The Earl of Northbrook | |
|---|---|
 The 1st Earl of Northbrook,c. 1889 | |
| 5thViceroy and Governor-General of India | |
| In office 3 May 1872 – 12 April 1876 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Lord Napier (as acting Viceroy) |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Lytton |
| Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire | |
| In office 7 November 1890 – 15 November 1904 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Lord Carnarvon |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Winchester |
| Member of Parliament forPenryn and Falmouth | |
| In office 24 April 1857 – 15 October 1866 | |
| Preceded by | Howel Gwyn |
| Succeeded by | Jervoise Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas George Baring (1826-01-22)22 January 1826 |
| Died | 15 November 1904(1904-11-15) (aged 78) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook,GCSI, PC, FRS (22 January 1826 – 15 November 1904) was a BritishLiberal politician and statesman who served asViceroy of India 1872–1876.
His major accomplishments came as an energetic reformer who was dedicated to upgrading the quality of government in theBritish Raj. He reduced taxes and overcame bureaucratic obstacles in an effort to reduce both starvation and widespread social unrest.[1] He also served asFirst Lord of the Admiralty between 1880 and 1885.
Northbrook was the eldest son ofFrancis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook, by his first wife Jane, daughter of theSir George Grey, 1st Baronet. Jane died when young Thomas was less than thirteen, and he studied under a tutor, Mr. Bird, at home and took an interest in natural history. At fourteen Thomas wrote to his father who was holidaying at Weymouth to capture a yellow butterfly with black spots at the end of each wing known to be found on Portland Island. He was sent briefly to another tutor, Mr. Vaughan Johnson at Chalons-sur-Marne, to study French. He also took an interest in sketching, learning from S. Palmer, and later his friendEdward Lear. He went toChrist Church, Oxford in 1843, and graduated with honours in 1846. He travelled in Europe and took an interest in mountaineering, joining his friend from Oxford, Alfred Seymour.[2]
Northbrook entered upon a political career, and was successively private secretary toHenry Labouchere (Board of Trade),Sir George Grey (Home Office), andSir Charles Wood (India Office and then Admiralty to 1857). In 1847 he served on the committee of theBritish Relief Association. In 1857, he was returned to theHouse of Commons forPenryn and Falmouth, which he represented until becoming a peer on the death of his father in 1866. He served underLord Palmerston asCivil Lord of the Admiralty between 1857 and 1858, asUnder-Secretary of State for War in 1861, asUnder-Secretary of State for India between 1861 and 1864, under Palmerston andLord Russell asUnder-Secretary of State for the Home Department between 1864 and 1866 and under Russell asSecretary to the Admiralty in 1866.
WhenWilliam Ewart Gladstone acceded to power in 1868, Baring was again appointed Under-Secretary of State for War, and this office he held until February 1872, when he was appointedViceroy of India. On 3 May he was Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Star of India and ex officio Grand Master of the Order.[3]
In January 1876, however, he resigned. He had recommended the conclusion of arrangements withSher Ali Khan which, as has since been admitted,[by whom?] would have prevented theSecond Anglo-Afghan War; but his policy was overruled by theDuke of Argyll, thenSecretary of State for India. in 1876 he was createdViscount Baring, of Lee in the County of Kent, andEarl of Northbrook, in the County of Southampton.
From 1880 to 1885 Northbrook held the post ofFirst Lord of the Admiralty in Gladstone's second government. During his tenure of office the state of the navy aroused much public anxiety and led to a strong agitation in favor of an extended shipbuilding programme. The agitation called forthTennyson's poemThe Fleet. In September 1884, Northbrook was sent toEgypt as special commissioner to inquire into its finances and condition. The inquiry was largely unnecessary, all the essential facts being well known, but the mission was a device of Gladstone's to avoid an immediate decision on a perplexing question. Northbrook, after six weeks of inquiry in Egypt, sent in two reports, one general, advising against the withdrawal of the British garrison, and one financial. His financial proposals, if accepted, would have substituted the financial control of Britain for the international control proposed at the London Conference of June–August of the same year, but this was not carried out. When Gladstone formed his third ministry in 1886 Baring held aloof, being opposed to theHome Rule policy of the prime minister; and he then ceased to take a prominent part in political life.
Baring had served in theHampshire Yeomanry, reaching the rank ofmajor, and was appointed the regiment'sHonorary Colonel on 26 January 1889.[4]
In 1890 he was appointedLord Lieutenant of Hampshire.
In the 1880s he was president of an offshoot of theNational Indian Association, which was named the Northbrook Indian Society after its president.[5] From 1890 to 1893 he was president of theRoyal Asiatic Society.
In 1898 he sold the land ofManor House Gardens, to the London County Council, and also gifted land in Lee to public use, which was opened asNorthbrook Park in 1903.
He was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Botanic Society in November 1902.[6]
Lord Northbrook married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Charles Sturt and sister ofLord Alington, in 1848. They had two sons and one daughter. She died in June 1867, aged 40. Lord Northbrook remained a widower until his death atStratton Park,Hampshire, in November 1904, aged 78. There is a memorial to him at All Saints,East Stratton.[7] He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,Francis.
TheGhanta Ghar Multan, or Clock Tower ofMultan, is named "Northbrook Tower". It is located in the center ofMultan inPunjab province,Pakistan. A library named "Northbrook Hall" is located in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. Northbrook Gate was constructed in 1874 in Guwahati on the bank of the Brahmaputra river.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forPenryn and Falmouth 1857–1866 With:Samuel Gurney | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Under-Secretary of State for India 1859–1861 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Under-Secretary of State for War 1861–1861 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Under-Secretary of State for India 1861–1864 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department 1864–1866 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Lord of the Admiralty 1880–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Napier,acting | Viceroy of India 1872–1876 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire 1890–1904 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New title | Earl of Northbrook 1876–1904 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Baron Northbrook 1866–1904 | |
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