Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951), was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and the third Governor-General of New Zealand.

Early life and military career

Fergusson was the son of

Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet (14 March 1832 – 14 January 1907) was a British soldier, Conservative politician and colonial administrator. Background and education Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Fergusson was the eldest son of Sir Charle ...

, the 6th Governor of New Zealand. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, before joining the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

in 1883. He served in Sudan from 1896 to 1898, becoming Commanding Officer of the 15th Sudanese Regiment in 1899 and Commander of the Omdurman District in 1900. He was made Adjutant General of the Egyptian Army in early 1901 and Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards in 1904 before becoming a Brigadier-General on the staff of the

Irish Command Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, was title of the commander of the British forces in Ireland before 1922. Until the Act of Union in 1800, the position involved command of the distinct Irish Army of the Kingdom of Ireland. History Marshal of Ireland ...

in 1907. He was appointed Inspector of Infantry in 1909 and General Officer Commanding

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 5th Division (Australia) *5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Mo ...

in Ireland in 1913 – in this capacity he played a key role during the

Curragh incident The Curragh incident of 20 March 1914, sometimes known as the Curragh mutiny, occurred in the Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. The Curragh Camp was then the main base for the British Army in Ireland, which at the time still formed part of the ...

, ensuring his officers obeyed orders. He took the 5th Division to France in August 1914 at the start 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 then briefly took command of the

9th (Scottish) Division The 9th (Scottish) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War. A ...

from October to December 1914. He commanded II Corps from January 1915 and then, from May 1916, XVII Corps, which he led until the end of the war. After the war Fergusson was a Military Governor of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

before he retired in 1922.

Governor-General of New Zealand

A year after an unsuccessful attempt to enter parliament through the South Ayrshire constituency in the 1923 general election, Fergusson was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand and served until 1930. His father,

Sir James Fergusson James Fergusson may refer to: Politics *Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet (1832–1907), Governor of South Australia, New Zealand and Bombay *Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet (1904–1973), Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire *Sir James Fergusson, Lord Ki ...

, had served as a Governor of New Zealand, and his son Lord Ballantrae was the tenth and last British-appointed governor-general. On 20 June 1929 Fergusson was involved in a railway accident, following the

1929 Murchison earthquake The 1929 Murchison earthquake occurred at 10:17 am on 17 June. It struck the Murchison region of the South Island, with an estimated magnitude of 7.3, and was felt throughout New Zealand. There were 17 deaths, mostly as a result of lands ...

. Attached to the rear of a train leaving the National Dairy Show at Palmerston North with 200 passengers on board, the Viceregal carriage contained the Governor-General and his wife and other members of the Viceregal party. The train hit a slip between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay, with the locomotive falling down a steep bank and injuring the driver. The first three carriages of the train also left the rails, but the Viceregal carriage remained on the tracks, and Fergusson and his party suffered only minor cuts and bruises.

Marriage and family

Fergusson married Lady Alice Mary Boyle on 18 July 1901. She was a daughter of

David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow, (31 May 1833 – 13 December 1915), was a British naval commander and colonial governor. He served as Governor of New Zealand between 1892 and 1897. Background Boyle was the son of Patrick Boyle (eldest son of ...

. They had five children: * Helen Dorothea Fergusson (born 15 October 1902) married 1925 Major Leonard Proby Haviland *

Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet of Kilkerran, (1904–1973) was a Scottish aristocrat, broadcaster, journalist and historian. Life Fergusson was born in Dailly in Ayrshire on 18 September 1904 the son of Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet of ...

(born 18 September 1904, died 25 October 1973) *

The Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

Simon Charles David Fergusson (born 5 June 1907, died 1982). He married Auriole Kathleen Hughes-Onslow, maternal granddaughter of

Arthur Crofton, 4th Baron Crofton Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

. They had two sons and two daughters, one of whom was Scottish MP Alex Fergusson. *

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae Brigadier Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae, (6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980) was a British Army officer and military historian. He became the last British-born Governor-General of New Zealand. Early life and family Fergusson was th ...

(born 6 May 1911, died 28 November 1980) * Charles Fergusson (born 16 January 1917, died 22 January 1917)

Freemasonry

Fergusson was a Freemason. During his term as governor-general, he was also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

Later life

After his term in New Zealand, Fergusson became chairman of the West Indies Closer Union Commission and was

Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, Scotland. The post was abolished in 1975, being replaced by the Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran. *Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton 17 March 1794 – 30 October ...

from 1937 until his death on 20 February 1951.

Arms

References

External links

Official biography
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fergusson, Charles 1865 births 1951 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Mahdist War Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Governors-General of New Zealand Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Lord-Lieutenants of Ayrshire New Zealand people of Scottish descent New Zealand Freemasons Grenadier Guards officers British Army generals