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Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton (10 May 1859 – 17 January 1937) was a long-serving Scottish politician and
Swinton was born at 7 Darnaway Street on the 
He studied art under Professor Herkomer and other masters.
Swinton was appointed a Sub-Lieutenant in the Haddington, Berwick, Linlithgow and Peebles Artillery on 7 February 1877 (which commission he resigned on 11 May 1878), gazetted to the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot in May 1878, promoted to
Portrait by John Singer Sargent of Mrs George Swinton in The Art Institute of Chicago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swinton, George 1859 births 1937 deaths Military personnel from Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 71st Highlanders officers Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Deputy Lieutenants of the County of London Highland Light Infantry officers Members of London County Council Municipal Reform Party politicians Politicians from Edinburgh Scottish genealogists Lord Lyon Kings of Arms
Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton (10 May 1859 – 17 January 1937) was a long-serving Scottish politician and officer of arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
* to control and initiate armorial matters;
* to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state;
* to conserve a ...
.
Life and work
Swinton was born at 7 Darnaway Street on the Moray Estate
The Moray Estate in Edinburgh was an exclusive early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of Edinburgh's New Town.
Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning.
Back ...
in west Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, the second son of Archibald Campbell Swinton of Kimmerghame, Berwickshire, and Georgiana Caroline Sitwell, daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 2nd Baronet of Renishaw. In 1895 he married Elizabeth Ebsworth OBE, daughter of E.H. Ebsworth of Gattonside. The couple had one son and two daughters. Elizabeth was an accomplished singer and performed professionally later in life.
He studied art under Professor Herkomer and other masters.
Swinton was appointed a Sub-Lieutenant in the Haddington, Berwick, Linlithgow and Peebles Artillery on 7 February 1877 (which commission he resigned on 11 May 1878), gazetted to the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot in May 1878, promoted to lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
on 23 January 1881, to captain on 11 September 1888, and retired in 1893. He was an extra Aide-de-Camp to the Marquess of Lansdowne
Marquess of Lansdowne is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1784, and held by the head of the Petty-Fitzmaurice family. The first Marquess served as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Origins
This branch of the Fitzmaurice famil ...
when he was 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 ...
from 1888 to 1894. In January 1900 he was appointed temporary Staff Captain at Army Headquarters.
Swinton was also the unsuccessful Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
candidate for Paisley in 1900. He was a Member of London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
representing Holborn from 1901 to 1907 and Dulwich from 1922 to 1928. He was Chairman of the Parks and Open Spaces Committee in 1904–1905, and Chief Whip of the Municipal Reform Party
The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945 ...
(the Conservative group on the council) from 1903 to 1912. He was an Alderman from 1907 to 1912, and 1920 to 1922. He became Chairman of the London County Council in 1912, but resigned on accepting the post of Chairman of the Town-planning Committee of the new Imperial City of Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
. He was attached by the Colonial Office to the Representatives of the Overseas Dominions attending the Imperial Conferences in 1917 and 1918; foreshadowed, in August 1917, the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle; Honorary Secretary of the Scottish National War Memorial Committee, 1918.
Swinton was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
in 1926. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) in January 1928.
Swinton also served as March Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary. He was Albany Herald of Arms in Ordinary from 1923 until 1926 and served Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
and Secretary to the Order of the Thistle from 1927 until 1929.
Swinton is the grandfather of Major-General Sir John Swinton and great-grandfather of actress Tilda Swinton
Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition t ...
.
Publications
''A Garden Road''; ''Development''; ''London: Her Traffic, Her Improvement, and Charing Cross Bridge''; several papers on social subjects, the problems of traffic, and the improvement of London.Arms
See also
* Heraldry * Court of the Lord LyonNotes
External links
Portrait by John Singer Sargent of Mrs George Swinton in The Art Institute of Chicago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swinton, George 1859 births 1937 deaths Military personnel from Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 71st Highlanders officers Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Deputy Lieutenants of the County of London Highland Light Infantry officers Members of London County Council Municipal Reform Party politicians Politicians from Edinburgh Scottish genealogists Lord Lyon Kings of Arms