George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon
George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon,KG,GCSI,CIE,VD,PC(24 October 1827 – 9 July 1909), styledViscount Goderichfrom 1833 to 1859 and known asthe Earl of Riponin 1859 and asthe Earl de Grey and Riponfrom 1859 to 1871, was aBritish politicianandViceroy and Governor General of Indiawho served in everyLiberalcabinet between 1861 and 1908.
Background and education
[edit]Ripon was born at10 Downing Street,London,the second son of Prime MinisterF. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich(who was created Earl of Ripon in 1833), by his wifeLady Sarah (née Hobart),daughter ofthe Earl of Buckinghamshire.He was educated privately, attending neither school nor college.[1]
He was awarded the honorary degree ofDCLby theUniversity of Oxfordin 1870.[2]
Diplomatic and political career, 1852–1880
[edit]Ripon served on his uncleSir Henry Ellis' British special mission to theBrusselsConference on the affairs of Italy in 1848–49.[1]Although his father had been aTory,Ripon was first aWhigand later a Liberal. He entered theHouse of Commonsas one of the two members forHullin 1852.[3]Both he and his party colleague James Clay[4]were unseated in 1853 by petition over claims of widespread corruption in their election, of which they were exonerated of any knowledge.[4]: 49–53 He was returned forHuddersfieldlater in 1853[5]and for theWest Riding of Yorkshirein 1857.[6]
In 1859 he succeeded his father as second Earl of Ripon, taking his seat in theHouse of Lords,and later that year succeeded his uncle in the more senior title of Earl de Grey, becoming known as the Earl de Grey and Ripon. He wasUnder-Secretary of State for WarunderLord Palmerstonbetween 1859 and 1861 and again from 1861 to 1863, and brieflyUnder-Secretary of State for Indiain 1861. In 1863 he was made aPrivy CounsellorandSecretary of State for Warunder Palmerston,[7]with a seat in the Cabinet. He retained this office whenLord Russellbecame prime minister on Palmerston's death in 1865, and then served under Russell asSecretary of State for Indiabetween February and June 1866. InGladstone's first administration he wasLord President of the Council(1868–1873). During this period he acted as chairman of the joint commission for drawing up theTreaty of Washingtonwith theUnited Statesover theAlabama Claims.For this, in 1871 he was createdMarquess of Ripon,in the County of York.[8]He had already been made aKnight of the Order of the Garterin 1869.[9]In 1878 he served asPresidentof the first day of theCo-operative Congress.[10]
Viceroy of India, 1880–1884
[edit]
When Gladstone returned to power in 1880 he appointed RiponViceroy of India,[11]an office he held until 1884. During his time in India, Ripon introduced legislation (theIlbert Bill,named for the legal member of theViceroy's Executive Council,Courtenay Ilbert) that would have granted Indians more legal rights, including the right of Indian judges to judge Europeans in court. Though progressive in its intent, the legislation was scuppered by Europeans living in India who did not want to be tried by a native judge.[12]In this Ripon was supported byFlorence Nightingale,who also backed his efforts to obtain a Bengal land tenancy bill (eventually theBengal Tenancy Act 1885) that would improve the situation of the peasants.[13]In 1882 he repealed the controversial Vernacular Press Act of 1878 passed by Lytton.[14]He also promoted theIndian Famine Codes.
He was also instrumental in supportingDietrich Brandisto reorganize theMadras Forest Departmentand expandsystematic forestconservancyin India. In 1883, Lord Ripon joined ashootingparty organised by theMaharaja of Darbhangawhich had a total bag of 1683, including 4 tigers, 47 buffaloes, 280 pigs and 467 deer. (The remainder was ″small game″.) There was some criticism at ″... such wholesale destruction, particularly as it happens to be the breeding season.″[15]
He is still revered inChennai(formerly Madras), India as "Lord Ripon engal appan" meaning: Lord Ripon, our father. The Corporation of Chennai'sRipon Buildingwas named for him, as well as the town of Riponpet in theShivamogga districtin the state ofKarnataka.InCalcutta,Ripon Street was named for him. TheGhanta Ghar Multanor Clock Tower ofMultaninPakistanwas named Ripon Building and the hall of the same building was named Ripon Hall.[citation needed]The Ripon Club in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) founded in 1884 by theParsisfor their community members, was named after him.[16]
Political career, 1884–1908
[edit]Lord Ripon also became a supporter ofHome Rule for Ireland.[17]In Gladstone's 1886 government he wasFirst Lord of the Admiralty,and in the government of 1892 to 1895 he wasSecretary of State for the Colonies.[17]When the Liberals again returned to power in 1905 underSir Henry Campbell-Bannerman,he took office, aged 78, asLord Privy SealandLeader of the House of Lords.In 1908, he declined to remain as Lords leader whenH. H. AsquithbecamePrime Ministerin April, and he resigned as Lord Privy Seal in October.[17]
As noted by Neil Smith, Ripon's liberalism had roots in the mid-nineteenth century, but his political views "shifted with the times". According to Smith, "he was greatly interested in labour questions, deeply sympathetic to labour aspirations and believed the state might interfere with wages and that the state had a duty to deal with unemployment".[18]
Other appointments
[edit]
Lord Ripon was President of theRoyal Geographical Societyduring 1859–1860, and Trustee of theNational Gallery.[1]Lord Ripon also held many positions in public life in Yorkshire. In 1860, he was appointed honorary Colonel of the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Prince of Wales' Own (West Yorkshire) Regiment, and was later awarded theVolunteer Decoration(VD); in 1863, he was High Steward of the borough ofHull,[1]and from 1873 to 1906 he wasLord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire.[19]He was adeputy lieutenantandJPfor the counties ofLincolnshireand theWest Ridingof Yorkshire, JP for theLiberty of Ripon,and served as Mayor of Ripon in 1895–1896.[20]
Lord Ripon was aFreemason,who served as Provincial Grand Master of the West Riding and Deputy Grand Master of theUnited Grand Lodge of Englandfrom 1861 to 1869, and ultimately as Grand Master from 1870 until his conversion toCatholicismin 1874.[1]His conversion to Catholicism was met by astonishment in the political world and accusations of disloyalty.[21]
Following his conversion he was generous in supporting Catholic educational and charitable works. He was president of theSociety of St Vincent de Paulfrom 1899 until his death and a great supporter of St. Joseph's Catholic Missionary Society andSt Wilfrid's Churchin Ripon.
Lord Ripon wasChancellorof theUniversity of Leedsfrom its creation in 1904 until his death in 1909.[22]
Marriage and children
[edit]Lord Ripon married his cousin Henrietta Anne Theodosia Vyner, daughter of Henry Vyner and his wife Lady Mary Gertrude Robinson, daughter ofThomas Robinson, 2nd Earl de Grey,on 8 April 1851. They had one son and one daughter:[23]
- Frederick Oliver Robinson, 2nd Marquess of Ripon(29 January 1852 – 22 September 1923)
- Hon. Mary Sarah Robinson (16 July 1857 – 3 July 1858), died in infancy
Death
[edit]Lady Ripon died in February 1907, aged 73. Lord Ripon survived her by two years and died of heart failure atStudley Royal Park[19]in July 1909, aged 81. He was buried atSt Mary's, Studley Royal[19]and was succeeded in the marquessate and other titles by his only son,Frederick Oliver.[19]His estate was assessed for probate with a value of £127,292. 15s. 8d. (equivalent to £16.8 million in 2023[24]).[25]
References
[edit]- ^abcdeWhite, Geoffrey H., ed. (1949).The Complete Peerage, Volume XI.St Catherine's Press. p. 4.
- ^Foster, Joseph (1888).Alumni Oxonienses, 1715–1886.Oxford University Press. p. 1213.
- ^"No. 21338".The London Gazette.13 July 1852. p. 1947.
- ^abWolf, Lucien (1921).Life of the First Marquess of Ripon.London: John Murray. p. 47.
- ^"No. 21434".The London Gazette.26 April 1853. p. 1193.
- ^"No. 21987".The London Gazette.10 April 1857. p. 1297.
- ^"No. 22731".The London Gazette.1 May 1863. p. 2305.
- ^"No. 23748".The London Gazette.20 June 1871. p. 2847.
- ^"No. 23565".The London Gazette.14 December 1869. p. 7070.
- ^Congress Presidents 1869–2002(PDF),February 2002, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 May 2008,retrieved10 May2008
- ^"No. 24843".The London Gazette.11 May 1880. p. 2968.
- ^Cotton, Henry (1904).New India or India in Transition.London: Kegan Paul. p. 4.
- ^Ghourlay, Jharna (2003).Florence Nightingale and the Health of the Raj.Routledge.ISBN9781138258549
- ^"Reforms Brought by Lord Ripon – Discussed!".History Discussion - Discuss Anything About History.29 November 2014.Retrieved5 December2018.
- ^"Sport".The Cornishman.No. 251. 3 May 1883. p. 6.
- ^"Ripon Club".
- ^abcDenholm, Anthony F. (May 2009) [2004]. "Robinson, George Frederick Samuel, first marquess of Ripon (1827–1909)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35792.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10241/1/10241_7035.PDF?UkUDh:CyT[bare URL PDF]
- ^abcdWhite, Geoffrey H., ed. (1949).The Complete Peerage, Volume XI.St Catherine's Press. p. 5.
- ^Kelly's Handbook of the Titled, Landed and Official Classes 1909.Kelly's. p. 1386.
- ^Quinn, Dermot (1993).Patronage and Piety: The Politics of English Roman Catholicism, 1850-1900.Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 87–90.ISBN0804719969.
- ^University of Leeds, charter
- ^Pine, L G,The New Extinct Peerage 1884–1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms.London, UK, Heraldry Today, 1972.
- ^UKRetail Price Indexinflation figures are based on data fromClark, Gregory (2017)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth.Retrieved7 May2024.
- ^"Ripon, Marquess of".probatesearchservice.gov.UK Government. 1909.Retrieved11 April2020.
External links
[edit]- Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by the Marquess of Ripon
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