John Poynder Dickson-Poynder, 1st Baron Islington, (31 October 1866 – 6 December 1936), born John Poynder Dickson and known as Sir John Poynder Dickson-Poynder from 1884 to 1910, was a British politician. He was Governor of New Zealand between 1910 and 1912.

Early life

The son of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

John Bourmaster Dickson and Sarah Matilda Dickson (née Poynder), he was born on the Isle of Wight and educated at Twyford School,

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England ** Harrow, London, a town in London ** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. In 1884 he succeeded his uncle as sixth baronet, and on succeeding to his maternal uncle's property he assumed by royal licence the additional surname of Poynder in 1888. The Poynder estates in Wiltshire included Hilmarton near Calne, and Hartham near Corsham, where Dickson-Poynder carried out alterations c. 1888. He married Anne Beauclerk Dundas (c.1869-1958) the daughter of James Dundas of Dundas and granddaughter of

Baron Napier of Magdala Baron Napier of Magdala, in Abyssinia and of Caryngton in the County Palatine of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1868 for the military commander Sir Robert Napier, in recognition of his part in the 1 ...

. They had one daughter,

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *: Joan of Arc, a French military heroine * Joan (surname) Weather events * Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multi ...

, who was later Joan, Lady Altrincham who organised nursing in Africa.

Member of Parliament

He was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1890. Elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...

constituency in 1892, he joined the Liberals in 1905. He was a member of London County Council from 1898 to 1904. In late 1902 he visited British India and attended the 1903

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...

Military career

Dickson-Poynder was first commissioned into the volunteer battalion of the Royal Scots, but transferred to the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry where he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 7 December 1898. He volunteered for active service in the Second Boer War, and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion (Wiltshire Company) Imperial Yeomanry on 7 February 1900, leaving Liverpool for South Africa on the SS ''Cymric'' in early March 1900. Appointed a quartermaster during the voyage (dated 10 March 1900), he was back as a regular lieutenant in the Wiltshire company of the 1st battalion the following month. He later served on the Staff as aide-de-camp to

Lord Methuen Baron Methuen, of Corsham in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1838 for the former Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Wiltshire North, Paul Methuen. His grandson, the third Baron (who ...

, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 29 November 1900. Following his resignation from the Imperial Yeomanry, he was on 5 February 1901 granted the rank of honorary lieutenant of the Army. The following year, he was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry on 31 May 1902.

Governor of New Zealand

In 1910 Dickson was appointed Governor of New Zealand, a post he held for two years, and on 27 April that same year, was created Baron Islington, of

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

in the County of London. He was the last Governor of New Zealand to hold the title before it was changed to

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 ...

during the term of his successor. He was made a KCMG and Privy Counsellor in 1911, and in 1912 was appointed President of the

Royal Commission on the Public Services of India The Royal Commission on Public Services in India, also known as the Islington Commission was carried out under the Chairmanship of Lord Islington. It made the following recommendations in its report submitted in 1917:1. Recruitment to the superi ...

, on which he served with

Lord Ronaldshay Marquess of Zetland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 22 August 1892 for the former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Earl of Zetland. Zetland is an archaic form of Shetland. The Dundas family desc ...

, Herbert Fisher, Mr Justice Abdur Rahim, and others.

Later career

Earlier on he was appointed for the Royal Commission on London Traffic in 1904, and worked on trade relations between Canada and the West Indies in 1909. A few years later he became Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and in 1915 he became Under-Secretary of State for India. He also chaired the Imperial Institute for eight years, and was in charge of the National Savings Committee from 1920 until 1926, when he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), having become Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(GCMG) thirteen years before.

Death

Lord Islington died on 6 December 1936 aged 70 at Hyde Park Gardens, London, and was buried at Hilmarton, Wiltshire, his

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

y and baronetcy becoming extinct at his death. Lady Islington subsequently rented Dyrham Park in Gloucestershire, where she ran a nursery during the Second World War.

Arms

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Islington, John Dickson-Poynder, 1st Baron 1866 births 1936 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Royal Scots officers People educated at Twyford School British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Dickson-Poynder, John Dickson-Poynder, John Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Peers created by Edward VII Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Governors-General of New Zealand High Sheriffs of Wiltshire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Dickson-Poynder, John Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Dickson-Poynder, John Dickson-Poynder, John Dickson-Poynder, John Dickson-Poynder, John UK MPs who were granted peerages Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry officers