Francis Hopwood, 1st Baron Southborough
Encyclopedia
Francis John Stephens Hopwood, 1st Baron Southborough GCB
GCMG
GCVO
KCSI
PC
(2 December 1860–17 January 1947) was a British
civil servant and solicitor
.
Hopwood was born in Bayswater
, London
, the son of a barrister
. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Louth, Lincolnshire
, of which his uncle was headmaster, and was admitted solicitor in 1882. In 1885 he became an assistant law clerk to the Board of Trade
, and was appointed Assistant Solicitor to the Board in 1888 and private secretary to the President of the Board of Trade in 1892. In 1893 he became Secretary to the Railway Department and in 1901 Permanent Secretary
to the Board of Trade. In 1906 he went to South Africa
as a member of the committee to determine the constitutions of the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony
.
In 1907 he was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and in 1910 Vice-Chairman of the Development Commission. In 1912 he was appointed to the Privy Council
and appointed Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty. In 1917 he was elected secretary to the Irish Convention
, set up to explore solutions to the Irish Home Rule question. In 1919 he chaired the Franchise Committee
looking into the suffrage
in India
. Thereafter he entered business, taking a number of directorships.
Hopwood was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1893, Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1895, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1901, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1906, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1908, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1916, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1917, and Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) in the 1920 New Year Honours. In 1917 he was created Baron Southborough
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GCMG
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....
GCVO
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...
KCSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
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...
(2 December 1860–17 January 1947) 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...
civil servant and solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
.
Hopwood was born in Bayswater
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Louth, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, of which his uncle was headmaster, and was admitted solicitor in 1882. In 1885 he became an assistant law clerk to the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
, and was appointed Assistant Solicitor to the Board in 1888 and private secretary to the President of the Board of Trade in 1892. In 1893 he became Secretary to the Railway Department and in 1901 Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
to the Board of Trade. In 1906 he went to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a member of the committee to determine the constitutions of the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony
Orange River Colony
The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after this nation first occupied and then annexed the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War...
.
In 1907 he was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and in 1910 Vice-Chairman of the Development Commission. In 1912 he was appointed to the Privy Council
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...
and appointed Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty. In 1917 he was elected secretary to the Irish Convention
Irish Convention
The Irish Convention was an assembly which sat in Dublin, Ireland from July 1917 until March 1918 to address the Irish Question and other constitutional problems relating to an early enactment of self-government for Ireland, to debate its wider future, discuss and come to an understanding on...
, set up to explore solutions to the Irish Home Rule question. In 1919 he chaired the Franchise Committee
Southborough Franchise Committee
The Southborough Committee, referred to at the time as the Franchise Committee was a one of three British committees which sat in Indian from 1918-1919, including also the Committee on Home Administration and the Feetham Function Committee....
looking into the suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Thereafter he entered business, taking a number of directorships.
Hopwood was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1893, Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1895, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1901, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1906, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1908, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1916, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1917, and Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) in the 1920 New Year Honours. In 1917 he was created Baron Southborough
Baron Southborough
Baron Southborough, of Southborough in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 1 November 1917 for civil servant Sir Francis Hopwood. He was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1907 and 1911. He was succeeded by his son from...
.