George Vere Arundel Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, (24 March 1882 – 27 March 1943) was a British politician. He served as the fifth Governor-General of New Zealand from 1935 to 1941.

Early life

George Vere Arundell Monckton-Arundell Galway was born on 24 March 1882. His parents were

George Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway George Edmund Milnes Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway, CB (18 November 1844 – 7 March 1931) was a British Conservative politician and courtier. Biography Galway was the son of George Monckton-Arundell, 6th Viscount Galway, and his wife a ...

and

Vere Gosling Vere Monckton-Arundell, Viscountess Galway (née Gosling; 1859 - 3 January 1921) was a British poet, writer, philanthropist, and woman of letters. In 1910, she co-founded an auxiliary hospital at her home, Serlby Hall, with her husband. She was i ...

. He had one sibling: Violet Frances Monckton-Arundell (wife of married Lt.-Col. Geoffrey Henry Julian FitzPatrick, son of Edward Skeffington-Smyth). He received his education at a preparatory school in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

before attending Eton College (1895–1900) and Christ Church College, University of Oxford (1900–1904). He read Modern History and graduated with Bachelor of Arts and took the Master of Arts subsequently (this degree at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin is an elevation in rank and not a postgraduate qualification). Lord Galway succeeded his father to the family's Irish peerage in 1931.

Career

Military career

Monckton-Arundell was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Rangers) Yeomanry The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) was a British Yeomanry regiment. In 1967 it was amalgamated with other units to form the Royal Yeomanry (RY), a light cavalry regiment of the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve. Originally raised as t ...

on 1 January 1900, and promoted to lieutenant on 11 June 1902. In 1904, he joined the First Life Guards, the senior regiment of the British Army that makes up the Household Cavalry, where he rose to the rank of colonel. During the First World War he was appointed as adjutant general and quartermaster general. He was of the Royal Artillery (1933–35). In 1933 he was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) until 1935, when he relinquished it on appointment as Governor-General of New Zealand. Upon retirement from his post as governor-general he returned as Colonel Commandant of the HAC until his death. He was also appointed Honorary Colonel of the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (later 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

) in 1933.

Political ambitions

In 1910, Monckton-Arundell attempted to follow his father into the House of Commons. He contested the Scarborough constituency in the

January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...

and December elections of 1910, but was unsuccessful both times.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Viscount Galway was

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and li ...

from 12 April 1935 to 3 February 1941. His military background made an impression with cabinet ministers of the time. His term was twice extended because of the Second World War. Viscount Galway and his wife received numerous gifts during his time as governor-general. Some were returned to New Zealand around the time of the sale of the family house Serlby Hall, and were donated to the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

in 1980.

George Monckton-Arundell, photographed by Herman John Schmidt

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

1937 Coronation Honours The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI. Royal Honours Order of the Thistle * The Queen Royal Victorian Chain * The Queen * Queen Mary * Clive, Baron Wigram Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) * The Queen ...

, he was appointed a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

Later years

Upon his return to England, Galway held the honorary post of Deputy

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

of Nottinghamshire under the 7th Duke of Portland.

Personal life

Viscount Galway married Lucia Margaret White, daughter of the 3rd Baron Annaly, in 1922. They had four children: * Mary Victoria Monckton (1924–2010), who married David Henry Fetherstonhaugh, son of Lt.-Col. Timothy Fetherstonhaugh, in 1947. They divorced in 1972 and she married Maj. Robert Patricius Chaworth-Musters, son of Col. John Neville Chaworth-Musters, in 1974.L. G. Pine, ''The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms'' ( London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), page 197. * Celia Ella Vere Monckton (1925–1997), who married

Sir Joshua Rowley, 7th Baronet Joshua Francis Rowley, M.A., JP, DCL (31 December 1920 – 21 February 1997), was a soldier and landowner, and Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk from 1978 to 1994. Personal life He was the son of Colonel Sir Charles Rowley, 6th Baronet. He was educated ...

, son of Lt.-Col. Sir Charles Rowley, 6th Baronet, in 1959.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.'' Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 2, page 1521. * Isabel Cynthia Monckton (b. 1926), who married

John King, Baron King of Wartnaby John Leonard King, Baron King of Wartnaby (29 August 1917 – 12 July 2005) was a British businessman, who was noted for leading British Airways from an inefficient, nationalised company to one of the most successful airlines of recent times. ...

, son of Albert John King, in 1970. * Simon George Robert Monckton-Arundell (1929–1971), who married Lady Theresa Jane Fox-Strangways, daughter of

Harry Fox-Strangways, 7th Earl of Ilchester Edward Henry Charles James "Harry" Fox-Strangways, 7th Earl of Ilchester (1 October 1905 – 21 August 1964) was a British peer and philanthropist. He also held the subsidiary titles of Baron Strangways and Baron Ilchester and Stavordale ...

, in 1953. He died suddenly on 27 March 1943 in Blyth.

Arms

References

External links

*
Short biography
by the office of the Governor-General , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Galway, George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount 1882 births 1943 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Governors-General of New Zealand Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Life Guards officers Deputy Lieutenants of Nottinghamshire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Freemasons Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom World War II political leaders