 1911, Chelmsford was back in England on overseas leave, thereby avoiding a major political crisis in New South Wales. In July 1911, two Labor Members of the Legislative Assembly resigned in protest over land reforms, thereby leaving McGowen's government in a minority in the assembly. Holman, who had stepped in as acting-Premier following McGowen also taking leave (Both Chelmsford and McGowen were attending the coronation of
Cullen declined on the basis that there was no need for him to act as the Government still had the confidence of the House and that the Governor had no discretion in the matter. Holman rejected this and, when Parliament resumed, resigned along with his Ministry and the Speaker. Holman further refused to advise Cullen to ask the
Despite the crisis having been averted, Chelmsford returned to face increasing problems over the balance of power in the appointed New South Wales Legislative Council. The council had only five Labor members in a total of 73 and as a result, 70% of house divisions were lost by the government in its first three years in office, despite a recognised need for cooperation. Chelmsford therefore approved 11 appointments in 1912, leaving Labor with only 13 members out of 59. McGowen was under pressure to ask for more appointments to move for the abolition of the council, but he had no such intention of doing so. In October 1912, Chelmsford announced his intention not to seek a further term as governor, which the Colonial Office reluctantly accepted, describing him as "careful, hardworking and popular".[6]
A Freemason, in 1910 he was elected the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of NSW and held the position until 1913. In 1909 Freemason Lodge Chelmsford 261 was established in New South Wales in his honour.
Viceroy of India
Upon the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he rejoined his regiment and was posted to India. On 29 February 1916 he was appointed to the
His time as Viceroy was marked by consistent calls for self-government from educated Indians, a demand which Chelmsford broadly agreed with. He convinced a preoccupied Foreign Office to send the
Later life and legacy
In 1924, despite being a lifelong
In 1926 Chelmsford was appointed as
He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Law by
He was a long-standing
Family
Lord Chelmsford married
- Hon. Joan Frances Vere Thesiger (1 August 1895 – 15 May 1971), married Sir Alan Lascelles in 1920.[citation needed]
- Lt. Hon. Frederic Ivor Thesiger (17 October 1896 – 1 May 1917[20]) of the 87th Brigade Royal Field Artillery,
- Hon. Anne Molyneux Thesiger (17 December 1898 – 10 August 1973), married Donough O'Brien, 16th Baron Inchiquin in 1921.[citation needed]
- Hon. Bridget Mary Thesiger (7 August 1900 – 18 June 1983)[citation needed]
- Andrew Charles Gerald Thesiger, 2nd Viscount Chelmsford (25 July 1903 – 27 September 1970)[citation needed]
- Hon. Margaret St. Clair Sidney Thesiger (7 May 1911 – 1 July 1991)[citation needed]
Lady Chelmsford was made a
Lord Chelmsford died of coronary vascular disease on 1 April 1933, aged 64. He was succeeded by his younger son (his eldest son having been killed in action in Mesopotamia in 1917[21]) and survived by his four daughters. On his death the Brisbane Courier noted that "the whole Empire suffers the loss of a man who, above all things, desired to be a true servant of the people."[22]
He was the first cousin of the actor Ernest Thesiger. He was the uncle of the explorer Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003). In the 1982 film Gandhi, the role of Chelmsford was played by Sir John Mills.[23]
In their honour, the New South Wales government launched a new ferry, to be known as the Lady Chelmsford in 1910 as a Sydney Harbour Ferry. The Lady Chelmsford continued working the harbour until 1971 when she was sold. In Melbourne she operated as a cruising restaurant before being taken out of service and sold in 2005. Again becoming a restaurant, she sank at her moorings in February 2008 and after a protracted battle over insurance, the ship was deemed unsalvageable and broken up underwater in mid-2011.[24]
Honours and arms
Honours
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) | 1916 | |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) | 1912 | |
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) | 1906 | |
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) | 1916 | |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) | 1917[11] | |
Knight of Justice of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) |
1929 | |
King George V Coronation Medal | 1911 |
Arms
|
References
- ^ a b c d e "Third Baron Chelmsford (1868–1933)". Chelmsford, third Baron (1868–1933). Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "No. 27473". The London Gazette. 12 September 1902. p. 5890.
- ^ "Frederic Thesiger Profile". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ London County Council, First Meeting of the New Body, The Times, 14 March 1913, p. 5
- ^ "No. 27926". The London Gazette. 26 June 1906. p. 4461.
- ^ a b c d e Clune, David; Turner, Ken (2009). The Governors of New South Wales: 1788–2010. Sydney: Federation Press. 473–495.
- ^ Despatch to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 28 September 1910, CO 418/80.
- ^ "History of Lodge Chelmsford 261". Lodge Chelmsford No 261. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "No. 29492". The London Gazette. 29 February 1916. p. 2207.
- ^ "No. 29502". The London Gazette. 3 March 1916. p. 2578.
- ^ a b "No. 30413". The London Gazette. 4 December 1917. p. 12680.
- ^ "No. 32360". The London Gazette. 15 June 1921. p. 4823.
- ^ "No. 32966". The London Gazette. 23 January 1924. p. 770.
- ^ "No. 32924". The London Gazette. 1 April 1924. p. 2795.
- ^ "No. 32835". The London Gazette. 15 August 1924. p. 4273.
- ^ "No. 32981". The London Gazette. 9 October 1924. p. 7234.
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 1926
- ^ Salter, H. E.; Lobel, Mary D., eds. (1954). "All Souls College". A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford. Victoria County History. pp. 173–193. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ Famous &/or Notable Australian Freemasons[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Thesiger, Frederick Ivor". Winchester College. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "Casualty Details – Thesiger, The Hon. Frederick Ivor". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ "Lord Chelmsford". The Brisbane Courier 4 April 1933 pg 12. Australian National Library. 4 April 1933. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Gandhi (1982) — John Mills: The Viceroy". IMDb.
- ^ "Lady Chelmsford – History". The Showboat Cruising Restaurant, MV Lady Chelmsford. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1865.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Chelmsford
- Gandhi film – Lord Chelmsford scene on YouTube