Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook, (22 January 182615 November 1904) was a British Liberal statesman. Gladstone appointed him Viceroy of India 1872–1876. His major accomplishments came as an energetic reformer who was dedicated to upgrading the quality of government in the British Raj. He reduced taxes and overcame bureaucratic obstacles in an effort to reduce both starvation and widespread social unrest. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty between 1880 and 1885.

Background and education

Northbrook was the eldest son of Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook, by his first wife Jane, daughter of the Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet. Jane died when young Thomas was less than thirteen, and he studied under a tutor, Mr. Bird, at home and took an interest in natural history. At fourteen Thomas wrote to his father who was holidaying at Weymouth to capture a yellow butterfly with black spots at the end of each wing known to be found on Portland Island. He was sent briefly to another tutor, Mr. Vaughan Johnson at Chalons-sur-Marne, to study French. He also took an interest in sketching, learning from S. Palmer, and later his friend

Edward Lear Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...

. He went to

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 1843, and graduated with honours in 1846. He travelled in Europe and took an interest in mountaineering, joining his friend from Oxford, Alfred Seymour.

Political career

Northbrook entered upon a political career, and was successively private secretary to Henry Labouchere (Board of Trade), Sir George Grey (Home Office), and

Sir Charles Wood Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax (20 December 1800 – 8 August 1885), known as Sir Charles Wood, 3rd Baronet, between 1846 and 1866, was a British Whig politician and Member of the British Parliament. He served as Chancellor of the Excheq ...

(India Office and then Admiralty to 1857). In 1847 he served on the committee of the British Relief Association. In 1857, he was returned to the House of Commons for Penryn and Falmouth, which he represented until becoming a peer on the death of his father in 1866. He served under Lord Palmerston as Civil Lord of the Admiralty between 1857 and 1858, as Under-Secretary of State for War in 1861, as Under-Secretary of State for India between 1861 and 1864, under Palmerston and Lord Russell as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department between 1864 and 1866 and under Russell as Secretary to the Admiralty in 1866. When William Ewart Gladstone acceded to power in 1868, Baring was again appointed Under-Secretary of State for War, and this office he held until February 1872, when he was appointed Viceroy of India. On 3 May he was Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India and ex officio Grand Master of the Order. In January 1876, however, he resigned. He had recommended the conclusion of arrangements with Sher Ali Khan which, as has since been admitted, would have prevented the Second Anglo-Afghan War; but his policy was overruled by the Duke of Argyll, then Secretary of State for India. in 1876 he was created Viscount Baring, of Lee in the County of Kent, and Earl of Northbrook, in the County of Southampton. Northbrook Granville Selbourne Salisbury Vanity Fair 5 July 1882

Northbrook Granville Selbourne Salisbury Vanity Fair 5 July 1882

From 1880 to 1885 Northbrook held the post of First Lord of the Admiralty in Gladstone's second government. During his tenure of office the state of the navy aroused much public anxiety and led to a strong agitation in favor of an extended shipbuilding programme. The agitation called forth Tennyson's poem ''The Fleet''. In September 1884, Northbrook was sent to Egypt as special commissioner to inquire into its finances and condition. The inquiry was largely unnecessary, all the essential facts being well known, but the mission was a device of Gladstone's to avoid an immediate decision on a perplexing question. Northbrook, after six weeks of inquiry in Egypt, sent in two reports, one general, advising against the withdrawal of the British garrison, and one financial. His financial proposals, if accepted, would have substituted the financial control of Britain for the international control proposed at the London Conference of June–August of the same year, but this was not carried out. When Gladstone formed his third ministry in 1886 Baring held aloof, being opposed to the Home Rule policy of the prime minister; and he then ceased to take a prominent part in political life.

Other work

Arthur Stockdale Cope - Thomas George Baring, Earl of Northbrook

Baring had served in the Hampshire Yeomanry, reaching the rank of

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 ...

, and was appointed the regiment's Honorary Colonel on 26 January 1889. In 1890 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. In the 1880s he was president of an offshoot of the National Indian Association, which was named the Northbrook Indian Society after its president. From 1890 to 1893 he was president of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1898 he sold the land of

Manor House Gardens Manor House Gardens is a 3.34-hectare public park and gardens situated in Lee, in south east London. The park features a walled flower garden, ornamental pond, fountain, ice-house, cafeteria, children's playground, community garden, dog-walking ar ...

, to the London County Council, and also gifted land in Lee to public use, which was opened as Northbrook Park in 1903. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Botanic Society in November 1902.

Family

Lord Northbrook married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Charles Sturt and sister of Lord Alington, in 1848. They had two sons and one daughter. She died in June 1867, aged 40. Lord Northbrook remained a widower until his death at

Stratton Park Stratton Park, in East Stratton, Hampshire, was an English country house, built on the site of a grange of Hyde Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries; it was purchased with the manor of Micheldever in 1546 by Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Ea ...

, Hampshire, in November 1904, aged 78. There is a memorial to him at All Saints,

East Stratton East Stratton is an estate village in the parish of Micheldever at the entrance to the landscaped grounds of Stratton Park, some eight miles northeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. Both park and village demonstrate the evolution of a landsc ...

. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,

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 ...

Legacy in India

The

Ghanta Ghar Multan Clock Tower Multan or Ghanta Ghar Multan ( ur, ) is city government headquarters of Multan in the Punjab province of Pakistan. History Ghanta Ghar or Clock Tower of Multan was built in 1884 A.D. during British Raj in British India. After passi ...

, or Clock Tower of Multan, was named 'Northbrook Tower'. It is located in the center of Multan in Punjab province, Pakistan. A library named 'Northbrook Hall' is located in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Northbrook, Thomas Baring, 1st Earl Of 1826 births 1904 deaths People educated at Twyford School Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Baring, Thomas Lord-Lieutenants of Hampshire First Lords of the Admiralty Baring, Thomas Baring, Thomas Baring, Thomas Baring, Thomas Northbrook, E1 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Thomas Viceroys of India 1870s in British India Presidents of the Royal Asiatic Society Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers Liberal Unionist Party peers Northbrook Eldest sons of British hereditary barons Lords of the Admiralty