Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, (20 June 1858 – 2 August 1944) was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1910 to 1916.

Background and education

Hardinge was the second son of

Charles Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardinge Charles Stewart Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardinge (2 September 1822 – 28 July 1894), was a British Conservative politician. Hardinge was the son of Field Marshal Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, and Lady Emily Jane Stewart, daughter of ...

, and the grandson of Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, a former

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

. He was educated

Cheam School Cheam School is a mixed preparatory school located in Headley, in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in Hampshire. Originally a boys school, Cheam was founded in 1645 by George Aldrich. History The school started in Cheam, Surrey ...

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...

and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

Career

An assassination attempt on Lord Charles Hardinge

Hardinge entered the diplomatic service in 1880. He was appointed the first secretary at Tehran in 1896, and the first secretary at

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in 1898, when he was promoted over the heads of seventeen of his seniors. While in Russia, he acted as

Chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassado ...

in the ambassador's absence (including in late 1902). After a brief tenure as Assistant Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, he became Ambassador to Russia, in 1904. In 1906, he was promoted to the position of Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, where, despite his own conservatism, worked closely with Liberal

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

Sir Edward Grey. In 1907, he declined the post of

Ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve ...

. In 1910, Hardinge was raised to the peerage as

Baron Hardinge of Penshurst Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1910 for the diplomat the Hon. Sir Charles Hardinge, Viceroy and Governor-General of India The Governor-General of I ...

, in the County of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, and appointed by the

Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of ...

government as

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, and Winifred Selina, née Sturt, Lady Hardinge of Penshurst

His tenure was a memorable one, and included the visit of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

, and the

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 ...

of 1911, as well as the move of the capital from

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

, in 1911. Although Hardinge was the target of assassination attempts with bomb attack by Indian nationalists Rashbehari Bose and Sachin Sanyal, his tenure included an improvement of relations between the British administration and the nationalists, as a consequence of the implementation of the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909; and of Hardinge's own admiration for

Mohandas Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and criticism of the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

n government's anti-Indian immigration policies.. Hardinge founded the Dhamrai Hardinge High School and College in 1914. The Hardinge Railway bridge in Bangladesh was constructed and inaugurated (1915) in his tenure. It continues to serve a crucial a role in the country's railway network even today. Hardinge's efforts paid off in 1914 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Due to improved colonial relationships, Britain was able to deploy nearly all of the British troops in India as well as many native Indian troops to areas outside of India. In particular the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

was able to play a significant (though initially mismanaged) role in the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Po ...

. In 1916, Hardinge returned to his former post in England as Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, serving with Arthur Balfour. In 1920 he became ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

before his retirement in 1922.

Orders

As well as the distinction of being awarded 6 British knighthoods, he also gained foreign awards : * Knight of Grace of Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England. * Grand officer in the Legion of Honour, from France. * Grand cross of the Crown of Italy. *

Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa The Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (also known as The Order of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Vicosa; pt, Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Vila Viçosa) is a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the f ...

, from Portugal. *

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

, from Greece. * Order of Charles III, from Spain. *

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

, from Norway. * Order of Alexander Nevsky, from Russia. *

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

, from Denmark. * Order of Vasa, from Sweden.

Personal life

HardingeFamily oxCart Mahubabad-Hyderabad(state) 1911

He married his first cousin Winifred Selina Sturt on 17 April 1890, over the objections of her family, due to the couple's consanguinity and Hardinge's financial status. She was the second daughter of Henry Gerard Sturt, first Baron Alington, by his first wife Lady Augusta Bingham, who was the first daughter of George Charles Bingham, third Earl of Lucan. The couple had a daughter, Diamond Hardinge (1900-1927), and two sons, Edward and Alexander (1894–1960), who succeeded him as

. The first Baron Hardinge of Penshurst is commemorated at

St John the Baptist, Penshurst St John the Baptist Church at Penshurst, Kent is a Grade I listed Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Rochester in England. Those buried or commemorated here include Knights, Earls, Viscounts, a Viceroy of India, a Governor-General of Austral ...

. His eldest son, The Hon. Edward Hardinge, died 18 December 1914, aged 22, from wounds while serving as a Lieutenant with the 15th (The King's) Hussars in France. He was also the godson of Alexandra of Denmark. Diamond Hardinge was a bridesmaid at the

wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon The wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon took place on 26 April 1923 at Westminster Abbey. The couple were later known as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Courtship and proposals Prince Alb ...

on 3 May 1923.

Styles and honours

Hardinge had the unusual distinction of being a non-royal recipient of six British knighthoods. *June 1858 – July 1895: ''

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certa ...

'' Charles Hardinge *July 1895 – April 1903: ''The Honourable'' Charles Hardinge *April 1903 – 7 March 1904: ''The Honourable'' Charles Hardinge *7–26 March 1904: ''

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The ter ...

'' Charles Hardinge *26 March – 28 April 1904: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *28 April – 10 May 1904: ''

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the ri ...

The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *10 May 1904 – 2 January 1905: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *2 January – 9 November 1905: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *9 November 1905 – June 1906: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *June 1906 – 23 June 1910: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *23 June – 2 August 1910: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge *2 August – 23 November 1910: ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst *23 November 1910 – 24 March 1916: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst Viceroy & Governor-General of India *24 March – 4 April 1916: His Excellency ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst Viceroy & Governor-General of India *4 April 1916 – 27 November 1920: ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst *27 November 1920 – 1 February 1923: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' the Lord Hardinge of Penshurst HM Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary to the French Republic *1 February 1923 – 2 August 1944: ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst

Books written

* Old Diplomacy * My Indian Years covers (1910-16)

References

Sources

* * *

Articles

External links

Hardinge of Penshurst, Baron (UK, 1910), genealogy
* * * Hardinge's entry at ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a group of not ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardinge Of Penshurst, Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Viceroys of India 1910s in British India Members of HM Diplomatic Service 1858 births 1944 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Companions of the Imperial Service Order Deputy Lieutenants of Kent Diplomatic peers Knights of the Garter Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Younger sons of viscounts Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to France Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs People from Penshurst Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Barons created by George V 19th-century British diplomats 20th-century British diplomats People educated at Harrow School