The Lord Denman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Denmanc. 1910s | |
| 5th Governor-General of Australia | |
| In office 31 July 1911 – 18 May 1914 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | Andrew Fisher Joseph Cook |
| Preceded by | Lord Dudley |
| Succeeded by | Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1874-11-16)16 November 1874 London, England |
| Died | 24 June 1954(1954-06-24) (aged 79) |
| Spouse | |
Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman (16 November 1874 – 24 June 1954) was a British aristocrat and politician who served as the fifthgovernor-general of Australia, in office from 1911 to 1914.
Denman was born into the English nobility, inheriting his title at the age of 19 from a great-uncle. He attended theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst, and served in theSecond Boer War. Denman sat with theLiberal Party in theHouse of Lords, and was made aLord-in-waiting in 1905 andChief Whip in 1907. He was appointed to the governor-generalship at the age of 36, and remains the youngest person to have held the position. Denman and his young family were immensely popular with the general public, and he enjoyed friendly relations with Prime MinisterAndrew Fisher, with whom he shared many similar political opinions. However, he suffered from ill health and returned to England after less than three years as governor-general. Denman never again held public office, but remained active in the House of Lords and briefly commanded a unit in the First World War.
Denman was born inLondon on 16 November 1874, the son of Richard Denman and the former Helen Mary McMicking. His father was the grandson ofThomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman, who wasLord Chief Justice from 1832 to 1850. Denman was the second of three children, and the oldest son. His younger brother,Sir Richard Denman, was also a Liberal Party politician.
Denman's parents divorced in 1878. His father did not remarry, and died in 1883 when his son was eight. However, his mother remarried twice – in 1879 to James Walker (annulled due to desertion), and then in 1888 toHenry Primrose (a civil servant and cousin ofLord Rosebery).
In 1894, aged 19, Denman succeededhis great-uncle as Baron Denman; he took his seat in theHouse of Lords on his 21st birthday. He intended a military career and was a graduate of theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst. Denman began his career in theRoyal Scots, where he was promoted tolieutenant on 4 March 1896, but resigned in May 1899 and was placed in the Reserve. Returning to active service following the outbreak of theSecond Boer War, he was on 3 February 1900 commissioned as a lieutenant of the 11th Battalion,Imperial Yeomanry,[1] and leftLiverpool forSouth Africa on theSSCymric in March 1900.[2] He was promoted tocaptain in the battalion on 18 July 1900, and the following year was appointed a captain in theMiddlesex (Duke of Cambridge's Hussars) Imperial Yeomanry, followed by a promotion tomajor on 30 April 1902.[3]
Denman had little money until 1903, when he marriedGertrude Pearson, daughter of the wealthy industrialistWeetman Pearson (later Viscount Cowdray). He was then able to devote his time to public life and served in theLiberal administrations of SirHenry Campbell-Bannerman andH. H. Asquith as aLord-in-waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) from 1905 to 1907 and asCaptain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (government chief whip in the House of Lords) between 1907 and 1911. He was sworn of thePrivy Council in 1907.[4] In 1909, he was appointed to theRoyal Victorian Order as a Knight Commander.[5] In 1911,Lord Harcourt, theColonial Secretary, offered Denman the post ofGovernor-General of Australia,[6] apparently to get him out of domestic politics.[7] In the1911 Coronation Honours, Lord Denman was appointed to theOrder of St Michael and St George as a Knight Grand Cross.[8]
The Denmans arrived in Melbourne on 31 July 1911.[9] They foundAndrew Fisher'sLabor government firmly in control. As the most politically liberal Governor-General yet appointed, he got on well with the Labor ministers, and his modesty and generosity with his father-in-law's money made him popular with the public. In October 1912, theNew South Wales Premier,James McGowen "evicted" him fromGovernment House, Sydney. On 12 March 1913, he inaugurated the site of the future national capital and Lady Denman formally announced its name,Canberra.[7] On 12 March 2013, his great-nephew, the 6th Baron Denman and his wife attended celebrations in Canberra commemorating the centenary of the naming of the city.[10]
But Denman found that he had less real political influence than any previous Governor-General. As Australia, along with the otherdominions, achieved political maturity, its Prime Minister communicated directly with his British counterpart, cutting the Colonial Secretary and the Governor-General out of the loop. The appointment of an Australian High Commissioner in London further reduced the Governor-General's diplomatic role.
In May 1913 the Labor government was unexpectedly defeated at ageneral election byJoseph Cook'sLiberals. But Labor retained control of theSenate and was determined to frustrate Cook's government at every turn. By early 1914 it was clear that aconstitutional crisis was developing. Denman was in poor health—that he was allergic to Australia's national flower, the wattle, did not help—and his marriage was suffering from his wife's unhappiness at being so far from home. He felt he lacked the strength to deal with the political situation, and in May 1914 he resigned.[7]
TheDenman Glacier in easternAntarctica was named after Denman bySir Douglas Mawson. It had been discovered by theAustralasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911–14.
With the outbreak of theGreat War, Denman commanded the1st County of London Yeomanry (Middlesex, Duke of Cambridge's Hussars) from 1914[11] until 1915.[12] He held the appointment ofhonorary colonel of the successor unit, the2nd Cavalry Divisional Signals (Middlesex Yeomanry), from 11 April 1923[13] to 13 July 1934.[14] He remained loyal toAsquith and the Liberals and so did not hold office again, leading a quiet life until his death inHove,Sussex, 22 days after that of his wife.[7] He was succeeded in the barony by his son, Thomas Denman, 4th Baron Denman.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lord-in-waiting 1905–1907 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms 1907–1911 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Government Chief Whip in theHouse of Lords 1907–1911 | |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor-General of Australia 1911–1914 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Denman 1894–1954 | Succeeded by |
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