John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
Lord Temporal | |
---|---|
Hereditary peerage 28 January 1952 – 4 January 1958 | |
Succeeded by | The 2nd Viscount Waverley |
Member of Parliament for Combined Scottish Universities | |
In office 25 February 1938 – 23 February 1950 | |
Preceded by | Ramsay MacDonald |
Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
Governor of Bengal | |
In office 29 March 1932 – 30 May 1937 | |
Preceded by | Stanley Jackson |
Succeeded by | The Lord Brabourne |
Personal details | |
Born | University of Leipzig | 8 July 1882
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley,
A graduate of the
In early 1938, Anderson was elected to the
After the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Anderson returned to hold the joint portfolio of Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security, a position in which he served under Winston Churchill. He retained responsibility for civil defence. In October 1940, he exchanged places with Herbert Morrison and became Lord President of the Council. In July 1941 as Lord President of the Council he was appointed as minister responsible for the British effort to build an atomic bomb, known as the Tube Alloys project. He became the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1943 and remained in the post until the Labour Party's victory in the general election in July 1945.
Anderson left the Commons when the
Early life
John Anderson was born at his parents' home at 1 Livingstone Place, Edinburgh, on 8 July 1882, the oldest child of David Alexander Pearson Anderson, a printer and stationer, and his wife Janet Kilgour née Briglmen. He had three younger siblings: a brother, Charles, who died from meningitis in infancy, and sisters Catherine (Katie) and Janet (Nettie). The family moved to Braid Hills in May 1890. He attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh, where he was dux of the school, earning prizes for Anglo-Saxon, Old English, and Modern Languages.[1][2]
In October 1899, Anderson sat the examination for students entering the
A neighbour, Andrew Mackenzie, had five daughters, and Anderson became the boyfriend of one of them, Christina (Chrissie) Mackenzie. In 1902 he took a bicycle tour of France and Switzerland, during which he wrote frequently to Chrissie. He graduated the following year with distinction in mathematics, physics and chemistry, earning a Bachelor of Science degree, and first class honours in mathematics and natural philosophy, earning a Master of Arts degree.[3]
The Anderson, Briglmen and Mackenzie families holidayed together in summer of 1903. On 29 August they were bathing in the River Ythan when a freak wave suddenly swept Nettie Anderson and Chrissie's sister Nellie Mackenzie into deep water. Nellie was rescued but Nettie drowned. Anderson and Chrissie were on their way to join the group at the time of the accident, but it fell to him to identify the body and inform his parents.[4]
Along with fellow Scotsmen
Civil Service career
Colonial Office
Although Anderson was a brilliant student, winning numerous prizes, he decided to forsake a career in science for one in the
In those days a candidate could take tests in as many subjects as they liked, and Anderson took fourteen, earning a score of 4566 out of a possible 7500, which was the highest score that year and the second highest ever; Gray came second with a score of 4107 out of 7900. Anderson was offered the choice of joining the Home Civil Service or the Indian Civil Service. Most candidates preferred the latter, as salaries and allowances were higher, but Anderson's parents did not want him to leave Britain, and he did not want to subject Chrissie to the rigours of life in India. He therefore joined the Colonial Office as a Second Class Clerk on an annual salary of £200 (equivalent to £23,000 in 2021).[6]
Anderson commenced work at the Colonial Office on 23 October 1905, in the West African Department. He was known in the department as "young John Anderson" to distinguish him from another
Anderson served on Sir Kenelm Digby's 1908 Committee on Northern Nigerian Lands. This did not involve travel to Nigeria, but the following year he went to Hamburg to meet with his German counterparts at the Hamburg Colonial Institute, where his fluency in German was useful. In 1911 he was the secretary of Lord Emmott's departmental committee that recommended the introduction of a distinctive local currency in British West Africa.[9]
Great War
In 1912, the
Following the outbreak of the
Lloyd George became the
Anderson became a secretary of the
Ireland
Chrissie died on 9 May 1920 during an operation for
Over eighty members of the Royal Irish Constabulary had been killed during the previous year, and both numbers and morale were low. Anderson oversaw a recruitment campaign among ex-servicemen in England, Scotland and Wales. There were insufficient uniforms for them all, so they wore a mixture of khaki Army service dress and dark green Royal Irish Constabulary uniforms, giving rise to the nickname "Black and Tans". Major General Hugh Tudor was given a free hand to reorganise and reequip the constabulary, and facilitated cooperation between the constabulary and the military.[23]
In the face of an
Home Office
All the while Anderson was in Ireland, he was still nominally the Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, and he returned to this role in January 1922. But not for long; in March Sir
Through the Northern Ireland Division, Anderson continued to be involved with Irish issues. He helped negotiate the border between the new
Appreciating that this might only temporarily stave off a major industrial dispute, the Prime Minister,
Governor of Bengal
Being the head of a department was the pinnacle of a Civil Service career, and by November 1931, Anderson had been the permanent under-secretary for nine years, but at age 49 he was still eleven years away from retirement. At this point an unexpected offer appeared. The
Anderson sailed from England on the
There were government houses in
Anderson recognised that the root of Bengal's problems was financial. The chief source of revenue was collected under the terms of the
The other major task that Anderson confronted was dealing with terrorism. Collective fines were imposed on areas that sheltered or supported terrorists, and the funds used to increase the police presence.[42] He was aware that he was a target, but as the King's representative he continued to make public appearances, travelling in a Rolls-Royce or an open horse-drawn carriage. On 4 May 1934 a would-be assassin fired at Anderson but the bullet passed between him and Nellie Mackenzie,[43][44] and the man was wrestled to the ground by Charles William Tandy-Green. A second man fired but also missed Anderson, though wounded the ankle of a teenager sitting behind the governor, and was tackled by Bhupendra Narayan Singh. Tandy-Green and Singh were awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal, which they exchanged for the George Cross in 1940.[44][45][46] Five other members of the gang attempted to escape but were captured.[44] The would-be assassins were sentenced to hang, but Anderson commuted the sentences of two of them.[47] By 1935 he was described as the world's most-shot-at-man, having survived three assassination attempts.[48] Anderson tackled the problem of what to do with détenus, individuals who had been detained without trial on suspicion of terrorism by giving them training for jobs in agriculture and manufacturing.[49][50]
Anderson carried out a series of economic and social programs. He waged a campaign against
Political career
Pre-war
After Ireland and Bengal, the British government could find no more dangerous assignment than
Anderson arrived back in London on 11 December 1937. He spoke to Kerr, and agreed to stand for election as a National Government candidate without a party label. His candidacy was announced on 4 January 1938. Voting was by postal ballot, which meant that Anderson did not have to campaign but only needed to provide a statement of his political philosophy. In this he affirmed his support for the National Government and gave a qualified support for Scottish nationalism. The results were announced on 28 February; Anderson received more votes than any other candidate, and was declared the winner. He took his seat on 2 March and, after a holiday in Switzerland with Mary Anderson and Nellie Mackenzie, made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 1 June. The occasion was a debate over the provision of funding authorised under the Air Raid Precaution Act of 1937, a subject that he had previously been involved with and would come to be identified.[57]
Mary Anderson and Nellie Mackenzie had preceded Anderson to England and rented a house at 11 Chepstow Villas in Notting Hill for nine guineas a week (equivalent to £642 in 2021). Although this was a bargain, Anderson feared that his income would not be sufficient to keep up the rental payments. Before leaving Calcutta he accepted a directorship from the Midland Bank, and after his return to England he joined the boards of Vickers, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and the Employers Liability Assurance Corporation.[53] The directors' fees gave him an annual income of around £5,000 (equivalent to £340,000 in 2021). He was approached by members of the board of Imperial Airways who were seeking a new full-time chairman with an offer of more than twice that amount. However, Chamberlain stipulated that if he accepted then he would have to resign his other directorships and his seat in the House of Commons at the next general election, which was due in 1940. Anderson therefore declined the appointment.[58] He would sometimes go horse riding in Hyde Park with Mary Anderson,[59] but sought a more rural environment. He disposed of the house in Chepstow Villas in October and bought a 10-acre (4.0 ha) property near Merstham in December. During the week he lived with William Paterson and his wife.[60][61]
In May 1938, Hoare, who was now the
War time
Under a pre-arranged plan, on the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939, Anderson exchanged places with Hoare and became Home Secretary and
Once
In 1941, he began courting Ava Wigram, the daughter of the historian John Edward Courtenay Bodley,[69] and the widow of Ralph Wigram, a senior civil servant who served in the British Embassy in Paris during the 1930s and died in 1936. Their only child, Charles, was born severely disabled in 1929.[70] Anderson arranged with King George VI for himself and Ava to be married in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. The ceremony was officiated by Edward Woods, the Bishop of Lichfield; Alastair Anderson was the best man; and while John's father felt that he was too old to travel, Mary and Katie Anderson were there, as was William Paterson. The newlyweds spent their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey. They now owned three houses between them, so they sold them and bought the Mill House at Isfield in September 1942.[71]
As Lord President of the Council, Anderson was the minister responsible for several scientific organisations, including the
Following the unexpected death on 21 September 1943 of Sir Kingsley Wood, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anderson was appointed to that office on 24 September. He retained responsibility for Tube Alloys, and his chairmanship of the Manpower Committee. As Chancellor, he introduced the pay-as-you-earn tax system that had been devised by Paul Chambers; the enabling legislation was to have been introduced by Wood on the day that he died. The system was very successful, and was gradually extended to all employers except the armed forces.[75] In a written Commons answer of 12 June 1945, he announced the creation of the Arts Council of Great Britain, a successor body to the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA).[76]
In January 1945, Churchill wrote to
After Germany surrendered on 7 May 1945,[79] Churchill unsuccessfully attempted to broker a continuation of the wartime coalition government until after the end of the war with Japan, which was thought at the time to be over a year away. On 23 May Churchill then submitted his resignation to the King, who called an election for 5 July. Anderson retained his role of Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Churchill caretaker ministry, and remained in the post until the Labour victory in the general election in July 1945. He was returned in his Scottish University electorate, along with Sir John Graham Kerr and Sir John Boyd Orr.[80] On 29 June 1945, Churchill had initialled a minute from Anderson, seeking "authority to instruct our representatives on the
Post-war
The new Prime Minister,
Anderson left the Commons on 23 February 1950 at the
Meanwhile, Anderson had become Chairman of the Port of London Authority in 1946 and Chairman of the Royal Opera House in March the same year. He also became a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Hudson's Bay Company. He resumed his membership of the boards of ICI, Vickers and the Employers' Life Assurance Corporation that he had given up when he became a minister, but not the Midland Bank, which in those days would have been considered improper for a former Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Port of London Authority chairman had often been part time and unpaid in the past, but now that a full-time role was called for Anderson insisted on being paid, and was given an annual salary of £7,500 (equivalent to £331,000 in 2021). The job was an immense one, as the port had been badly damaged by bombing during the war, and a major reconstruction effort was called for. Ava used the Port Authority's yacht, the St Katharine, to hold party cruises on the river around the London Docks for special guests, and invitations were highly sought after.[70][87][88]
In addition to British honours and awards, Anderson received many awards from other countries. These included being made a Grand Officer of the
See also
- Liversidge v. Anderson
Notes
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 1–6.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30409. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 7–10.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 10–12.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 13–15.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 15–19.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 20–23.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 26–28.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 20–24.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 34–35.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, p. 36.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 37–40.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Grigg 2002, pp. 45–49.
- ^ "No. 30451". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 28 December 1917. p. 80.
- ^ "No. 31391". The London Gazette. 6 June 1919. p. 7296.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 47–48.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 56–60.
- ^ S2CID 71236411.
- ^ "Privy Counsellors – Ireland". ukelections.info. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 62–67.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, p. 139.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 71–73.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, p. 81.
- ^ "No. 32782". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 29 December 1922. p. 1.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 83–87.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 91–94.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 95–98.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 102–106.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 115–117.
- ^ a b c Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 125–126.
- ^ "No. 33805". The London Gazette. 4 March 1932. p. 1491.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 178–179.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 148–149.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 154–156.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 159–160.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 122–123.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 129–132.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 146–148.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 154–135.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 139–145.
- ^ The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 10 May 1934. p. 1. Retrieved 24 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Charles W Tandy-Green EGM". victoriacross. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "No. 34061". The London Gazette. 19 June 1934. p. 3901.
- ^ Ghosh 2017, p. 173.
- ^ "Most Shot-At Man". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. XCIV, no. 95. Tasmania, Australia. 3 July 1935. p. 8. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 145–146.
- ^ "Bengal". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 30, 470. New South Wales, Australia. 30 August 1935. p. 12. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, p. 172.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 164–165.
- ^ a b c Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 179–181.
- ^ "No. 34464". The London Gazette. 17 December 1937. p. 7915.
- ^ "No. 34469". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 1937. p. 1.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 181–183.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 183–190.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 193–197.
- Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. No. 20, 970. Queensland, Australia. 25 January 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 208–209.
- ^ a b Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 232–233.
- ^ Titmuss 1950, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 197–203.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 212–216.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 221–224.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 237–247.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 252–257.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 258–267.
- ^ "Ava (née Bodley), Viscountess Waverley". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/109615. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 285–286.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 269–270.
- ^ Gowing 1964, pp. 106–111.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 291–295.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 299–303.
- ^ "HC Debate 12 June 1945". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 12 June 1945. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennet 1958, pp. 544–546.
- ^ Reynolds 2009, p. 131.
- ^ "What You Need To Know About VE Day". Imperial War Memorial. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 320–323.
- ^ Edmonds 1986, p. 208.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 297–299.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 329–340.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 350–354.
- ^ Dell 1997, pp. 160–161.
- ^ "No. 39451". The London Gazette. 29 January 1952. p. 579.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 354–359.
- ^ Lebrecht 2000, pp. 80–81.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, pp. 401–405.
- ^ "No. 41250". The London Gazette. 10 December 1957. p. 7199.
- ^ "Lord Waverley Dies at Age of 75". New York Times. 5 January 1958. p. 86. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Wheeler-Bennett 1962, p. 407.
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