Sir Joseph Robinson, 1st Baronet
Joseph Robinson | |
|---|---|
Cradock, Eastern Cape | |
| Died | 30 October 1929 (aged 89) |
| Nationality | South African |
| Other names | The Old Buccaneer |
Joseph Benjamin Robinson, (3 August 1840 – 30 October 1929) was a South African gold and
Mayor of Kimberley, Northern Cape in 1880, which he represented in the Cape parliament for four years, chairman of the Robinson South African Banking Corporation Co , Ltd and of numeral gold mines in the Transvaal Colony, he was convicted in 1921 of fraud and fined half a million pounds. He is best remembered as having paid political fixer Maundy Gregory £30,000, towards Prime Minister Lloyd George’s political fund, in exchange for a peerage. After the King personally complained and under public pressure, the government forced Robinson to reject the appointment. What became known as the Honours Scandal was one of the reason for the passing of the British Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.[1]
Life
Joseph Benjamin Robinson was born in
Robinson fought on the side of the
His rather forceful business tactics came in for a lot of criticism, earning him the title of "Old Buccaneer" around Kimberly, South Africa but even so he became a member of the Mining Board and later chairman. He raised and commanded the Kimberley Light Horse. He was Mayor of Kimberley in 1880, and for four years was a representative of Griqualand West in the
As a Rand capitalist he stood aloof from combinations with other gold-mining interests, and took no part in the
Before the
On 27 July 1908 on the recommendation of
In 1921 the
Honour scandal
In the 1920s, political
The case of Joseph Robinson … must be regarded as little less than an insult to the Crown and to the House of Lords and may, I fear, work injury to the Prerogative in the public mind
—Lloyd George[1]
During the Parliament debate that followed,
I would wish if I may without discourtesy to yourself and without impropriety, to beg His Most Gracious Majesty's permission to decline the proposal.
— Joseph Robinson, in a letter to the Prime Minister read in the House of Lords on 29 June 1922.[11]
The scandal surrounding the issue tarnished the Coalition government's image, and was somewhat responsible for the Conservatives detachment of Lloyd George's Liberals from the party, later in 1922.[citation needed] The general scandal of sale of peerages led to the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.
Later life and death
Joseph Robinson died at his home, Hawthorndon House, Wynberg, Cape Colony, on 30 October 1929, at the age of 89.[4]
Family
Joseph Benjamin Robinson was the son of Robert John Robinson (1792–1886) and Martha Rozina Strutt. He had five brothers and nine sisters.[citation needed]
He married Elizabeth Rebecca Ferguson, daughter of James Ferguson, on 3 October 1877 in Kimberly, South Africa.[4] She was born 4 November 1859 in Victoria West, and died 30 March 1930 in Muizenberg, South Africa. They had 11 children including Ida, who married the Italian Ambassador to South Africa, Count Natale Teodato Labia[14][15] the descendants of whom still reside at Robinson's Cape Town home Hawthorndon House
J.B. Robinson's death in 1929 caused a great scandal in South Africa and Britain upon discovery of his will. His personal fortune of £12 million was given to his heirs except one of his daughters, who was only given a mere £2 thousand. He gave nothing to charity. There was a scathing article in the Cape Times after his death.
Legacy
A street in Kensington, Johannesburg is named after him. Located on this street is a boarding house of Jeppe High School for Boys, namely Tsessebe.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c House of Commons 2004.
- ^ Walford 1918, p. 1145.
- ^ a b c Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b c NYTimes.com 1929.
- ^ Roberts 2018, p. 6.
- ^ Pugh 2014, p. 150.
- ^ The Nation and the Athenaeum 1922, p. 462.
- ^ Wheatcroft 2005, p. 241.
- ^ Mason 2018, p. 277.
- ^ The Economist.
- ^ a b api.parliament.uk 1922.
- ^ First Baptist Church of Perryville 2014.
- ^ Jenkins 2011, p. 40.
- ^ "History of Casa Labia".
- ^ "Italy comes to Cape Town: The history of the Casa Labia".
Sources
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- House of Commons (7 July 2004). "Fifth Report of the Select Committee on Public Administration". Public Administration.
- Walford, E. (1918). The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Dalcassian Publishing Company.
- "Britain". The Economist.
- "Honors Touting". First Baptist Church of Perryville. 31 January 2014.
- "J.B. ROBINSON, 90, DIES IN CAPE COLONY". The New York Times. 31 October 1929.
- Roberts, A. (2018). Churchill: Walking with Destiny. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-241-20564-8.
- Pugh, M. (2014). Lloyd George. Profiles In Power. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-86942-9.
- "SIR JOSEPH ROBINSON. (Hansard, 29 June 1922)". api.parliament.uk. 29 June 1922.
- Wheatcroft, G. (2005). The Strange Death of Tory England. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-190630-0.
- The Nation and the Athenaeum. Nation publishing Company limited. 1922.
- Mason, R. (2018). Prime Ministerial Anecdotes. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1-78155-654-2.
- Jenkins, R. (2011). Baldwin. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4482-0200-3.
- Lawrence, Jeremy (2001). Buccaneer: A Biography of Sir Joseph Benjamin Robinson, first Baronet. The Gryphon Press. ISBN 978-0-620-40566-9. 2nd edition
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Robinson, Sir Joseph Benjamin". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 423.
