Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton
Encyclopedia
Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton GCMG
, PC
(25 October 1853 – 15 October 1934) was a British
Liberal
politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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
. He was born in London
and educated at Clifton College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, and was a member of the London School Board from 1876 to 1882.
for Boston
, but lost. However, he became an MP in 1883 by winning a by-election
in Peterborough
. 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
. 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; 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
, to appoint a commission of inquiry into the disaster. This commission eventually came to be headed by Lord Mersey.
In February 1914, Buxton was appointed Governor-General of South Africa, and in May of that year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Buxton, of Newtimber in the County of Sussex. A revolt by the South African populace on the outbreak of the First World War
temporarily threatened his safety, but the country's Prime Minister, General Louis Botha
, immediately attached South Africa to Britain. Thereafter, Buxton and 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
. Buxton travelled widely throughout South Africa, 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 even after returning to England, serving as president of the Africa Society from 1920 to 1933.
He was created Earl Buxton in 1920, and continued to be a member of the Liberal Party
, often supporting his close friend and colleague Sir Edward Grey
. In his later years, he had to undergo amputation
of his leg due to a knee injury sustained earlier in his life. He died at Newtimber
on October 15, 1934.
, and secondly in 1896 to Mildred Anne Smith, elder daughter of Hugh Colin Smith, Governor of the Bank of England, of Mount Clare, Roehampton.
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 Hon. Constance Mary Lubbock (d. 3 November 1892):
By his second wife Mildred Anne Smith (d. 7 December 1955):
Since both his surviving sons died unmarried in his lifetime, his titles became extinct at his death. Earl Buxton was survived by his second wife Mildred (d. 1955) and his youngest daughter Lady Althea Eliot (d. 2004), and by eight grandchildren including the future Duke of Grafton
(1919–2011).
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...
(25 October 1853 – 15 October 1934) 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...
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...
politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Background and education
Buxton was the son of Charles BuxtonCharles Buxton
Charles Buxton was an English brewer, philanthropist, writer and Member of Parliament.Buxton was born in Cobham, Surrey, the third son of Sir Thomas Buxton, 1st Baronet, a notable brewer, MP and social reformer, and followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a partner in the brewery of Truman,...
and grandson of social reformer Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet
Thomas Fowell Buxton
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet was an English Member of Parliament, brewer, abolitionist and social reformer....
. His mother was Emily Mary, daughter of the physician and traveller Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet FRS, DCL , was a British physician and travel writer.-Private Life:Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, Holland was the son of the physician Peter Holland and his wife Mary Willets. Peter's sister Elizabeth was the mother of the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and Mary was the...
. He was born in 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...
and educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, 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 ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
for Boston
Boston (UK Parliament constituency)
Boston was a parliamentary borough in Lincolnshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1547 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the constituency was abolished.-History:...
, but lost. However, he became an MP in 1883 by winning a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Peterborough
Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past...
. He was defeated in the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, but returned to Parliament the very next year, representing Poplar
Poplar (UK Parliament constituency)
Poplar was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Poplar district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
. He would represent this constituency in Parliament until 1914.
From 1892 to 1895, Buxton served as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State....
. In 1905, he earned his first 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....
post, that of Postmaster-General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
. In this capacity he introduced such services as penny postage to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Canadian magazine post, and cheap postage for the blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. In 1910, Buxton was named President of the Board of Trade; 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
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, to appoint a commission of inquiry into the disaster. This commission eventually came to be headed by Lord Mersey.
In February 1914, Buxton was appointed Governor-General of South Africa, and in May of that year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Buxton, of Newtimber in the County of Sussex. A revolt by the South African populace on the outbreak of the First World War
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...
temporarily threatened his safety, but the country's Prime Minister, General Louis Botha
Louis Botha
Louis Botha was an Afrikaner and first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa—the forerunner of the modern South African state...
, immediately attached South Africa to Britain. Thereafter, Buxton and Botha formed an effective partnership, planning and executing South African actions in the war, including the invasion of the neighbouring German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
colony of South West Africa
South West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
. Buxton travelled widely throughout South Africa, 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 even after returning to England, serving as president of the Africa Society from 1920 to 1933.
He was created Earl Buxton in 1920, and continued to be a member of the Liberal Party
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...
, often supporting his close friend and colleague Sir Edward Grey
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon KG, PC, FZL, DL , better known as Sir Edward Grey, Bt, was a British Liberal statesman. He served as Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916, the longest continuous tenure of any person in that office...
. In his later years, he had to undergo amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
of his leg due to a knee injury sustained earlier in his life. He died at Newtimber
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, and is named after Newtimber Place and the small village named after it; the parish also includes the hamlet of Saddlescombe. It covers an area of ....
on October 15, 1934.
Family
Buxton was twice married, firstly in 1882 to Hon. Constance Mary Lubbock (d. 1892), second daughter of Lord AveburyJohn Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury
John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury PC , FRS , known as Sir John Lubbock, 4th Baronet from 1865 until 1900, was a polymath and Liberal Member of Parliament....
, and secondly in 1896 to Mildred Anne Smith, elder daughter of Hugh Colin Smith, Governor of the Bank of England, of Mount Clare, Roehampton.
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 Hon. Constance Mary Lubbock (d. 3 November 1892):
- Charles Sydney Buxton (26 May 1884–31 August 1911); died unmarried.
- 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 Lady Phyllis Ponsonby OBE; married 23 September 1918 Rev. Canon Maurice George Jesser Ponsonby, MCMilitary CrossThe 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....
, DLDLDL, dL, or dl may stand for:Measurement of volume* the symbol of the decilitre , an SI unit of measurement of capacity or volume Science and tech* Data link, a computer connection for transmitting data...
, JPJustice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(10 September 1880–27 February 1943), a grandson of the 2nd Baron De MauleyCharles Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de MauleyCharles Frederick Ashley Cooper Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de Mauley of Canford was a British peer and Liberal politician....
, had 5 children, of which two (Elizabeth and Mary) have descendants
By his second wife Mildred Anne Smith (d. 7 December 1955):
- Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton (29 November 1897–28 July 1923), a fraternal twin; married 24 January 1918 married Charles Alfred Euston FitzroyCharles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of GraftonCharles Alfred Euston FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton was a soldier and farmer.Charles was born at Euston Hall near Thetford, the eldest son of the Reverend Lord Charles Edward FitzRoy and of his wife Ismay FitzRoy, daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton...
, a scion of the dukes of GraftonDuke of GraftonDuke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy...
. She died aged 25, shortly after the birth of her third child. After her death, her husband remarried in 1924 and again in 1944. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1936 when a young cousin, the 9th Duke of GraftonJohn FitzRoy, 9th Duke of GraftonJohn Charles William Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton was a British peer, known from 1914-30 as Lord Sudbury....
was killed in a motoring race. - Hon. Denis Bertram Sydney Buxton (29 November 1897–9 October 1917), a fraternal twin; killed in action, aged 19, Passchendaele, France, as a Second Lieutenant in the Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. At the time of his death, he was his father's only surviving son and heir to his titles. - Lady Alethea Constance Dorothy Sydney Buxton (2 August 1910–25 July 2004); married Venerable Peter Charles Eliot, TDTerritorial DecorationThe Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(30 October 1910–1995), son of Hon. Edward Granville Eliot (himself grandson of the 3rd Earl of St GermansEdward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St GermansEdward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans GCB , DL, LL.D, PC , styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.-Background and education:...
) and Clare Louise Phelips, on 12 July 1934. They had no issue, and Lady Alethea died aged 93 in 2004.
Since both his surviving sons died unmarried in his lifetime, his titles became extinct at his death. Earl Buxton was survived by his second wife Mildred (d. 1955) and his youngest daughter Lady Althea Eliot (d. 2004), and by eight grandchildren including the future Duke of Grafton
Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton
Hugh Denis Charles FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton, was the son of Charles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton, and his first wife Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton, second daughter of Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton. He was known until 1970 as the Earl of Euston.-Biography:He was born in 1919 in...
(1919–2011).