Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara, (; ; ; ; 11 June 1827 – 3 September 1902) 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 and colonial administrator who served as

Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was a junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to ...

(1874–80, 1885–86) and

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...

(1886–90).

Background and education

Bourke was born into an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

family at Hayes,

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, Ireland, the third son of Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo (the son of Hon. Richard Burke,

Bishop of Waterford and Lismore The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore in Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1838, and is still used by the Roman Catholic Church. Hi ...

), and Anne Charlotte, daughter of The Hon. John Jocelyn. His older brother was The 6th Earl of Mayo, a

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 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 in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

. He was educated at Hall Place School,

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, Kent, and

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, and was

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, in 1852.

Political career

Bourke practised as a barrister for a number of years before being elected Conservative Member of Parliament for

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

in 1868. In 1874 he became

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

's second administration, a post he held until 1880, when he was also sworn of the Privy Council. He held the same post from 1885 to 1886 in Lord Salisbury's first administration.

Governor of Madras

In 1886, Bourke was appointed

. The following year he was appointed a

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and raised to the peerage as Baron Connemara, of

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

in the

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. In 1890 he laid the foundations stone of the

Connemara Public Library * The Connemara Public Library at Egmore in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, is one of the four National Depository Libraries which receive a copy of all books, newspapers and periodicals published in India. Established in 1890, opened for public i ...

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, which was named after him and opened six years later. The building was originally planned to house the proposed Victoria Technical Institute which was constructed in 1887, the

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year of

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's reign. The third session of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

was held at Madras in 1887 when Lord Connemara was the governor. He hosted a garden party at Government House for the delegates. The construction of the

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

was commenced in 1889. Lord Connemara is credited with introducing a number of reforms while serving as governor. He personally supervised the famine-relief measures at

Ganjam Ganjam is a town and a notified area council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Brahmapur, Odisha, Brahmapur, one of the major city of Odisha, is situated in this district on the eastern coastline. Geography Ganjam is located at ...

and reorganised the sanitary administration of Madras city. He also improved and extended the east coast railway line connecting Madras with

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. The ''Madras Mail'', in its 4 December 1890 issue, comments that his administration was "a bright epoch in the annals of Madras". He resigned as governor on 8 November 1890 and returned to Great Britain when his wife sued him for infecting her with syphilis and his adultery with her lady's maid. He did not defend himself and accepted the verdict and paid costs.

Later life

Lord Connemara contributed occasionally in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, mostly on matters dealing with foreign affairs, making his last speech in June 1898. He also published the work ''Parliamentary Precedents''.

Family

Lord Connemara was twice married. He married firstly Lady Susan Georgiana, daughter of The 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, a former

Governor-General of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 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 in their capacity as the emperor o ...

, in 1863. They divorced in 1890. In 1894, he married Gertrude, former wife of Edward Coleman. Both marriages were childless. His second wife died in November 1898. Lord Connemara died in London in September 1902, aged 75, and was buried in the city's

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

. His barony became extinct at his death.

Honours and Arms

Honours

Arms

Ancestry

Gallery

File:Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara, Kensal Green Cemetery 01.JPG, Monument, Kensal Green Cemetery File:Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara, Kensal Green Cemetery 02.JPG, Monumental inscription detail, Kensal Green Cemetery

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*
Portrait of Lord Connemara at connemarapubliclibrarychennai.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connemara, Robert Bourke, 1st Baron 1827 births 1902 deaths Politicians from County Mayo Politicians from County Meath Bourke, Robert Irish knights Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire British barristers Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Bourke, Robert Bourke, Robert Bourke, Robert Bourke, Robert Bourke, Robert UK MPs who were granted peerages Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria Alumni of Trinity College Dublin