Edwin Savory Herbert, Baron Tangley, (29 June 1899 – 5 June 1973) was a British solicitor and mountaineer.

Life and career

The son (one of five children) of Henry William Herbert, a chemist, and his wife Harriett Lizzie (née Elmes), of Egham, Surrey, Herbert was educated at

Queen's College, Taunton Queen's College is a co-educational private school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for pupils aged 0–18. The school incorporates nursery, pre-prep, prep, and senior schools. The current Hea ...

and the Law Society's

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

, from which he received his LL.B. Herbert served as director of postal and telegraph censorship for the Ministry of Information during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was elected President of the Law Society in 1956. A

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in 1943, Herbert was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE) in the 1956 Birthday Honours. He was also awarded the American

Medal for Merit The Medal for Merit was the highest civilian decoration of the United States in the gift of the president. Created during World War II, it was awarded by the president of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptiona ...

and the Norwegian King Haakon's liberty cross. He was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Tangley, ''of Blackheath in the County of Surrey'' on 22 January 1964. This was in recognition of his work on the

Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London The Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, also known as the Herbert Commission, was established in 1957 and published its report in 1960. The report made recommendations for the overhaul of the administration of the capital. They ...

. The area that was to become what is now known as Greater London was controlled by the London, Surrey, Essex, Kent and Middlesex County Councils and a number of County Boroughs. The result was that the London and Middlesex County Councils and County Boroughs disappeared, and the areas covered by Essex and Surrey were reduced. The

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

was established as the strategic authority, with broad town planning and transport powers; below it were the City of London, basically covering the area it had always controlled, and thirty two new London Boroughs. They provided local town planning powers, local highways and inter alia social and housing powers. The GLC took over running the council housing that the London County Council had controlled. Herbert introduced Thomas Graham Brown to Frank Smythe in 1927. Herbert and Brown later climbed the Brenva face of

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

. Herbert was President of the

Alpine Club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

from 1953 to 1956 and he chaired the

Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...

committee when the world's highest peak was scaled for the first time. He held honorary LLD degrees from Montreal (1956) and Leeds (1960). In 1969 he became an honorary fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge, and an honorary LLD of the university. Herbert married Gwendoline Judd in 1932; they had a son and three daughters. His eldest daughter, Dr Hon. Elizabeth Ann Herbert, M.A. B.Ch., married Michael Cottrell Brain, 3rd Baron Brain, in 1960.

Arms

''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'', ed. Peter Townend, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1970, p. 2610

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Edwin 1899 births 1973 deaths People from Egham Presidents of the Law Society of England and Wales Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Tangley, Edwin Herbert Knights Bachelor Life peers created by Elizabeth II Presidents of the Alpine Club (UK)