George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon,KG, GCSI, CIE, VD, PC (24 October 1827 – 9 July 1909), styledViscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and asEarl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician andViceroy and Governor General of India who served in everyLiberal cabinet between 1861 and 1908.
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 ofDCL by theUniversity of Oxford in 1870.[2]
Ripon served on his uncleSir Henry Ellis' British special mission to theBrussels Conference on the affairs of Italy in 1848–49.[1] Although his father had been aTory, Ripon was first aWhig and later a Liberal. He entered theHouse of Commons as one of the two members forHull in 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 forHuddersfield later in 1853[5] and for theWest Riding of Yorkshire in 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 War underLord Palmerston between 1859 and 1861 and again from 1861 to 1863, and brieflyUnder-Secretary of State for India in 1861. In 1863 he was made aPrivy Counsellor andSecretary of State for War under Palmerston,[7] with a seat in the Cabinet. He retained this office whenLord Russell became prime minister on Palmerston's death in 1865, and then served under Russell asSecretary of State for India between 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 Washington with theUnited States over 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 Garter in 1869.[9] In 1878 he served asPresident of the first day of theCo-operative Congress.[10]
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 Brandis to reorganize theMadras Forest Department and expandsystematic forestconservancy in India. In 1883, Lord Ripon joined ashooting party organised by theMaharaja of Darbhanga which 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 remembered inChennai (formerly Madras), India with a Tamil saying in rhyme "Lord Ripon engal appan" meaning: Lord Ripon, our father.[citation needed] The Corporation of Chennai'sRipon Building was named for him, as well as the town of Riponpet in theShivamogga district in the state ofKarnataka. InCalcutta, Ripon Street was named for him. TheGhanta Ghar Multan or Clock Tower ofMultan inPakistan was 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 theParsis for their community members, was named after him.[16]
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 Seal andLeader of the House of Lords. In 1908, he declined to remain as Lords leader whenH. H. Asquith becamePrime Minister in 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]
Lord Ripon was President of theRoyal Geographical Society during 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 lieutenant andJP for the counties ofLincolnshire and theWest Riding of 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 England from 1861 to 1869, and ultimately as Grand Master from 1870 until his conversion toCatholicism in 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 Paul from 1899 until his death and a great supporter of St. Joseph's Catholic Missionary Society andSt Wilfrid's Church in Ripon.
Lord Ripon wasChancellor of theUniversity of Leeds from its creation in 1904 until his death in 1909.[22]
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]
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]
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