Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton, (25 October 1853 – 15 October 1934) was a radical British
Liberal politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
[ He also served as the second ]Governor-General of South Africa
The governor-general of the Union of South Africa (; ) was the highest state official in the Union of South Africa between 1910 and 1961. The Union of South Africa was founded as a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire in 1910 and the o ...
from 1914 to 1920.
Background and education
Buxton was the son of Charles Buxton and grandson of social reformer Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet. His mother was Emily Mary, daughter of the physician and traveller Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet, FRS (27 October 1788 – 27 October 1873) was an English physician and travel writer.
Early life
Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, Holland was the son of the physician Peter Holland (1766–1853) and his wife Mar ...
. He was born in London and educated at Clifton College
Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...
, and was a member of the London School Board from 1876 to 1882.
Political career
In 1880, Buxton became prominent in political circles by the publication of his ''Handbook to the Political Questions of the Day'', a work which eventually went through 11 editions. That same year, he ran for Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
for Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, but lost. However, he became an MP in 1883 by winning a by-election in Peterborough
Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
. He was defeated in the 1885 general election, but returned to Parliament the very next year, representing Poplar. He would represent this constituency in Parliament until 1914.[
From 1892 to 1895, Buxton served as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. In 1905, he earned his first Cabinet post, that of ]Postmaster-General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters.
History
The practice of having a government officia ...
. In this capacity he introduced such services as penny postage to the United States, the Canadian magazine post, and cheap postage for the blind. In 1910, Buxton was named president of the Board of Trade
The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centur ...
; in this position he oversaw the passage or amendment of many trade and commerce laws. Upon the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' in 1912, he asked Lord Loreburn, the Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
, to appoint a commission of inquiry into the disaster. This commission eventually came to be headed by Lord Mersey
John Charles Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey, (3 August 1840 – 3 September 1929) was a British jurist and politician. After early success as a lawyer and a less successful spell as a politician, he was appointed a judge and worked in commercial l ...
.[
In February 1914, Buxton was appointed ]Governor-General of South Africa
The governor-general of the Union of South Africa (; ) was the highest state official in the Union of South Africa between 1910 and 1961. The Union of South Africa was founded as a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire in 1910 and the o ...
, and on 11 May of that year he was raised to the peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks.
Peerages include:
A ...
as Viscount Buxton, of Newtimber
Newtimber is a small village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located north-west of Brighton. The parish also includes the Hamlet (place), hamlet of Saddlescombe. The parish lies almost wholly with the ...
in the County of Sussex. A revolt by some of the South African populace on the outbreak of the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
temporarily threatened his safety, but the country's Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Louis Botha
Louis Botha ( , ; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first Prime Minister of South Africa, prime minister of the Union of South Africa, the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war v ...
, immediately attached the Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...
to Britain. Thereafter, Lord Buxton and General Botha formed an effective partnership, planning and executing South African actions in the war, including the invasion of the neighbouring German colony of South West Africa
South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...
. Lord Buxton travelled widely throughout South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, and endeared himself to the people. Upon his retirement in 1920, the people demonstrated their affection for him. He continued his interest in South African affairs after returning to England, serving as president of the African Society from 1920 to 1933.
He was created Earl Buxton on 8 November 1920, and continued to be a member of the Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, often supporting his close friend and colleague Sir Edward Grey. In his later years, he had to undergo amputation
Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...
of his leg due to a knee injury sustained earlier in his life.
He died at Newtimber
Newtimber is a small village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located north-west of Brighton. The parish also includes the Hamlet (place), hamlet of Saddlescombe. The parish lies almost wholly with the ...
on 15 October 1934.
Marriages
Lord Buxton was twice married, firstly in 1882 to Constance Mary Lubbock (died 1892), second daughter of John Lubbock, and secondly in 1896 to Mildred Anne Smith, elder daughter of Hugh Colin Smith, governor of the Bank of England
The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent choosing and mentoring a successor. The governor ...
, of Mount Clare, Roehampton, a sister of the banker Vivian Smith and of Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Sir Aubrey Smith, RN.[
By his first wife, he had two sons and one daughter, of whom the sons both died in his lifetime. By his second wife, he had one son and two daughters, of whom the son and the elder daughter died in his lifetime.][
]
Issue
By his first wife, Constance Mary Lubbock (died 3 November 1892):
*Charles Sydney Buxton (26 May 1884 – 31 August 1911); died unmarried. He proposed marriage to Octavia Wilberforce (1888–1963), a descendant of the reformer, but she refused him.
*Kenneth Sydney Buxton (4 September 1886 – 27 August 1894); died in childhood, aged seven.
*Lady Phyllis Sydney Buxton (17 April 1888 – 27 January 1942), later Phyllis Ponsonby OBE; married 23 September 1918 Rev. Canon Maurice George Jesser Ponsonby, MC, DL, JP (10 September 1880 – 27 February 1943), a grandson of The 2nd Baron De Mauley, had 5 children, of which two (Elizabeth and Mary) have descendants
By his second wife, Mildred Anne, Countess Buxton (1866–1955):
*Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton (29 November 1897 – 28 July 1923), a fraternal twin; married 24 January 1918 Charles Alfred Euston Fitzroy, a scion of the Dukes of Grafton
Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, Duchess of Cl ...
. She died aged 25, shortly after the birth of her third child. After her death, her husband remarried. His second wife, Lucy Eleanor Barnes (died 1943), was a first cousin of his first wife through her Buxton mother, in 1924. Twice widowed, he married, thirdly, in 1944. He succeeded to the dukedom in August 1936 when a young cousin, The 9th Duke of Grafton, was killed in a motoring race.
* The Hon Denis Bertram Sydney Buxton (29 November 1897 – 9 October 1917), a fraternal twin; killed in action, aged 19, Passchendaele, as a Second Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...
. At the time of his death, he was his father's only surviving son and heir to his viscountcy. The location of his grave is unknown and he is commemorated on Panel Nine of the Tyne Cot Cemetery, a memorial bearing the names of some 35,000 men of the British and New Zealand forces who have no known grave, nearly all of whom died between August 1917 and November 1918.
*Lady Alethea Constance Dorothy Sydney Buxton (2 August 1910 – 25 July 2004); married Venerable Peter Charles Eliot, TD, MBE (30 October 1910 – 1995), son of Edward Granville Eliot (himself grandson of The 3rd Earl of St Germans) and Clare Louise Phelips, on 12 July 1934. They had no issue, and Lady Alethea died aged 93 in 2004.
Since all his sons died unmarried in his lifetime, his titles became extinct at his death. Earl Buxton was survived by his second wife Mildred (died 1955) and his youngest daughter Lady Althea Eliot (died 2004), and by eight grandchildren including the future Duke of Grafton
Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke o ...
(1919–2011).
Works
*''Handbook to Political Questions of the Day'' (1880).
*''Mr. Gladstone's Irish Bills'' (1886).
*''Finance and Politics: An Historical Study, 1783–1885. Volume I and Volume II'' (1888).
*''Mr. Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer'' (1901).
*''Fishing and Shooting'' (1902).
*''The Arguments on either side of the Fiscal Question'' (1903).
*''General Botha'' (1924).
References
External links
*
*
Titanic's Supreme Survivor – Sydney Buxton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buxton, Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl
1853 births
1934 deaths
Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
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Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
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