David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech
Encyclopedia
William David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech KCMG
PC
(20 May 1918 – 26 January 1985), known as David Ormsby-Gore until 1964, was a British
diplomat and Conservative Party
politician.
, a Conservative politician, and Lady Beatrice Edith Mildred (born Cecil). British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
, was his maternal great-grandfather. He was educated at St Cyprian's School
, Eton College
and Oxford University.
In 1939 he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery
in 1939, served in the 'Phantom
' reconnaissance unit and worked with airborne and other special units. By the end of the War he held the rank of major
.
After the war, his father handed over all his land to, and Ormsby-Gore farmed the 400 acres (1.6 km²) of the Woodhill Estate, Oswestry
, Shropshire
. In 1948 he was commissioned a Major in the Shropshire Yeomanry
, but left in 1950.
he was elected as Member of Parliament
for Oswestry
, which he remained until 1961. Under Prime Minister Anthony Eden
he served briefly, from November 1956 to January 1957, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and under Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
was from 1957 to 1961 Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
. After the election of U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
he was appointed British Ambassador to the United States.
Referred to under the Kennedy administration as "our kind of Ambassador", he supplied Kennedy with a stream of advice and Cuban cigars via his diplomatic bag. He was almost a resident at the White House, being more a friend of the family than merely ambassador. After President Kennedy's assassination
there were rumours of a romance between Ormsby-Gore and Jacqueline Kennedy
. These were not likely to have been believed by the family. Ormsby-Gore was one of the pallbearers at Robert Kennedy's funeral along with Robert McNamara
, John Glenn
, Averell Harriman, C. Douglas Dillon
, Kirk Lemoyne Billings
(schoolmate of John F. Kennedy), Stephen Smith (husband to Jean Ann Kennedy), David Hackett
, Jim Whittaker
, and John Seigenthaler Sr.. Under the Lyndon B. Johnson
administration relations were more formal but remained excellent; and Ormsby-Gore maintained his position after the Labour government took power in Britain in 1964.
A fierce opponent of oil-barrel politics, Ormsby-Gore's terse dismissal of the phenomenon ran: "It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump." The extent of hisl influence over the Kennedy administration is disputed. Unable to persuade the American government to agree with the British line over Yemen
and the Congo
, or to proceed with either a negotiated settlement with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev
over Berlin or the Skybolt ballistic missile programme, he nevertheless played a significant role in the Cuban Missile Crisis
, and ensured that Britain's views were taken into account by the American government.
However the friendship of Ormsby-Gore and Macmillan with John Kennedy helped secure the first Test-Ban Treaty in 1963. Macmillan and Ormsby-Gore had been attempting to achieve a test-ban treaty with the Russians for the past ten years, and won Kennedy over through letters from Macmillan and frank discussions between Ormsby-Gore and Kennedy. They convinced him to act like a statesman and conclude Test-ban treaties with Russia and not fear being branded as an appeaser by political opponents in the United States.
Ormsby-Gore was a participant in what is referred to as "twenty-five year conversation to do with the role of a leader in a democratic society". He encouraged Kennedy to remain focused on issues relevant to the world and the future, rather than attempting to protect himself politically.
According to the Duchess of Devonshire, who travelled with the British delegation to Kennedy's funeral in November 1963, Macmillan's successor as Prime Minister, Alec Douglas-Home
, had wanted to appoint Ormsby-Gore as Foreign Secretary, but R. A. Butler had insisted on having this post as a condition of serving under Home.
as Lord Harlech, briefly also holding the position of deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. He also had a successful career as a television executive, founding HTV, and served as president of the British Board of Film Classification
. He had an active interest in the avant-garde, and for nearly ten years, beginning in 1969, was patron of the Institute for Research in Art and Technology
.
. The older son, Julian, died of gunshot wounds in 1974, an apparent suicide. Alice, the youngest daughter, became engaged to rock guitarist Eric Clapton
in 1969. She and Clapton lived together for five years, but did not marry. She subsequently died of a heroin overdose in 1995, the day before her 43rd birthday. Jane had an affair with Mick Jagger
during the Sixties and some consider the Rolling Stones song Lady Jane
to be about her.
Lady Harlech died in a car accident in 1967. In 1969 Lord Harlech married Pamela Colin, and they had one daughter.
He died in a car crash in 1985, aged 66. He was succeeded in the barony by his second son, Francis
.
Magic: the Gathering
is called "Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore." Any reasoning behind this name is unknown, other than meaningless titular presence, though the card does interestingly feature the flavor text, "The highway of fear is the shortest route to defeat."
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(20 May 1918 – 26 January 1985), known as David Ormsby-Gore until 1964, was a British
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...
diplomat and Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Early life
Ormsby-Gore was the second son of William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron HarlechWilliam Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech
William George Arthur Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech KG, GCMG, PC , known as William Ormsby-Gore until 1938, was a British Conservative politician and banker.-Background:...
, a Conservative politician, and Lady Beatrice Edith Mildred (born Cecil). British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
, was his maternal great-grandfather. He was educated at St Cyprian's School
St Cyprian's School
St Cyprian's School was an English preparatory school for boys, which operated in the early 20th century in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Like other preparatory schools, its purpose was to train pupils to do well enough in the examinations to gain admission to leading public schools, and to provide an...
, Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Oxford University.
In 1939 he was 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:...
in 1939, served in the 'Phantom
GHQ Liaison Regiment
GHQ Liaison Regiment was a special reconnaissance unit first formed in 1939 during the early stages of World War II and based at Pembroke Lodge, a Georgian house in Richmond Park, London.- History :...
' reconnaissance unit and worked with airborne and other special units. By the end of the War he held the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
After the war, his father handed over all his land to, and Ormsby-Gore farmed the 400 acres (1.6 km²) of the Woodhill Estate, Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. In 1948 he was commissioned a Major in the Shropshire Yeomanry
Shropshire Yeomanry
The Shropshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1795, which served as a cavalry and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and as a cavalry and an artillery regiment in the Second World War, before being amalgamated with the Shropshire Royal Horse...
, but left in 1950.
Member of Parliament
At the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
he was elected as Member of Parliament
Member 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 Oswestry
Oswestry (UK Parliament constituency)
Oswestry is a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983, when it was renamed North Shropshire...
, which he remained until 1961. Under Prime Minister Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
he served briefly, from November 1956 to January 1957, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and under Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
was from 1957 to 1961 Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs is a junior ministerial position in the British government.-Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs 1945-1968:*1945: William Mabane*1945-1946: Philip Noel-Baker*1946-1950: Hector McNeil*1950-1951: Kenneth Younger...
. After the election of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
he was appointed British Ambassador to the United States.
Ambassador to the United States
Ormsby-Gore knew Kennedy well from Kennedy's time in London, where his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, had served as American Ambassador. Like Macmillan Ormsby-Gore was distantly related to Kennedy, but had a closer relationship than did Macmillan with the President-elect and his brother Robert. Six months after Kennedy took office Ormsby-Gore was in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Referred to under the Kennedy administration as "our kind of Ambassador", he supplied Kennedy with a stream of advice and Cuban cigars via his diplomatic bag. He was almost a resident at the White House, being more a friend of the family than merely ambassador. After President Kennedy's assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
there were rumours of a romance between Ormsby-Gore and Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
. These were not likely to have been believed by the family. Ormsby-Gore was one of the pallbearers at Robert Kennedy's funeral along with Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, Averell Harriman, C. Douglas Dillon
C. Douglas Dillon
Clarence Douglas Dillon was an American diplomat and politician, who served as U.S. Ambassador to France and as the 57th Secretary of the Treasury...
, Kirk Lemoyne Billings
Lem Billings
Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings was a prep school roommate and then lifelong close friend of President John F. Kennedy. Billings took leave from his business career to work on Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign...
(schoolmate of John F. Kennedy), Stephen Smith (husband to Jean Ann Kennedy), David Hackett
David Hackett
David Low Hackett was an American official.Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, President John F. Kennedy appointed Hackett head of the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime. Later, Hackett headed a study group for the establishment of a domestic peace corps group which later...
, Jim Whittaker
Jim Whittaker
James W. Whittaker, also known as Jim Whittaker is an American mountaineer.As a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition 1963 led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, he was the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He summited on May 1, 1963 with the Sherpa Nawang Gombu...
, and John Seigenthaler Sr.. Under the Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
administration relations were more formal but remained excellent; and Ormsby-Gore maintained his position after the Labour government took power in Britain in 1964.
A fierce opponent of oil-barrel politics, Ormsby-Gore's terse dismissal of the phenomenon ran: "It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump." The extent of hisl influence over the Kennedy administration is disputed. Unable to persuade the American government to agree with the British line over Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, or to proceed with either a negotiated settlement with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
over Berlin or the Skybolt ballistic missile programme, he nevertheless played a significant role in the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, and ensured that Britain's views were taken into account by the American government.
However the friendship of Ormsby-Gore and Macmillan with John Kennedy helped secure the first Test-Ban Treaty in 1963. Macmillan and Ormsby-Gore had been attempting to achieve a test-ban treaty with the Russians for the past ten years, and won Kennedy over through letters from Macmillan and frank discussions between Ormsby-Gore and Kennedy. They convinced him to act like a statesman and conclude Test-ban treaties with Russia and not fear being branded as an appeaser by political opponents in the United States.
Ormsby-Gore was a participant in what is referred to as "twenty-five year conversation to do with the role of a leader in a democratic society". He encouraged Kennedy to remain focused on issues relevant to the world and the future, rather than attempting to protect himself politically.
According to the Duchess of Devonshire, who travelled with the British delegation to Kennedy's funeral in November 1963, Macmillan's successor as Prime Minister, Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
, had wanted to appoint Ormsby-Gore as Foreign Secretary, but R. A. Butler had insisted on having this post as a condition of serving under Home.
Later life
Ormsby-Gore retired as Ambassador in 1965, a year after his father died, and took his seat in the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as Lord Harlech, briefly also holding the position of deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. He also had a successful career as a television executive, founding HTV, and served as president of the British Board of Film Classification
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
. He had an active interest in the avant-garde, and for nearly ten years, beginning in 1969, was patron of the Institute for Research in Art and Technology
Institute for Research in Art and Technology
The Institute for Research in Art and Technology was founded in London in 1969 by arts theorist John Lifton as an offshoot of the London New Arts Lab, itself a breakaway from the original Arts Lab. Its early focus was on video and film, but this was subsequently expanded to include experimental...
.
Family
In 1940 Lord Harlech married Sylvia Thomas, daughter of Hugh Lloyd Thomas. They had five children, sons Julian and Francis, and daughters Jane, Victoria, and AliceAlice Ormsby-Gore
Alice Magdalen Sarah Ormsby Gore was a British socialite.She was the youngest daughter of William David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech and his first wife Sylvia Thomas. She became engaged to guitarist Eric Clapton but never married...
. The older son, Julian, died of gunshot wounds in 1974, an apparent suicide. Alice, the youngest daughter, became engaged to rock guitarist Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
in 1969. She and Clapton lived together for five years, but did not marry. She subsequently died of a heroin overdose in 1995, the day before her 43rd birthday. Jane had an affair with Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
during the Sixties and some consider the Rolling Stones song Lady Jane
Lady Jane
"Lady Jane" is a Rolling Stones' song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards featured on their 1966 album Aftermath.In America Lady Jane was the B-side to "Mother's Little Helper", but "Lady Jane" reached #24 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart...
to be about her.
Lady Harlech died in a car accident in 1967. In 1969 Lord Harlech married Pamela Colin, and they had one daughter.
He died in a car crash in 1985, aged 66. He was succeeded in the barony by his second son, Francis
Francis Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron Harlech
Francis David Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron Harlech , is a peer in the United Kingdom.He succeeded his father, David Ormsby-Gore, as Baron Harlech in 1985. He sat as a Conservative member of the House of Lords until the removal of the hereditary peers in 1999...
.
Pop culture references
A creature card in the collectible card gameCollectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
Magic: the Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
is called "Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore." Any reasoning behind this name is unknown, other than meaningless titular presence, though the card does interestingly feature the flavor text, "The highway of fear is the shortest route to defeat."