Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Viceroy and Governor-General of India | |
---|---|
In office 18 April 1931 – 18 April 1936 | |
Monarchs | George V Edward VIII |
Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin |
Preceded by | The Lord Irwin |
Succeeded by | The Marquess of Linlithgow |
13th Governor General of Canada | |
In office 5 August 1926 – 4 April 1931 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | Canadian • W. L. M. King • R. B. Bennett British • Stanley Baldwin • Ramsay MacDonald |
Preceded by | The Viscount Byng of Vimy |
Succeeded by | The Earl of Bessborough |
More... | |
Personal details | |
Born | Eastbourne, East Sussex, England | 12 September 1866
Died | 12 August 1941 Ebury Street, Westminster, London, England | (aged 74)
Spouse | Marie Adelaide Freeman-Thomas |
Education | Eton College |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Profession | Politician |
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon,
Freeman-Thomas was born in
After the end of his viceregal tenure, Willingdon was installed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and was elevated in the peerage as the Marquess of Willingdon. After representing Britain at a number of organisations and celebrations, Willingdon died in 1941 at his home in London, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey.
Early life and education
Freeman Thomas was born the only son of
Marriage and political career
In 1892, Freeman-Thomas assumed the additional surname of Freeman by deed poll[3] and married the Hon. Marie Brassey, the daughter of Thomas Brassey, then recently created Baron Brassey. Freeman-Thomas often cited her as a source of support, stating once: "My wife has been a constant inspiration and encouragement."[4] The couple had two sons: Gerard, born 3 May 1893, and Inigo, born 25 July 1899.[citation needed] Gerard was killed in World War I on 14 September 1914, and Inigo eventually succeeded his father as Marquess of Willingdon.
In 1897 Freeman-Thomas was appointed
Governorship of Bombay
Willingdon was on 17 February 1913 appointed as the
In 1917, the year before Willingdon's resignation of the governorship, a severe famine broke out in the
Governorship of Madras
Willingdon returned to the United Kingdom from Bombay only briefly before he was appointed on 10 April 1919 as the
The following year, the Governor found himself dealing with a series of communal riots that in August 1921 broke out in the Malabar District.[13] Following a number of cases of arson, looting, and assaults,[14] Willingdon declared martial law just before the government of India sent in a large force to quell the riots.[13][15] At around the same time, over 10,000 workers in the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills of Madras city organised for six months a general strike contemporaneous with the non-cooperation movement, which also sparked riots between pro- and anti-strike workers that were again only put down with police intervention.[16][17]
When he returned once more to the United Kingdom at the end of his tenure as the Governor of Madras, Willingdon was made a viscount, becoming on 24 June 1924 the Viscount Willingdon, of Ratton in the County of Sussex.[18]
Governor General of Canada
It was announced on 5 August 1926 that George V had, by commission under the
This would be the last Canadian viceregal appointment made by the monarch in his or her capacity as sovereign of the United Kingdom, as it was decided at the Imperial Conference in October 1926 that the Dominions of the British Empire would thereafter be equal with one another, and the monarch would operate for a specific country only under the guidance of that country's ministers. Though this was not formalised until the enactment of the Statute of Westminster on 11 December 1931, the concept was brought into practice at the start of Willingdon's tenure as Governor General of Canada.[4]
The
Willingdon arrived at
In Canada, Willingdon hosted members of
In their time the viceroyal couple, the Earl and Countess of Willingdon fostered their appreciation of the arts, building on previous governor general
During his residence in Ottawa, Willingdon was a regular attendee at home matches of the Ottawa Senators, continuing a tradition of patronage by sitting Governors-General of the local professional club. In 1930, he donated a trophy to be awarded to the Senators player "of the greatest assistance to his team", which the organization cheekily interpreted as an award for the player to lead the team in assists[27] and dubbed the Willington Trophy.
Viceroy and Governor-General of India
Appointment
He had not been Governor General of Canada for five years before Willingdon received word that he was to be sent back to India as that country's
Jailing leaders of Congress
Simultaneously, Willingdon found himself dealing with the consequences of the nationalistic movements that
Construction projects
It was also by Willingdon's hand, as Governor-in-Council, that the
As he had been in Canada, Willingdon acted for India as
Post-viceregal life
Once back in the United Kingdom, Willingdon associated with Roland Gwynne. Willingdon was one of the notable guests of parties at Gwynne's East Sussex estate, Folkington Manor.[36] He was also honoured by George V, not only by being appointed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports—one of the higher honours bestowed by the sovereign and normally reserved for members of the Royal Family and former prime ministers—but he was also elevated once more in the peerage, being created Marquess of Willingdon by Edward VIII on 26 May 1936,[37] making him the most recent person to be promoted to such a rank.
Willingdon did not cease diplomatic life altogether: he undertook a goodwill mission to South America, representing the Ibero-American Institute, and chaired the British committee on the commissioning of army officers. In 1940, he also represented the United Kingdom at the celebrations for the centennial of the formation of New Zealand. The next year, however, on 12 August, the Marquess of Willingdon died at 5 Lygon Place, near Ebury Street, in London, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey.
Honours
Titles
Viceregal styles of the Viscount Willingdon (1926–1931) then the Earl of Willingdon (1931–1936) | ||
---|---|---|
Reference style | His Excellency The Right Honourable (in Canada, also) Son Excellence le très honorable | |
Spoken style | Your Excellency (in Canada, also) Votre Excellence |
- Appointments
- 18 July 1911 – 31 January 1913: Lord-in-Waiting to His Majesty the King[38][39]
- 12 March 1913 – 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)
- 3 June 1918 – 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (GCSI)
- 20 July 1926 – 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG)[40]
- 5 August 1926 – 4 April 1931: Chief Scout for Canada
- 5 August 1926 – 4 April 1931: Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club
- Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC)[41]
- 4 December 1917 – 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)
- Medals
- 1902: King Edward VII Coronation Medal
- 1911: King George V Coronation Medal
- 1935: King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
- 1937: King George VI Coronation Medal
Honorary military appointments
- the Governor General's Horse Guards
- 5 August 1926 – 4 April 1931: Colonel of the Governor General's Foot Guards
- the Canadian Grenadier Guards
- 1936 – 21 July 1941: Colonel of the 5th battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment
Honorific eponyms
- Awards
- Organizations
- Willingdon Club, Mumbai
- Geographic locations
- Alberta: Mount Willingdon[42]
- Alberta: Willingdon
- British Columbia: Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby
- British Columbia: Willingdon Heights, Burnaby
- India: Willingdon Dam, Junagadh
- India: Willingdon Airport, New Delhi (later renamed Safdarjung Airport)
- India: IAF Willingdon, New Delhi
- India: Willingdon Island
- Schools
- Willingdon Secondary School, Burnaby
- Willingdon College, Sangli
- Quebec: Willingdon Elementary School, Montreal
Arms
|
See also
References
- ^ a b "Thomas (post Freeman-Thomas), Freeman (THMS885F)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "No. 27389". The London Gazette. 20 December 1901. p. 8985.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33266. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d e f Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Governor General > Former Governors General > The Marquess of Willingdon". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
- ^ "No. 27244". The London Gazette. 6 November 1900. p. 6770.
- ^ "No. 27866". The London Gazette. 22 December 1905. p. 9171.
- ^ "No. 27935". The London Gazette. 27 July 1906. p. 5130.
- ^ "No. 28398". The London Gazette. 22 July 1910. p. 5269.
- ^ "No. 28693". The London Gazette. 25 February 1913. p. 1446.
- ^ "No. 28701". The London Gazette. 18 March 1913. p. 2060.
- ^ "No. 30723". The London Gazette. 31 May 1918. p. 6529.
- ^ "Episodes in the chronology of the world's revival" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 January 1922. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ a b Associated Press (28 August 1921). "Military occupy riot area in India" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ "More Moplah Disorders" (PDF). The New York Times. 14 September 1921. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ "64 Out of 100 Moplah Prisoners Suffocated in a Closed Car on Train in India" (PDF). The New York Times. 22 November 1921. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ "Ambush British in India" (PDF). The New York Times. 2 September 1921. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-521-55671-2.
- ^ "No. 32949". The London Gazette. 24 June 1924. p. 4887.
- ^ a b Hillmer, Norman (16 December 2013). "Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Archived from the original on 21 July 2009.
- ^ "What's in a name?" – The curious tale of the office of High Commissioner, by Lorna Lloyd.
- ISBN 978-0-7735-0310-6.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. "The Books of Remembrance > History of the Books". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ Library of Parliament. "The House of Commons Heritage Collection > Carillon > History". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ Phillips, R. A. J. (1982). "The House That History Built". Canadian Parliamentary Review. 5 (1). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ^ "No. 33692". The London Gazette. 24 February 1931. p. 1283.
- ISBN 978-0-676-97675-5.
- ^ "Coveted Trophy for Senators". Ottawa Citizen: 11. 11 February 1930. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "No. 33700". The London Gazette. 20 March 1931. p. 1877.
- ISBN 978-0313322808.
- ^ Brian Roger Tomlinson, The Indian National Congress and the Raj, 1929–1942: the penultimate phase (Springer, 1976).
- ^ Rosemary Rees. India 1900–47 (Heineman, 2006), p. 122.
- ISBN 978-0-8371-6280-5.
- ^ George, Robert E.; Sencourt, Robert (1949). Heirs of Tradition: Tributes of a New Zealander. p. 66.
- ISBN 0-7190-2390-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ASIN B0000CKE7M.
- ISBN 1-904027-19-9.
- ^ "No. 34289". The London Gazette. 29 May 1936. p. 3440.
- ^ "No. 28515". The London Gazette. 21 July 1911. p. 5429.
- ^ "No. 28686". The London Gazette. 31 January 1913. p. 761.
- ^ "No. 33184". The London Gazette. 20 July 1926. p. 4795.
- ^ "No. 33700". The London Gazette. 20 March 1931. p. 1877.
- ^ "Friends of Geographical Names of Alberta > 300 Names > Top 300 Names > Willingdon, Mount". Friends of Geographical Names of Alberta. Archived from the original on 23 July 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Burke's Peerage. 1949.