Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham
Encyclopedia
Arthur Hamilton Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham, GCB, GBE, GCSI, PC (8 November 1868 – 21 July 1947) was a British
soldier, diplomat, politician and patron of the arts. After military postings and an assignment to the British Embassy in Washington, he entered politics and served as Minster of Agriculture and Fisheries
and First Lord of the Admiralty following World War I
. He donated Chequers
to the nation as a country retreat for the Prime Minister
, and founded the Courtauld Institute of Art
.
, Lee entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, before being commissioned into the Royal Artillery
as a second lieutenant
on 17 February 1888. He was promoted lieutenant
on 18 February 1891. After serving in China
and on the Isle of Wight
, on 18 August 1893 Lee became a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada
, with the local rank of captain
. He did not receive substantive promotion until 18 April 1898. He became the British military attaché
with the United States Army
in Cuba
during the Spanish-American War
in 1898, where he became an honorary "Rough Rider
" and met Theodore Roosevelt
. On 28 January 1899 Lee was appointed military attaché at the British Embassy in Washington, with the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel (for the duration of his appointment).
On 23 December 1899, Lee married Ruth (died 1966), daughter of New York banker John Godfrey Moore. Ruth was left a substantial inheritance after her father's death shortly before the wedding. He was promoted brevet
major on 8 August 1900, and returned to regimental duty on 22 August 1900, and retired from the army on 12 December 1900.
for Fareham in the 1900 general election
while still a regular officer. He served as Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1903 to 1905. He also continued military service during this period as a member of the Volunteer Force
.
At the beginning of World War I
, Lee served as Lord Kitchener
's personal commissioner to report on the Army Medical Services
in France, with the rank of temporary colonel. From October 1915 he served David Lloyd George
at the Ministry of Munitions, and followed him to the War Office
in 1916. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 12 July. On 8 June 1917, with Lloyd George now Prime Minister
, Lee became Director-General of Food Production under Rowland Prothero
as President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries
, having now left the arrmy he was permitted to retain the honorary rank of colonel. He was recognised for his work on 1 January 1918, being appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. He was elevated to the peerage
on 9 July that year as Baron Lee of Fareham, of Chequers in the County of Buckingham, shortly before he resigned as Director-General of Food Production after disagreements with Prothero.
Lee joined the Cabinet
and the Privy Council in August 1919 when he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
, succeeding Prothero. He became First Lord of the Admiralty on 18 February 1921, and was selected as a second British delegate to attend the Washington Naval Conference
with Arthur Balfour
later that year. He resigned with Lloyd George's government in 1922 and he was promoted to Viscount Lee of Fareham, of Bridport
in the County of Dorset, on 9 December that year. He went on to chair Royal Commission
s on the civil service in India (1923–1924), London cross river traffic (1926), and police powers and procedure (1928). He was also chair of the radium commission and of the committee on police pay and pensions (1925). He was appointed Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India on 1 January 1925, and he was promoted Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1929 King's Birthday Honours. He was also appointed Knight of Grace in the Venerable Order of Saint John
on 20 June 1930.
, a country house and 1000 acres (4 km²) estate in Buckinghamshire
, in 1909. The Lees bought the property in 1912 after the owner died and began restoration. In 1917, they gave the estate, and the entire contents of the house which included a library, historical papers and manuscripts and a collection of Cromwellian
portraits and artefacts, in trust to the nation to be used as official residence and retreat of British Prime Ministers
, enabled by the Chequers Estate Act 1917
. The Lees left the property in January 1921 and Lloyd George was the first Prime Minister to use the property.
and Joseph Duveen, and established the Courtauld Institute of Art
with the University of London
. The Institute, the first to offer degrees in the history of art in Britain, opened in 1932 with William George Constable
as its director at Lee's request. Also with Courtauld, he persuaded the University of London to accept the transfer of the Warburg Institute
from Hamburg
; it was loaned to him prior to its re-establishment in 1944. He also donated a silver collection and other objects to the Hart House in Canada in 1940.
Additionally, in the 1920s Lee was a trustee of the Wallace Collection
and of the National Gallery
. He served as chairman of the latter in 1931–2, and was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission from 26 May 1926 until his death.
Lee died in Avening
, Gloucestershire
, in 1947. Lee had no children and his viscountcy became extinct upon his death.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier, diplomat, politician and patron of the arts. After military postings and an assignment to the British Embassy in Washington, he entered politics and served as Minster of Agriculture and Fisheries
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
and First Lord of the Admiralty following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He donated Chequers
Chequers
Chequers, or Chequers Court, is a country house near Ellesborough, to the south of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills...
to the nation as a country retreat for the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, and founded the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
.
Early life and military career
After attending Cheltenham CollegeCheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
, Lee entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, before being commissioned into the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 17 February 1888. He was promoted lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
on 18 February 1891. After serving in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, on 18 August 1893 Lee became a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
, with the local rank of captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
. He did not receive substantive promotion until 18 April 1898. He became the British military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898, where he became an honorary "Rough Rider
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
" and met Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. On 28 January 1899 Lee was appointed military attaché at the British Embassy in Washington, with the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel (for the duration of his appointment).
On 23 December 1899, Lee married Ruth (died 1966), daughter of New York banker John Godfrey Moore. Ruth was left a substantial inheritance after her father's death shortly before the wedding. He was promoted brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
major on 8 August 1900, and returned to regimental duty on 22 August 1900, and retired from the army on 12 December 1900.
Politics
Lee then embarked on a political career, he was elected Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Fareham in the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
while still a regular officer. He served as Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1903 to 1905. He also continued military service during this period as a member of the Volunteer Force
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
.
At the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Lee served as Lord Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
's personal commissioner to report on the Army Medical Services
Army Medical Services
The Army Medical Services is the organisation responsible for administering the four separate corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army...
in France, with the rank of temporary colonel. From October 1915 he served David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
at the Ministry of Munitions, and followed him to the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
in 1916. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 12 July. On 8 June 1917, with Lloyd George now Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Lee became Director-General of Food Production under Rowland Prothero
Rowland Prothero, 1st Baron Ernle
Rowland Edmund Prothero, 1st Baron Ernle MVO, PC was a British agricultural expert, administrator, journalist, author and Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
as President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
, having now left the arrmy he was permitted to retain the honorary rank of colonel. He was recognised for his work on 1 January 1918, being appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. He was elevated to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
on 9 July that year as Baron Lee of Fareham, of Chequers in the County of Buckingham, shortly before he resigned as Director-General of Food Production after disagreements with Prothero.
Lee joined the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
and the Privy Council in August 1919 when he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
, succeeding Prothero. He became First Lord of the Admiralty on 18 February 1921, and was selected as a second British delegate to attend the Washington Naval Conference
Washington Naval Conference
The Washington Naval Conference also called the Washington Arms Conference, was a military conference called by President Warren G. Harding and held in Washington from 12 November 1921 to 6 February 1922. Conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations, it was attended by nine nations...
with Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
later that year. He resigned with Lloyd George's government in 1922 and he was promoted to Viscount Lee of Fareham, of Bridport
Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...
in the County of Dorset, on 9 December that year. He went on to chair Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
s on the civil service in India (1923–1924), London cross river traffic (1926), and police powers and procedure (1928). He was also chair of the radium commission and of the committee on police pay and pensions (1925). He was appointed Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India on 1 January 1925, and he was promoted Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1929 King's Birthday Honours. He was also appointed Knight of Grace in the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
on 20 June 1930.
Chequers
Lee and his wife took on a long lease of ChequersChequers
Chequers, or Chequers Court, is a country house near Ellesborough, to the south of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills...
, a country house and 1000 acres (4 km²) estate in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, in 1909. The Lees bought the property in 1912 after the owner died and began restoration. In 1917, they gave the estate, and the entire contents of the house which included a library, historical papers and manuscripts and a collection of Cromwellian
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
portraits and artefacts, in trust to the nation to be used as official residence and retreat of British Prime Ministers
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, enabled by the Chequers Estate Act 1917
Chequers Estate Act 1917
The Chequers Estate Act 1917 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that designates Chequers as the official country residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
. The Lees left the property in January 1921 and Lloyd George was the first Prime Minister to use the property.
Patron of the arts and later life
After furnishing Chequers, Lee began a second collection. He gained the financial backing of Samuel CourtauldSamuel Courtauld (art collector)
Samuel Courtauld son of Sydney Courtauld and Sarah Lucy Sharpe was an English industrialist who is best remembered as an art collector...
and Joseph Duveen, and established the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
with the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. The Institute, the first to offer degrees in the history of art in Britain, opened in 1932 with William George Constable
William George Constable
William George Constable William George Constable William George Constable (born Derby, England, 27 October 1887, died Cambridge, Massachusetts, 3 February 1976, was an art historian and gallery director.-Education:...
as its director at Lee's request. Also with Courtauld, he persuaded the University of London to accept the transfer of the Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
; it was loaned to him prior to its re-establishment in 1944. He also donated a silver collection and other objects to the Hart House in Canada in 1940.
Additionally, in the 1920s Lee was a trustee of the Wallace Collection
Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, with a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.It was established in...
and of the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
. He served as chairman of the latter in 1931–2, and was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission from 26 May 1926 until his death.
Lee died in Avening
Avening
Avening is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about three miles north of Tetbury. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,094. The village has two pubs. Nearby is Gatcombe Park, the home of the Princess Royal.-History:During the Second...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, in 1947. Lee had no children and his viscountcy became extinct upon his death.