Edward Grigg, 1st Baron Altrincham
Encyclopedia
Edward William Macleay Grigg, 1st Baron Altrincham, KCMG
, KCVO
, DSO
, MC
, PC
(September 8, 1879 – December 1, 1955) was a British colonial administrator and politician.
. Born in Madras
, he was educated at Winchester College
and New College, Oxford
, where he won the Gaisford Prize
for Greek verse in 1902. Upon graduation, he embarked on a career in journalism. He joined The Times
in 1903 as secretary to the editor, George Earle Buckle
, then moved to The Outlook in 1905, where he worked as assistant editor under J. L. Garvin
. Grigg returned to The Times in 1906, where he was the head of the colonial department until he resigned in 1913 in order to become the co-editor of The Round Table Journal
.
, Grigg enlisted in the Grenadier Guards
. Serving in France, he distinguished himself in combat before his transfer to the staff in 1916. He received the Military Cross
in 1917 and the Distinguished Service Order
the following year, and was a lieutenant-colonel by the end of the war. Grigg was created Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
in 1919 and served as military secretary to the Prince of Wales
from 1919 until 1920, accompanying the prince on tours of Canada
, Australia
, and New Zealand
. For his services, Grigg was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
in 1919 and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
in 1920.
David Lloyd George
. Grigg became devoted to Lloyd George, developing a deep respect for the "Welsh Wizard" that subsequently limited his political career. After Lloyd George's departure in 1922, Grigg passed up a number of appointments within the civil service to enter the House of Commons. He was elecetd to Parliament as a Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) in 1922 from the constituency of Oldham
. During this period he also served as secretary to the Rhodes Trust, a position he held from 1923 until 1925.
with the bordering British colonies of Uganda and Tanganyika
, he provided energetic administration to the colony, improving agriculture, education, and infrastructure during his governorship. Yet Grigg opposed consideration of the colony's development into a multi-racial state, believing that the native African population was ill-prepared for managing the government. During this period he was named KCMG
in 1928.
candidate for the Leeds Central
constituency in the 1931 general election
, Grigg loyally stood aside for the National Labour candidate, Richard Denman. Two years later, he returned to Parliament in a by-election
for the constituency of Altrincham
. He would serve as MP for Altrincham until the constituency was abolished in 1945.
Grigg's return to politics coincided with the rise to power of Adolf Hitler
as German chancellor
. Grigg feared the Nazi
movement and in two books he pressed the case for a strong defense against the threat it posed. Yet Grigg never openly challenged the policy of appeasement
advanced by the governments of Stanley Baldwin
and Neville Chamberlain
, keeping his criticisms private. When war did break out, Grigg joined the government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information. In April 1940 he became first the financial secretary, then joint parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War
, a post he held until March 1942. He declined Winston Churchill
's invitation to become First Commissioner of Works
, as it was dependent upon acceptance of a peerage
, and did not return to government until he was selected as Minister Resident, Middle East in November 1944. He was also appointed a Privy Counsellor
in 1944.
's defeat in the 1945 general election
, Grigg was raised to the peerage as Baron Altrincham
, ending his political career. Three years later, he assumed the editorship of the National Review
, a post he held until failing health forced his retirement in 1954. Grigg died a year later in Gloucestershire
aged 76. His son, John Grigg
, who became the second Baron Altrincham upon his father's death, disclaimed the peerage in 1963 under the terms of the Peerage Act
of that year.
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....
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, 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...
(September 8, 1879 – December 1, 1955) was a British colonial administrator and politician.
Early years
Grigg was the son of Henry Bridewell Grigg, a member of the Indian Civil Service, and Elizabeth Louisa, née Thomson, the daughter of Edward Deas ThomsonEdward Deas Thomson
Sir Edward Deas Thomson, KCMG, was an Australian administrator, politician and chancellor of the University of Sydney....
. Born in Madras
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, he was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, where he won the Gaisford Prize
Gaisford Prize
The Gaisford Prize is a prize in the University of Oxford, founded in 1855 in memory of Dr Thomas Gaisford . For most of its history, the prize was awarded for Classical Greek Verse and Prose...
for Greek verse in 1902. Upon graduation, he embarked on a career in journalism. He joined The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 1903 as secretary to the editor, George Earle Buckle
George Earle Buckle
George Earle Buckle was an English editor and biographer.-Early years:Buckle was the son of George Buckle, a rector, and canon and precentor of Wells Cathedral, and Mary Hamlyn Earle, the sister of the philologist John Earle. He attended Honition grammar school and Winchester College before...
, then moved to The Outlook in 1905, where he worked as assistant editor under J. L. Garvin
James Louis Garvin
For the basketball player, see James Garvin James Louis Garvin , was an influential British journalist, editor, and author...
. Grigg returned to The Times in 1906, where he was the head of the colonial department until he resigned in 1913 in order to become the co-editor of The Round Table Journal
The Round Table Journal
The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs is a policy matters journal relating to the Commonwealth of Nations.-History:...
.
Military service
At the start of the First World WarWorld 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...
, Grigg enlisted in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
. Serving in France, he distinguished himself in combat before his transfer to the staff in 1916. He received the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in 1917 and the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
the following year, and was a lieutenant-colonel by the end of the war. Grigg was created Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
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....
in 1919 and served as military secretary to the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
from 1919 until 1920, accompanying the prince on tours of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. For his services, Grigg was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1919 and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1920.
Entry into politics
Upon his return in 1920, Grigg became a private secretary to Prime MinisterPrime 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...
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. Grigg became devoted to Lloyd George, developing a deep respect for the "Welsh Wizard" that subsequently limited his political career. After Lloyd George's departure in 1922, Grigg passed up a number of appointments within the civil service to enter the House of Commons. He was elecetd to Parliament as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
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,...
(MP) in 1922 from the constituency of Oldham
Oldham (UK Parliament constituency)
Oldham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham, England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. During this period he also served as secretary to the Rhodes Trust, a position he held from 1923 until 1925.
Governor of Kenya
In 1925, Grigg resigned his seat to accept an appointment as governor of Kenya. While frustrated in his assigned task to merge KenyaKenya Colony
The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British crown colony in 1920...
with the bordering British colonies of Uganda and Tanganyika
Tanganyika Territory
Tanganyika Territory was a British colony between 1919 and 1961. Prior to the end of the First World War was part of the German colony of German East Africa. After the war had broke out, the British invaded the German East Africa, but were unable to defeat the German Army...
, he provided energetic administration to the colony, improving agriculture, education, and infrastructure during his governorship. Yet Grigg opposed consideration of the colony's development into a multi-racial state, believing that the native African population was ill-prepared for managing the government. During this period he was named KCMG
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....
in 1928.
Resuming politics
Grigg returned to Britain in 1930. Though offered his choice of Indian governorships, the poor of his health, along with that of his wife, forestalled accepting an appointment. Instead, Grigg decided to reenter politics. Though initially nominated as the ConservativeConservative 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...
candidate for the Leeds Central
Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
constituency in the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, Grigg loyally stood aside for the National Labour candidate, Richard Denman. Two years later, he returned to Parliament in a by-election
Altrincham by-election, 1933
The Altrincham by-election, 1933 was a parliamentary by-election held on 14 June 1933 for the British House of Commons constituency of Altrincham in Cheshire....
for the constituency of Altrincham
Altrincham (UK Parliament constituency)
Altrincham was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1945. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
. He would serve as MP for Altrincham until the constituency was abolished in 1945.
Grigg's return to politics coincided with the rise to power of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
as German chancellor
Chancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
. Grigg feared the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
movement and in two books he pressed the case for a strong defense against the threat it posed. Yet Grigg never openly challenged the policy of appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
advanced by the governments of Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
and Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, keeping his criticisms private. When war did break out, Grigg joined the government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information. In April 1940 he became first the financial secretary, then joint parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
, a post he held until March 1942. He declined Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's invitation to become First Commissioner of Works
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public...
, as it was dependent upon acceptance of a 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...
, and did not return to government until he was selected as Minister Resident, Middle East in November 1944. He was also appointed a Privy Counsellor
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...
in 1944.
Final years
In the aftermath of the Conservative caretaker governmentCaretaker Government 1945
The Caretaker Government 1945 was a United Kingdom Ministry, which held office from 23 May 1945 until 26 July 1945, during the latter stages of the Second World War...
's defeat in the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, Grigg was raised to the peerage as Baron Altrincham
Baron Altrincham
Baron Altrincham, of Tormarton in the County of Gloucester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 1 August 1945 for the politician Edward Grigg. His son, the second Baron, was a politician, journalist, historian and writer. Soon after the passage of the Peerage Act...
, ending his political career. Three years later, he assumed the editorship of the National Review
National Review (London)
The National Review was founded in 1883 by the English writers Alfred Austin and William Courthope.It was launched as a platform for the views of the British Conservative Party, its masthead incorporating a quotation of the former Conservative Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli:Under editor Leopold...
, a post he held until failing health forced his retirement in 1954. Grigg died a year later in 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....
aged 76. His son, John Grigg
John Grigg (writer)
John Edward Poynder Grigg was a British writer, historian and politician. He was the 2nd Baron Altrincham from 1955 until he disclaimed that title under the Peerage Act on the day it received the Royal Assent in 1963.-Early years:John Grigg was the son of Edward Grigg, a Times journalist...
, who became the second Baron Altrincham upon his father's death, disclaimed the peerage in 1963 under the terms of the Peerage Act
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
of that year.
Works
- The Greatest Experiment in World History (1924)
- Unity (1935)
- The Faith of an Englishman (1936)
- Britain Looks at Germany (1938)
- The British Commonwealth: Its Place in the Service of the World (1944)
- Kenya's Opportunity: Memories, Hopes and Ideas (1955)