John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Governor-General of Australia from 1925 to 1930}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}} |
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{{Infobox Officeholder |
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{{Infobox officeholder |
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| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] |
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| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] |
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| name = The Viscount Stonehaven |
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| name = The Viscount Stonehaven |
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| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|GCMG|DSO|PC}} |
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| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|GCMG|DSO|PC}} |
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| image = ac.stonehaven.jpg |
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| image = Viscount Stonehave.jpg |
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|office=Governor-General of Australia |
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| office = Governor-General of Australia |
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| monarch = [[George V]] |
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| monarch = [[George V]] |
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|primeminister = [[Stanley Bruce]]<br/>[[James Scullin]] |
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| primeminister = {{Unbulleted list |[[Stanley Bruce]] |[[James Scullin]]}} |
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| term_start=8 October 1925 |
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| term_start = 8 October 1925 |
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| term_end = 2 October 1930 |
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| predecessor=[[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster|The Lord Forster]] |
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| predecessor = [[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster|The Lord Forster]] |
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| successor=[[Isaac Isaacs|Sir Isaac Isaacs]] |
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| successor = [[Isaac Isaacs|Sir Isaac Isaacs]] |
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| order2 = [[First Commissioner of Works]] |
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| term_start2 = 31 October 1922 |
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| term_start2 = 31 October 1922 |
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| term_end2 = 22 January 1924 |
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| term_end2 = 22 January 1924 |
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| monarch2 = George V |
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| monarch2 = George V |
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| primeminister2 = [[Bonar Law]] <br/> [[Stanley Baldwin]] |
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| primeminister2 = {{Unbulleted list |[[Bonar Law]] |[[Stanley Baldwin]]}} |
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| predecessor2 = [[David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford|The Earl of Crawford]] |
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| predecessor2 = [[David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford|The Earl of Crawford]] |
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| successor2 = [[Frederick William Jowett|Fred Jowett]] |
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| successor2 = [[Frederick William Jowett|Fred Jowett]] |
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| order1 = [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]] |
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| order1 = [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]] |
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| term_start1 = 31 October 1922 |
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| term_start1 = 31 October 1922 |
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| term_end1 = 22 January 1924 |
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| term_end1 = 22 January 1924 |
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| monarch1 = George V |
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| monarch1 = George V |
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| primeminister1 = [[Bonar Law]] <br/> [[Stanley Baldwin]] |
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| primeminister1 = {{Unbulleted list |[[Bonar Law]] |[[Stanley Baldwin]]}} |
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| predecessor1 = [[David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford|The Earl of Crawford]] |
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| predecessor1 = [[David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford|The Earl of Crawford]] |
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| successor1 = [[Harry Gosling]] |
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| successor1 = [[Harry Gosling]] |
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| order=8th |
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| order = 8th |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1874|04|27}} |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1874|04|27}} |
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| birth_place = [[Chelsea, London]], UK |
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| birth_place = [[Chelsea, London]] |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1941|8|20|1874|5|27}} |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1941|8|20|1874|5|27}} |
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| death_place = [[Ury House]], [[Stonehaven]], [[Aberdeenshire]], UK |
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| death_place = [[Ury House]], [[Stonehaven]], [[Aberdeenshire]] |
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| nationality = British |
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| nationality = British |
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| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |
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| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |
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| alma_mater = [[Christ Church, Oxford]] |
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| alma_mater = [[Christ Church, Oxford]] |
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| spouse = Sydney Keith-Falconer, <br/>11th Countess of Kintore <br/>(1874–1974) |
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| spouse = Sydney Keith-Falconer, <br />11th Countess of Kintore <br />(1874–1974) |
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| caption = Baird in 1931 |
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}} |
}} |
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'''John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GCMG|DSO|PC}} (27 April 1874 – 20 August 1941) was a British politician who served as the [[List of Governors-General of Australia|eighth]] [[Governor-General of Australia]], in office from 1925 to 1930. He had previously been a government minister under [[David Lloyd George]], [[Bonar Law]], and [[Stanley Baldwin]]. |
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'''John Lawrence Baird, Viscount Stonehaven''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GCMG|DSO|PC}} (27 April 1874 – 20 August 1941) was a British politician who served as the [[List of Governors-General of Australia|eighth]] [[Governor-General of Australia]], in office from 1925 to 1930. He had previously been a government minister under [[David Lloyd George]], [[Bonar Law]], and [[Stanley Baldwin]]. |
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Baird was born in London, and attended [[Eton College|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford]]. His father was [[Sir Alexander Baird, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Baird]], a Scottish-born civil servant who spent much of his life in Egypt. Baird was a member of the [[Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service|Diplomatic Service]] before winning election to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in 1910, representing the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. When war broke out a few years later, he joined the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] and won the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO). Baird was added to the [[Lloyd George ministry]] in 1916, and held various junior portfolios until 1922 when he was appointed [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]] and [[First Commissioner of Works]]. |
Baird was born in London, and attended [[Eton College|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford]]. His father was [[Sir Alexander Baird, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Baird]], a Scottish-born civil servant who spent much of his life in Egypt. Baird was a member of the [[Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service|Diplomatic Service]] before winning election to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in 1910, representing the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. When war broke out a few years later, he joined the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] and won the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO). Baird was added to the [[Lloyd George ministry]] in 1916, and held various junior portfolios until 1922 when he was appointed [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]] and [[First Commissioner of Works]]. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Baird was born in [[Chelsea, London]],<ref name=dab>{{cite web| first=Percival| last=Serle| title = Baird, Sir John Lawrence, Viscount Stonehaven (1874–1941) | publisher=[[Project Gutenberg Australia]]| work=[[Dictionary of Australian Biography]]| url =http://gutenberg.net.au/ |
Baird was born in [[Chelsea, London]],<ref name=dab>{{cite web| first=Percival| last=Serle| title = Baird, Sir John Lawrence, Viscount Stonehaven (1874–1941) | publisher=[[Project Gutenberg Australia]]| work=[[Dictionary of Australian Biography]]| url =http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks15/1500721h/0-dict-biogBa.html#baird1| access-date =13 March 2008}}</ref><ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last= Cunneen |first= Chris |year=1990|id=A120118b|title= Stonehaven, John Lawrence Baird (1874–1941) |access-date=13 March 2008 }}</ref> son of [[Sir Alexander Baird, 1st Baronet]], and wife The Hon. Annette Maria, daughter of [[Lawrence Palk, 1st Baron Haldon]].<ref name="BurkesPeerage">''Burke's Peerage 2003'', page 2196</ref> |
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He was educated at [[Eton College|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford]], but left university without graduating. He was commissioned in the [[Lanarkshire Yeomanry]] (later the [[Scottish Horse]]). In 1894 he served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to the [[Governor of New South Wales]], then entered the diplomatic service.<ref name=dab/> He was appointed Second Secretary in September 1902,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27500 |date=2 December 1902 |page=8366 }}</ref> and became a Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] in 1904, before he retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1908.<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/> |
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He was a [[Deputy Lieutenant]] for [[Kincardineshire]] from 5 January 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27156 |page=438 |date=23 January 1900}}</ref> |
He was a [[Deputy Lieutenant]] for [[Kincardineshire]] from 5 January 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27156 |page=438 |date=23 January 1900}}</ref> |
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==Political career 1910–1924== |
==Political career 1910–1924== |
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Baird was elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] for [[Rugby (UK Parliament constituency)|Rugby]] in the [[United Kingdom general election |
Baird was elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] for [[Rugby (UK Parliament constituency)|Rugby]] in the [[January 1910 United Kingdom general election|January 1910 general election]]<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28338 |date=11 February 1910 |page=1037 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Rcommons2.htm |title=leighrayment.com House of Commons: Rochester to Ryedale |access-date=4 October 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219110721/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Rcommons2.htm |archive-date=19 December 2012 }}</ref> as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]], and was private secretary to the Leader of the Conservative Party, [[Bonar Law]], between 1911 and 1916. He also fought in the First World War where he was [[mentioned in despatches]] and awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]]. He entered [[David Lloyd George]]'s [[Lloyd George ministry|coalition government]] as [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Board]] in December 1916, an office that was renamed Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Council in November 1917. In January 1919 he became [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions|Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions]]. Already in April 1919, he was made [[Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department]], which he remained until the coalition government fell in October 1922.<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/> |
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Bonar Law became Prime Minister the same month, and appointed Baird [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]]<ref name="gazette">{{London Gazette |issue=32763 |date=3 November 1922 |page=7777 }}</ref> and [[First Commissioner of Works]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32763 |date=3 November 1922 |page=7778 }}</ref> He was sworn of the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] a few days later.<ref name="gazette"/> In the [[United Kingdom general election |
Bonar Law became Prime Minister the same month, and appointed Baird [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]]<ref name="gazette">{{London Gazette |issue=32763 |date=3 November 1922 |page=7777 }}</ref> and [[First Commissioner of Works]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32763 |date=3 November 1922 |page=7778 }}</ref> He was sworn of the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] a few days later.<ref name="gazette"/> In the [[1922 United Kingdom general election|November 1922 general election]], he was returned for [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]].<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32775 |date=8 December 1922 |page=8712 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Acommons3.htm |title=leighrayment.com House of Commons: Arundel to Ayrshire South |access-date=4 October 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016125944/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Acommons3.htm |archive-date=16 October 2018 }}</ref> He continued as First Commissioner of Works and Minister of Transport also when [[Stanley Baldwin]] became Prime Minister in May 1923 and held them until January 1924, when [[Ramsay MacDonald]]'s [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government took office.<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/> |
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==Governor-General of Australia== |
==Governor-General of Australia== |
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[[File:Lord Stonehaven - Reynolds.jpg|thumb|right|Stonehaven as caricatured in 1927]] |
[[File:Lord Stonehaven - Reynolds.jpg|thumb|right|Stonehaven as caricatured in 1927 by [[Len Reynolds (illustrator)|Len Reynolds]]]] |
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In December, after the Conservatives returned to power, he accepted the position of [[Governor-General of Australia]] |
In December, after the Conservatives returned to power, he accepted the position of [[Governor-General of Australia]] offered to him by [[Prime Minister of Australia|Australian Prime Minister]] [[Stanley Bruce]], who opted for Baird partly because of his political experience and partly because he was a more modest figure than the aristocratic alternatives. In June 1925, he was raised to the peerage as '''Baron Stonehaven''', of Ury in the County of Kincardine,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33057 |date=16 June 1925 |page=4023 }}</ref> and appointed a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (GCMG).<ref name=dab/><ref name=adb/> |
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Lord Stonehaven arrived in Australia in October 1925. He quickly established good relations with Bruce, with whom he had much in common. But, like his predecessor, he found that Australian Prime Ministers no longer wanted a Governor-General acting as an Imperial overseer, or as a representative of the British government, but merely as discreet figureheads. The [[1926 Imperial Conference]] in London recognised the ''de facto'' independence of the [[Dominion]]s, and ended the role of the Governors-General as diplomats and as channels of communication between governments. From now on the Governor-General's sole role was to be a personal representative of the Crown. |
Lord Stonehaven arrived in Australia in October 1925. He quickly established good relations with Bruce, with whom he had much in common. But, like his predecessor, he found that Australian Prime Ministers no longer wanted a Governor-General acting as an Imperial overseer, or as a representative of the British government, but merely as discreet figureheads. The [[1926 Imperial Conference]] in London recognised the ''de facto'' independence of the [[Dominion]]s, and ended the role of the Governors-General as diplomats and as channels of communication between governments. From now on, the Governor-General's sole role was to be a personal representative of the Crown. |
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There were other changes during Stonehaven's term. In May 1927 he formally opened the first meeting of the [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] in the newly built [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in [[Canberra]], and the Governor-General was at last given a permanent residence, [[Government House, Canberra]], commonly known by the previous name of the house, ''Yarralumla''. This meant an end to travelling between government houses in Sydney and Melbourne and made the post of Governor-General less expensive. At the same time, the advent of aviation, of which Stonehaven was a keen exponent, made travelling around Australia much easier.<ref name=adb/> |
There were other changes during Stonehaven's term. In May 1927, he formally opened the first meeting of the [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] in the newly built [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in [[Canberra]], and the Governor-General was at last given a permanent residence, [[Government House, Canberra]], commonly known by the previous name of the house, ''Yarralumla''. This meant an end to travelling between government houses in Sydney and Melbourne and made the post of Governor-General less expensive. At the same time, the advent of aviation, of which Stonehaven was a keen exponent, made travelling around Australia much easier.<ref name=adb/> |
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For most of Stonehaven's term Bruce seemed firmly entrenched in office |
For most of Stonehaven's term, Bruce seemed firmly entrenched in office but, in September 1929, he was unexpectedly defeated on the floor of the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], and asked Stonehaven for a dissolution. Although the Parliament was only a year old, Stonehaven agreed at once: the days when Governors-General exercised a discretion in this area had passed.<ref name=adb/> |
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Bruce's party was defeated at the October election, and Bruce also lost his own seat. The [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] leader, [[James Scullin]], took office in January 1930. Stonehaven's relations with Scullin were correct but not friendly, since his political sympathies lay elsewhere. It was probably fortunate for him that his term expired before the crises of the Scullin government began.<ref name=dab/><ref name=adb/> Stonehaven left Australia on 2 October 1930, at which point his successor had not been determined; [[Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers|Lord Somers]], the [[Governor of Victoria]], took over as [[Administrator (Australia)|Administrator of the Commonwealth]] until a permanent successor, [[Isaac Isaacs|Sir Isaac Isaacs]], took office in January 1931.<ref>Christopher Cunneen, ''Kings' Men: Australia's Governors-General from Hopetoun to Isaacs'', 1983, George Allen & Unwin, p.172.</ref> |
Bruce's party was defeated at the October election, and Bruce also lost his own seat. The [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] leader, [[James Scullin]], took office in January 1930. Stonehaven's relations with Scullin were correct but not friendly, since his political sympathies lay elsewhere. It was probably fortunate for him that his term expired before the crises of the Scullin government began.<ref name=dab/><ref name=adb/> Stonehaven left Australia on 2 October 1930, at which point his successor had not been determined; [[Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers|Lord Somers]], the [[Governor of Victoria]], took over as [[Administrator (Australia)|Administrator of the Commonwealth]] until a permanent successor, [[Isaac Isaacs|Sir Isaac Isaacs]], took office in January 1931.<ref>Christopher Cunneen, ''Kings' Men: Australia's Governors-General from Hopetoun to Isaacs'', 1983, George Allen & Unwin, p.172.</ref> |
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===Freemasonry=== |
===Freemasonry=== |
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Stonehaven was a freemason. During his term as Governor-General (1925–1930), he was also Grand Master of the [[United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory|Grand Lodge of New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kenthenderson.com.au/m_papers03.html |title= |
Stonehaven was a freemason. During his term as Governor-General (1925–1930), he was also [[Grand Master (Freemasonry)|Grand Master]] of the [[United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory|Grand Lodge of New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kenthenderson.com.au/m_papers03.html |title=KentHenderson |access-date=27 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409023926/http://kenthenderson.com.au/m_papers03.html |archive-date=9 April 2013 }}</ref> |
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==Later life== |
==Later life== |
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On his return to Britain he was appointed Chairman of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in 1931, a post he held until 1936.<ref name=" |
On his return to Britain, he was appointed Chairman of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in 1931, a post he held until 1936.<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/> In 1938, he was further honoured when he was made '''Viscount Stonehaven''', of Ury in the [[County of Kincardine]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34526 |date=28 June 1938 |page=4169 }}</ref> |
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==Family== |
==Family== |
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Stonehaven married Lady |
Stonehaven married Lady Ethel Sydney Keith-Falconer, daughter of the [[Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore|9th Earl of Kintore]], in 1905. The couple had two sons and three daughters. Lord Stonehaven died of hypertensive cardiac disease at [[Ury House]], [[Stonehaven]], Scotland, in August 1941, aged 67, and was succeeded by his eldest son, [[Ian Keith, 12th Earl of Kintore|Ian]]. The Viscountess Stonehaven succeeded her elder brother as eleventh [[Earl of Kintore|Countess of Kintore]] in 1966. She died in September 1974, one day after her 100th birthday.<ref name="BurkesPeerage"/> |
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==Arms== |
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{{Emblem table |
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| name = John Lawrence Baird, 1st Baron of Stonehaven<ref>{{cite book |title=Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, And Companionage |date=1936 |page=917, STONEHAVEN, BARON. (Baird.) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.548454/page/n999/mode/1up |access-date=28 June 2022}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> |
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| image = Stonehaven CoA.svg |
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| imagesize = |
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| notes = |
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| year_adopted = |
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| coronet = |
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| crest = A [[Griffin#In heraldry|griffin's]] [[Heads in heraldry|head]] [[Erasure (heraldry)|erased]] [[Or (heraldry)|or]]. |
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| torse = |
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| helm = |
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| escutcheon = [[Division of the field#Common divisions of the field|Per pale]] [[Line (heraldry)#Engrailed and invected|engrailed]] [[gules]] and or, a [[Boars in heraldry|boar]] [[Attitude (heraldry)#Passant|passant]] [[Tincture (heraldry)#Counterchanging|counterchanged]]. |
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| supporters = Two griffins, wings expanded or, each holding in its interior claw a [[thistle]] [[Charge (heraldry)#Plants|slipped]] [[Tincture (heraldry)#Proper|proper]]. |
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| compartment = |
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| motto = {{lang|la|Dominus fecit}} (The Lord did it) |
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| orders = |
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| other_elements = |
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| bannerimage = |
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| banner = |
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| badgeimage = |
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| badge = |
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| symbolism = |
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| previous_versions = |
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| other_versions = [[Achievement (heraldry)|Full achievements]]: [[File:Stonehaven CoA.png|100px]] |
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}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist|30em}} |
{{Reflist|30em}} |
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== |
==External links== |
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* {{Hansard-contribs |
* {{Hansard-contribs|mr-john-baird-3|the Viscount Stonehaven}} |
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*[http://www.kittybrewster.com/ancestry/baird.htm Baird family tree] |
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051026203025/http://www.kittybrewster.com/ancestry/baird.htm Baird family tree]}} |
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*{{Cite web|title=John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven - National Portrait Gallery|url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp83175/john-lawrence-baird-1st-viscount-stonehaven|access-date=17 September 2021|website=www.npg.org.uk|language=en}} |
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{{s-start}} |
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{{s-par|uk}} |
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{{succession box |
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| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Rugby (UK Parliament constituency)|Rugby]] |
| title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Rugby (UK Parliament constituency)|Rugby]] |
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| years = [[United Kingdom general election |
| years = [[January 1910 United Kingdom general election|1910]] – [[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922]] |
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| before = [[Corrie Grant]] |
| before = [[Corrie Grant]] |
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| after = [[Euan Wallace]] |
| after = [[Euan Wallace]] |
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}} |
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{{succession box |
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| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]] |
| title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]] |
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| years = [[United Kingdom general election |
| years = [[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922]]–[[1925 Ayr Burghs by-election|1925]] |
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| before = [[George Younger, 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie|Sir George Younger, Bt]] |
| before = [[George Younger, 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie|Sir George Younger, Bt]] |
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| after = [[Sir Thomas Moore, 1st Baronet|Thomas Moore]] |
| after = [[Sir Thomas Moore, 1st Baronet|Thomas Moore]] |
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{{s-ttl| title = [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Board]] <br/><small>(renamed [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Council]] 1917)</small> |
{{s-ttl| title = [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Board]] <br /><small>(renamed [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Council]] 1917)</small> |
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| years = 1916–1919 }} |
| years = 1916–1919 }} |
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{{s-non| reason = Office abolished }} |
{{s-non| reason = Office abolished }} |
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{{s-bef| before = [[F. G. Kellaway]] <br/> [[J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone|J. E. B. Seely]] }} |
{{s-bef| before = [[F. G. Kellaway]] <br /> [[J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone|J. E. B. Seely]] }} |
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{{s-ttl| title = [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions|Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions]] |
{{s-ttl| title = [[Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions|Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions]] |
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| with = [[F. G. Kellaway]] |
| with = [[F. G. Kellaway]] |
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{{succession box | title=[[Baird baronets|Baronet]] <br/>'''(of |
{{succession box | title=[[Baird baronets|Baronet]] <br />'''(of Urie)''' | before=[[Alexander Baird, 1st Baronet|Alexander Baird]] | after=[[James Keith, 12th Earl of Kintore|James Keith]] | years= 1920–1941}} |
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{{end}} |
{{s-end}} |
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{{Governors-General of Australia}} |
{{Governors-General of Australia}} |
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{{Conservative Party (UK)}} |
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[[Category:1874 births]] |
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[[Category:1941 deaths]] |
[[Category:1941 deaths]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Nobility from Aberdeenshire]] |
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[[Category:Scottish Horse officers]] |
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[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] |
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] |
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[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]] |
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies|Baird, John]] |
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[[Category:Deputy Lieutenants of Kincardineshire]] |
[[Category:Deputy Lieutenants of Kincardineshire]] |
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[[Category:Governors-General of Australia]] |
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[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]] |
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]] |
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[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] |
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Revision as of 00:14, 3 June 2024
The Viscount Stonehaven | |
---|---|
![]() Baird in 1931 | |
8th Governor-General of Australia | |
In office 8 October 1925 – 2 October 1930 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | The Lord Forster |
Succeeded by | Sir Isaac Isaacs |
Minister of Transport | |
In office 31 October 1922 – 22 January 1924 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | The Earl of Crawford |
Succeeded by | Harry Gosling |
First Commissioner of Works | |
In office 31 October 1922 – 22 January 1924 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | The Earl of Crawford |
Succeeded by | Fred Jowett |
Personal details | |
Born | Chelsea, London | 27 April 1874
Died | 20 August 1941 Ury House, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire | (aged 67)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Sydney Keith-Falconer, 11th Countess of Kintore (1874–1974) |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, GCMG, DSO, PC (27 April 1874 – 20 August 1941) was a British politician who served as the eighth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1925 to 1930. He had previously been a government minister under David Lloyd George, Bonar Law, and Stanley Baldwin.
Baird was born in London, and attended Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. His father was Sir Alexander Baird, a Scottish-born civil servant who spent much of his life in Egypt. Baird was a member of the Diplomatic Service before winning election to the House of Commons in 1910, representing the Conservative Party. When war broke out a few years later, he joined the Intelligence Corps and won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Baird was added to the Lloyd George ministry in 1916, and held various junior portfolios until 1922 when he was appointed Minister of Transport and First Commissioner of Works.
In 1925, Baird was appointed Governor-General of Australia on the advice of Stanley Bruce. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Stonehaven, having previously succeeded to his father's baronetcy in 1920. Lord Stonehaven was the first governor-general to live in Canberra, moving into Yarralumla in 1927 and presiding over the first sitting at the new Parliament House. After returning to Britain, Stonehaven served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1931 to 1936. He was raised to the viscountcy in 1938, and retired to his ancestral seat in Aberdeenshire.
Early life
Baird was born in Chelsea, London,[1][2] son of Sir Alexander Baird, 1st Baronet, and wife The Hon. Annette Maria, daughter of Lawrence Palk, 1st Baron Haldon.[3]
He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, but left university without graduating. He was commissioned in the Lanarkshire Yeomanry (later the Scottish Horse). In 1894 he served as an aide-de-camp to the Governor of New South Wales, then entered the diplomatic service.[1] He was appointed Second Secretary in September 1902,[4] and became a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1904, before he retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1908.[3]
He was a Deputy Lieutenant for Kincardineshire from 5 January 1900.[5]
Political career 1910–1924
Baird was elected to the House of Commons for Rugby in the January 1910 general election[3][6][7] as a Conservative, and was private secretary to the Leader of the Conservative Party, Bonar Law, between 1911 and 1916. He also fought in the First World War where he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He entered David Lloyd George's coalition government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Board in December 1916, an office that was renamed Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Council in November 1917. In January 1919 he became Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions. Already in April 1919, he was made Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, which he remained until the coalition government fell in October 1922.[3]
Bonar Law became Prime Minister the same month, and appointed Baird Minister of Transport[8] and First Commissioner of Works.[9] He was sworn of the Privy Council a few days later.[8] In the November 1922 general election, he was returned for Ayr Burghs.[3][10][11] He continued as First Commissioner of Works and Minister of Transport also when Stanley Baldwin became Prime Minister in May 1923 and held them until January 1924, when Ramsay MacDonald's Labour government took office.[3]
Governor-General of Australia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Lord_Stonehaven_-_Reynolds.jpg/220px-Lord_Stonehaven_-_Reynolds.jpg)
In December, after the Conservatives returned to power, he accepted the position of Governor-General of Australia offered to him by Australian Prime Minister Stanley Bruce, who opted for Baird partly because of his political experience and partly because he was a more modest figure than the aristocratic alternatives. In June 1925, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Stonehaven, of Ury in the County of Kincardine,[12] and appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG).[1][2]
Lord Stonehaven arrived in Australia in October 1925. He quickly established good relations with Bruce, with whom he had much in common. But, like his predecessor, he found that Australian Prime Ministers no longer wanted a Governor-General acting as an Imperial overseer, or as a representative of the British government, but merely as discreet figureheads. The 1926 Imperial Conference in London recognised the de facto independence of the Dominions, and ended the role of the Governors-General as diplomats and as channels of communication between governments. From now on, the Governor-General's sole role was to be a personal representative of the Crown.
There were other changes during Stonehaven's term. In May 1927, he formally opened the first meeting of the Australian Parliament in the newly built Parliament House in Canberra, and the Governor-General was at last given a permanent residence, Government House, Canberra, commonly known by the previous name of the house, Yarralumla. This meant an end to travelling between government houses in Sydney and Melbourne and made the post of Governor-General less expensive. At the same time, the advent of aviation, of which Stonehaven was a keen exponent, made travelling around Australia much easier.[2]
For most of Stonehaven's term, Bruce seemed firmly entrenched in office but, in September 1929, he was unexpectedly defeated on the floor of the House of Representatives, and asked Stonehaven for a dissolution. Although the Parliament was only a year old, Stonehaven agreed at once: the days when Governors-General exercised a discretion in this area had passed.[2]
Bruce's party was defeated at the October election, and Bruce also lost his own seat. The Labor leader, James Scullin, took office in January 1930. Stonehaven's relations with Scullin were correct but not friendly, since his political sympathies lay elsewhere. It was probably fortunate for him that his term expired before the crises of the Scullin government began.[1][2] Stonehaven left Australia on 2 October 1930, at which point his successor had not been determined; Lord Somers, the Governor of Victoria, took over as Administrator of the Commonwealth until a permanent successor, Sir Isaac Isaacs, took office in January 1931.[13]
Freemasonry
Stonehaven was a freemason. During his term as Governor-General (1925–1930), he was also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales.[14]
Later life
On his return to Britain, he was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1931, a post he held until 1936.[3] In 1938, he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Stonehaven, of Ury in the County of Kincardine.[15]
Family
Stonehaven married Lady Ethel Sydney Keith-Falconer, daughter of the 9th Earl of Kintore, in 1905. The couple had two sons and three daughters. Lord Stonehaven died of hypertensive cardiac disease at Ury House, Stonehaven, Scotland, in August 1941, aged 67, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Ian. The Viscountess Stonehaven succeeded her elder brother as eleventh Countess of Kintore in 1966. She died in September 1974, one day after her 100th birthday.[3]
Arms
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References
- ^ a b c d Serle, Percival. "Baird, Sir John Lawrence, Viscount Stonehaven (1874–1941)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Cunneen, Chris (1990). "Stonehaven, John Lawrence Baird (1874–1941)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Burke's Peerage 2003, page 2196
- ^ "No. 27500". The London Gazette. 2 December 1902. p. 8366.
- ^ "No. 27156". The London Gazette. 23 January 1900. p. 438.
- ^ "No. 28338". The London Gazette. 11 February 1910. p. 1037.
- ^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Rochester to Ryedale". Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "No. 32763". The London Gazette. 3 November 1922. p. 7777.
- ^ "No. 32763". The London Gazette. 3 November 1922. p. 7778.
- ^ "No. 32775". The London Gazette. 8 December 1922. p. 8712.
- ^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Arundel to Ayrshire South". Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "No. 33057". The London Gazette. 16 June 1925. p. 4023.
- ^ Christopher Cunneen, Kings' Men: Australia's Governors-General from Hopetoun to Isaacs, 1983, George Allen & Unwin, p.172.
- ^ "KentHenderson". Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^ "No. 34526". The London Gazette. 28 June 1938. p. 4169.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, And Companionage. 1936. p. 917, STONEHAVEN, BARON. (Baird.). Retrieved 28 June 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Stonehaven
- Baird family tree[usurped]
- "John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- 1874 births
- 1941 deaths
- Nobility from Aberdeenshire
- Scottish Horse officers
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Deputy Lieutenants of Kincardineshire
- Governors-General of Australia
- Scottish Freemasons
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies
- People educated at Eton College
- UK MPs 1910
- UK MPs 1910–1918
- UK MPs 1918–1922
- UK MPs 1922–1923
- UK MPs 1923–1924
- UK MPs 1924–1929
- UK MPs who were granted peerages
- People from Chelsea, London
- Chairmen of the Conservative Party (UK)
- Lanarkshire Yeomanry officers
- Australian Freemasons
- Masonic Grand Masters
- Unionist Party (Scotland) MPs
- Secretaries of State for Transport (UK)
- Barons created by George V
- Viscounts created by George VI
- Baird baronets
- Baird family