Sir Louis William Dane (21 March 1856 – 22 February 1946) was an administrator during the time of the
British Raj.
Early life
He was born on 21 March 1856 at Chichester, Sussex, the fifth son of Richard Martin Dane, an army staff surgeon, and Sophia Eliza, the daughter of Colonel Charles Griffiths who had served in the
First Anglo-Afghan War.
Richard Morris Dane, was his brother.
He was educated at
Dr Stackpole's school in
Kingstown, Dublin and passed his examinations for the
Indian Civil Service in 1874. He married Edith Norman on 3 March 1882.
Civil service
In 1876, he was posted to the
Punjab as assistant commissioner in
Dera Ghazi Khan. In 1879, he became private secretary to
Sir Robert Egerton
Sir Robert Eyles Egerton (15 April 1827 – 30 September 1912) was a British administrator in the Imperial Civil Service who served as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council and as Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab.
Biography
He was bor ...
, Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. He became Foreign Secretary to the Government of India in 1903. In 1904, the Dane Mission, named for his leadership, was sent by the British to
Afghanistan to negotiate the friendship agreement with the country's new
Amir,
Habibullah Khan. The mission resulted in a reinforcement of the agreements between the British and
Abdur Rahman Khan, Habibullah's father and predecessor as Amir. Afghanistan was a key player in
The Great Game, and Dane's mission confirmed Britain's control over Afghanistan's foreign policy, and therefore gave the British the upper hand over the Russians.
In 1908, he was appointed Lieutenant-governor in the Punjab, a post from which he retired in 1913.
Football
In 1928, Dane led a consortium of businessmen to found
Thames A.F.C
Thames A.F.C. were an English association football, football club from Custom House, Newham, Custom House, east London, which played in the Football League between 1930 in association football, 1930 and 1932 in association football, 1932.
Name
...
, following the construction of
West Ham Stadium in the same year. In an interview with the ''Stratford Express'', published on 1 August 1928, Dane said he believed West Ham Stadium, which had a capacity of 120,000, was "a wonderful stadium – one of the finest in the Country". Despite the Thames' facilities and the signing of former
First Division players, such as
Jimmy Dimmock
James Henry Dimmock (5 December 1900 – 23 December 1972) was a footballer who scored the winning goal for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1921 FA Cup Final. He played as an outside left and became the fans' favourite with his mazy runs and trickery, ...
and
Henry White, the club never caught the imagination of the public, with the club setting a record low
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
attendance of 469 for a game against
Luton Town on 6 December 1930. By 1932, following repeated poor finishes in the
Third Division South, financial pressure and low attendances, Thames were wound up.
Caxton Hall assassination
On 13 March 1940, Dane was one of four victims of a shooting at the
Caxton Hall
Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and art ...
by
Indian nationalist
Indian nationalism is an instance of territorial nationalism, which is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian nationalism can trace roots to pre-colonial India, b ...
Udham Singh. Dane's successor (in 1913) as lieutenant-governor of the Punjab,
Michael O'Dwyer
Michael Francis O'Dwyer (28 April 1864 – 13 March 1940) was an Irish Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919.
During O'Dwyer's tenure as Punjab's Lieutenant Gove ...
, was killed instantly. Dane's arm was broken by a bullet;
Lawrence Dundas, formerly
Secretary of State for India and
Charles Cochrane, formerly
governor of the Bombay presidency were slightly injured.
Death
Dane died at his home in South Kensington, London, on 22 February 1946. He is buried at
Southampton Old Cemetery
The cemetery has had various titles including The Cemetery by the Common, Hill Lane Cemetery and is currently known as Southampton Old Cemetery. An Act of Parliament was required in 1843 to acquire the land from Southampton Common. It covers an ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dane, Louis
1856 births
1946 deaths
Indian Civil Service (British India) officers
Companions of the Order of the Star of India
Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
People from Chichester
Thames A.F.C.
English football chairmen and investors