Sir William Conyngham Greene, (29 October 1854 – 30 June 1934) was a British diplomat who served as minister to
Switzerland,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, and as ambassador to
Japan.
Early life
William Conyngham Greene was born in Dublin, Ireland, son of Richard Jonas Greene,
barrister and writer, and the Hon.
Louisa Plunket, also a writer; his grandfathers were the eminent judge
Richard Wilson Greene
Richard Wilson Greene PC, KC (1791–1861) was an Irish barrister and judge.
He was born in Dublin, the son of Sir Jonas Greene, who was Recorder of Dublin from 1822 until his death in 1828, and his wife, the leading actress Marianne Hitch ...
and
John Plunket, 3rd Baron Plunket
John Span Plunket, 3rd Baron Plunket of Newtown, County Cork (10 July 1793 – 16 April 1871) was an Irish peer and Queen's Counsel. He was the second son of William Plunket, 1st Baron Plunket, and Catherine MacAusland. He succeeded his brother Tho ...
. He was named after his uncle
William Greene,
Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
The ''Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin'' is the senior official of that church, the cathedral of the United Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough in the Church of Ireland, and head of the Chapter, its governing body. A Dean has presided over ...
, but did not use the name William as an adult. He was educated at
Harrow School and
Pembroke College, Oxford.
Career
Greene entered the
Foreign Office in 1877, was posted as Acting Third Secretary to
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
in 1880, and acted as
Chargé d'Affaires at
Stuttgart and
Darmstadt 1883–87. He transferred formally to the
Diplomatic Service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...
(then separate from the Foreign Service) in 1877 and was posted as 2nd Secretary at
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
1889–91 and at
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
1891–93. He was then promoted to be Secretary of Legation at
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
in 1893 and promoted again to be "HM Agent at
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
with rank of Chargé d'Affaires" in 1896.
Pretoria was then the capital of the
Transvaal Republic
The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...
, and on 9 October 1899 the Transvaal government handed to Conyngham Greene an ultimatum stating that if in 48 hours British troops did not retire from the border, a state of war would exist. The British government replied that the conditions imposed by the Transvaal were such that the British government could no longer discuss the subject, and the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
began on 11 October. On that day
Conyngham Greene left Pretoria, and on his arrival at
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
a few days later he "was accorded a magnificent reception. A crowd of 3,000 persons who had gathered sang 'Rule, Britannia' and 'God Save the Queen'".
In 1901 Greene was appointed
Minister to the Swiss Confederation. While stationed in
Berne
Bern () or Berne; in other Swiss languages, gsw, Bärn ; frp, Bèrna ; it, Berna ; rm, Berna is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city" (in german: Bundesstadt, link=no, french: ville fédérale ...
he was treasurer of an Appeal Fund set up in 1904 for building a new church, which became the Anglican church of Saint Ursula in Berne. He remained at Berne until December 1905 and was appointed
Minister to Romania in January 1906. In January 1911 he was transferred to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
as
Minister to Denmark where he stayed only two years. In December 1912 he was made a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
and posted as
Ambassador to Japan. He was the King's representative at the
enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite.
...
of the
Taishō Emperor in 1915.
According to Greene's obituary in the ''
Times of London
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'', "he remained in Tokyo until the end of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and proved himself a great Ambassador. His open and genial manner won the confidence of the Japanese, and retained it throughout all the vicissitudes of the War and in spite of certain difficulties with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. His departure in April 1919 was universally regretted." Sir Conyngham (as he had become) and Lady Lily Greene were among the passengers who landed from the
''Aquitania'' at
Plymouth on 10 May 1919.
Honours
Conyngham Greene was appointed
CB in the 1897
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
. On his return from South Africa he was knighted KCB in the
1900 Queen's Birthday Honours – the list mentioned that he was "late British Agent at Pretoria". While serving in Japan he was appointed KCMG. In 1917 he was made an honorary fellow of his old college, Pembroke College, Oxford.
Personal life
In 1884, while at the Legation at Stuttgart, Conyngham Greene married Lady Lily Frances Stopford, daughter of the 5th
Earl of Courtown
The Earl of Courtown, in the County of Wexford, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 April 1762 for James Stopford, 1st Baron Courtown. He had previously represented County Wexford and Fethard in the Irish House of Comm ...
. She died in 1950. They had four children, Barrington, Geoffrey, Kathleen, who was a well-known author of children's books, and Norah, who married Sir Hubert Brand, younger son of
Henry Robert Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden
Henry Robert Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden, (2 May 1841 – 22 November 1906) was Governor of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899.
Background
Hampden was the son of Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden. He succeeded his father as second Viscount and ...
and died in 1924, leaving issue.
Selected works
Some of Greene's writings were posthumously published.
WorldCat Identities
Greene, William Conyngham Sir 1854–1934
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* ''Foreign Office files for Japan and the Far East '' (1991)
Notes
References
GREENE, Rt Hon. Sir Conyngham
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 17 April 2012
– thepeerage.com
*Ian Nish
Ian Hill Nish CBE (3 June 1926 – 31 July 2022) was a British academic. A specialist in Japanese studies, he was Emeritus Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
His scholarship relatin ...
(2004) ''British Envoys in Japan 1859–1972'' Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental.
OCLC 249167170
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Conyngham
1854 births
1934 deaths
People educated at Harrow School
Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Switzerland
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Romania
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Denmark
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Japan
Fellows of Pembroke College, Oxford
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom