Henry Stafford Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote, (18 November 1846 – 29 September 1911) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who served as the third governor-general of Australia, in office from 1904 to 1908. He was previously the governor of Bombay from 1900 to 1903, as well as a government minister under

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

. Northcote was the son of Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh. He was educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford, and then worked for the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

and as private secretary to his father. Northcote was elected to the

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in 1880, and served as Financial Secretary to the War Office (1885–86) and Surveyor-General of the Ordnance (1886–88) during Lord Salisbury's first and second terms as prime minister. Northcote was made Governor of Bombay in 1900, at which point he was raised to the peerage; he had previously been created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1887. He became Governor-General of Australia in 1904, and brought much needed stability to the post – his two predecessors had both resigned after less than two years in office. Northcote played a relatively active role in politics, due to the unstable three-party system then in place. He served for almost five years, resigning in 1908 following a falling-out with Prime Minister Alfred Deakin.

Background and education

Northcote was born in

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, the second son of the prominent

politician Sir Stafford Northcote, later first Earl of Iddesleigh, by his wife Cecilia Frances, daughter of Thomas Farrer and sister of Thomas Farrer, 1st Baron Farrer. He was educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford (B.A. 1869; M.A. 1873), and then joined the Foreign Office as a diplomat.

Diplomatic and political career

Early career

Northcote was secretary to the British delegation negotiating the Alabama Claims between 1871 and 1873. From 1877 to 1880 he was private secretary to his father, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. In 1880 he was elected to the

as MP for Exeter, a seat he held until 1899. He served under

as Financial Secretary to the War Office between 1885 and 1886 and as Surveyor-General of the Ordnance between 1886 and 1888, when that office was abolished. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1880 and created a Baronet, of Seamore Place in the Parish of St George, Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex, in 1887. On his resignation after 20 years as MP, in January 1900 he was presented with the Freedom of the City of Exeter.

Governor of Bombay

Northcote was appointed Governor of Bombay in November 1899, through the influence of his father-in-law, Lord Mount Stephen. He visited

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

at Osborne and kissed hands upon his appointment in early January 1900, and was raised to the peerage as Baron Northcote, of the City and County of the City of Exeter, on 22 January 1900. Lord and Lady Northcote left

in late January, and arrived in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

the following month, where he took up the position of Governor on 17 February 1900 and was appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) on the same day.

Governor-General of Australia

Northcote was still Governor of Bombay when the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, offered him the post of Governor-General of Australia in 1903. The first two Governors-General, Lord Hopetoun and Lord Tennyson, had served shortened terms and had had difficult relations with Australian ministers. Both the British and Australian governments wanted stability and continuity, and Northcote was appointed for a five-year term. His lifelong experience in politics and his time in Bombay made him a suitable appointment. He was neither as imperious as Hopetoun nor as stuffy as Tennyson, and he made a good impression with both politicians and the public. This was just as well, because Northcote was the first Australian Governor-General to have to deal with political instability. In doing this, he sought the advice of the Chief Justice of the newly created High Court of Australia, Sir Samuel Griffith. In April 1904 the Prime Minister, Alfred Deakin, resigned, and was succeeded in quick succession by the Labor leader Chris Watson, the

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leader George Reid and then Deakin again. Both Watson and Reid asked Northcote to dissolve Parliament before their resignations, and in both cases he refused. At this time no-one doubted that the Governor-General had a discretion in these cases. It is a measure of Northcote's standing that all these leaders respected his decisions. Like his predecessors, Northcote saw himself as a diplomatic representative of the British government as well a vice-regal representative. He was actively involved in negotiations between the British and Australian governments over contentious trade and shipping issues, although his role diminished after 1906 when the Liberal Party came to power in Britain, cutting off much of his influence in

. In 1907 Northcote and Deakin had a falling-out when the Governor-General, on instructions from London, declined to give his royal assent to a bill restricting appeals from the Australian courts to the Privy Council in London. Deakin, although a loyal Imperialist, believed that Australian parliaments should be sovereign in Australia, and bluntly told Northcote so. This prompted Northcote to announce in February 1908 that he wished to resign, a year early. He left Australia in September. He had been made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1904 and in 1909 he was sworn of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.

Personal life

Lord Northcote married in 1873 to Alice, adopted daughter of George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen "the richest man in Canada". There were no children from the marriage. Lady Northcote was created a Companion of the Order of the Crown of India (CI) when her husband became Governor of Bombay in 1900 and a Dame Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in 1919. He was a Provincial Grand Master for Devon in the Masonic United Grand Lodge of England. Northcote's health declined after his return to Britain from Australia and he died on 29 September 1911, aged 64. The barony became extinct on his death. Lady Northcote died in June 1934.

Arms

References

Sources

* * Donald Markwell. "Griffith, Barton and the early governor-generals: aspects of Australia's constitutional development", ''Public Law Review'', 1999. {{DEFAULTSORT:Northcote, Henry Northcote, 1st Baron 1846 births 1911 deaths Politicians from London Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Governors-general of Australia Governors of Bombay Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Companions of the Order of the Bath Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Younger sons of earls UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs who were granted peerages Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Members of the Bombay Legislative Council Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Exeter Henry Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria People educated at Eton College