Francis Edward Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 8th Baron Thurlow, (9 March 1912 – 24 March 2013) was a British

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He was the last surviving former British colonial governor of The Bahamas. Thurlow was the second son of the Reverend Charles Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 6th Baron Thurlow, and a grandson of the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow, who served as

Paymaster-General His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The incumbent Paymaster General is Jeremy Quin MP. History The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the posit ...

under

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. In 1971 he succeeded his elder brother as 8th Baron Thurlow.

Biography

Thurlow was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he graduated to Master of Arts (M.A.). Thurlow was a civil servant at the Department of Agriculture in Scotland from 1935–37 and through the period of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

was secretary at the British High Commission in New Zealand 1939-44 and in Canada 1944–45. He was Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations from 1947 to 1949, then counsellor to the British High Commission in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, India, 1949–52. He became adviser to the Governor of the Gold Coast in 1955; when that colony became independent as

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

in 1957 he was appointed Britain's first Deputy High Commissioner there, moving on to become Deputy High Commissioner in Canada in 1959. He served as

High Commissioner to New Zealand The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to New Zealand is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in New Zealand, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in New Zealand. As the United Kingdom and New Zealand are fellow mem ...

from 1959 to 1963, as

High Commissioner to Nigeria Countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations typically exchange High Commissioners, rather than ambassadors. Though there are a few technical differences, they are in practice one and the same office. The following persons have served as ...

from 1963 to 1966, Deputy Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1964, and as

Governor of The Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The loc ...

from 1968 to 1972. After retiring from the service he was appointed chairman of the Institute of Comparative Study of History, Philosophy and the Sciences in 1975. Thurlow's younger identical twin brother Sir Roualeyn Cumming-Bruce, PC, was a Judge of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

and a

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...

Personal life

Thurlow married Yvonne Diana Wilson on 11 August 1949. They had four children.

Death

Thurlow died in England at the age of 101.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurlow, Francis Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 8th Baron Diplomatic peers 1912 births 2013 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British centenarians British governors of the Bahamas British identical twins High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to New Zealand High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Nigeria Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Men centenarians People educated at Shrewsbury School 20th-century Bahamian people 20th-century British politicians

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...