Sir Geoffrey Granville Whiskard (19 August 1886 – 19 May 1957) was a British civil servant and diplomat.

Early life and education

Whiskard was born at 3 Hartington Villas, Penge Road, Beckenham, Kent, to Ernest Whiskard, a local bank manager, and Lucy Marian Sutton, daughter of a political analyst. Shortly after, the family moved to

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

because Geoffrey's father had been appointed manager of the Capital and Counties Bank's local branch. Whiskard was educated at St Paul's School, London, and then in December 1904 he won a scholarship to

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

, going up in October of the next year. He gained first class in Mods and Greats, graduating in 1909.

Career

Whiskard entered the Home Office in 1911 and served as an Assistant Secretary to the

Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant", from the early 19th century un ...

during the Anglo-Irish War, then in the Colonial Office 1922–1925 and in the

Dominions Office The position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet-level position created in 1925 responsible for British relations with the Dominions – Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free S ...

1925–1935. He was High Commissioner to Australia 1936–1941, and

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...

at the Ministry of Works 1941–1943 and at the

Ministry of Town and Country Planning Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

1943–1946.

Personal life

In 1915, he married Cynthia Reeves, having three children Richard, Mary and John. On 30 July 1940, his wife died of heart failure brought on by a severe asthma attack whilst visiting Sydney. Whiskard later remarried to Eileen Margaret Anderson after he had retired from government.

Writings

In 1947, ''Letters from a Civil Servant to his Son'' was published. Whiskard had decided the keep his name anonymous. The letters in Whiskard's book are addressed to Richard, the oldest son, and chronicle major parts of his life whilst covering heartfelt themes of love and war. His leaving school, enrolling in Oxford University and at the outbreak of the Second World War, where he joined the Welsh Guards. It was here Richard became friends with the esteemed painter Rex Whistler. Lieutenant Richard Whiskard died on Wednesday, 2 August 1944, at the age of 24.

References

Sources

WHISKARD, Sir Geoffrey (Granville)
''Who Was Who'', A. & C. Black, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiskard, Geoffrey 1886 births 1957 deaths Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford People educated at Westminster School, London High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Australia British Permanent Secretaries Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George