William Ellison-Macartney
Encyclopedia
Sir William Grey Ellison-Macartney, KCMG
(7 June 1852 – 4 December 1924) was a British politician, who also served as the Governor of the Australian states
of Tasmania
and Western Australia
.
, the son of John William Ellison
, the Conservative
MP
for Tyrone
in the British House of Commons
. His father changed the family surname to Ellison-Macartney in 1859, as a condition of an inheritance from a maternal uncle.
Ellison-Macartney was educated at Eton
and Exeter College, Oxford
, taking an early interest in law and politics, and was called to the Bar
in 1878. He was an ardent supporter of Irish Unionism
, and became grand secretary of the Orange Institution
in Ireland.
, Ellison-Macartney ran for the House of Commons
, and was elected as Conservative
member for the newly-created constituency of Antrim South. In January 1886, he convened a meeting which lead to the formation of the Irish Unionist Party, for which he served as whip
.
In 1895, he was appointed as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, holding the post until 1890, when a cabinet reshuffle resulted in the appointment of Liberal Unionist
Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster
. As a consolation, Ellison-Macartney was appointed to the Privy Council
.
By 1900, Ellison-Macartney's political fortunes had waned: his popularity in his constituency of South Antrim had dropped considerably due to his reluctance to dispense favour upon Antrim during his time as a junior minister, and he was criticised by the Belfast
newspaper The News Letter
.
Hoping to reassert his place in the loyalist hierarchy, Ellison-Macartney led a "law-and-order" campaign, targeted in particular at the violence and agrarian crime committed by William O'Brien
's United Irish League
. He retired from politics in 1903, after being offered several government appointments.
from 1903 to 1913, and High Sheriff of Antrim
in 1908.
, and appointed Governor of the Australia
n state of Tasmania
. There was considerable concern over his appointment from Irish nationalists
, who felt that Ellison-Macartney's Unionist political background may cause offence to Tasmanians who supported Irish Home Rule
.
In 1914, Ellison-Macartney presided over a constitutional dispute in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
. With the Labor
and Liberal
parties close to deadlock in the parliament, he granted an early election
to the Liberal Premier of Tasmania, Albert Solomon
. The Liberals gained an extra seat needed to retain power, but lost one in a subsequent by-election. Ellison-Macartney declined Solomon's request for another dissolution of parliament
, and he called upon Labor's John Earle
to form government, on the condition that an election be called. With Earle and his ministry sworn in, neither side desired to hold an election so parliament remained in session, with Ellison-Macartney's recommendations over-ridden by the Secretary of State for the Colonies
.
after him, Ellison-Macartney was transferred as Governor from Tasmania to Western Australia
. His term in Western Australia was not a happy one – his critical comments about Tasmanian politicians had made Western Australians wary of his attitude, and he had to deal with the state's post-World War I
economic depression and continued objection to his Unionist stance from those supportive of Irish Home Rule.
As he had in Tasmania, he participated regularly in Freemasonry
, and served as grand master of the Hobart and Perth masonic lodges during his respective terms.
Ellison-Macartney returned to England after a three-year term. He died in Chelsea, London
, aged 72.
and Elizabeth Phoebe Ellison, née Porter. On 5 August 1897, he married Ettie Myers Scott at Holcombe, Somerset
, and she would bear him three children: a son and two daughters. Ettie was the sister of Robert Falcon Scott
, the Antarctic explorer.
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....
(7 June 1852 – 4 December 1924) was a British politician, who also served as the Governor of the Australian states
Governors of the Australian states
The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives of the Queen of Australia in each of that country's six states. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Early life
He was born as William Grey Ellison in Dublin, IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the son of John William Ellison
John Ellison-Macartney
John William Ellison-Macartney , born John William Ellison, was an Irish barrister and Conservative politician. From 1874 to 1885 he was Member of Parliament for Tyrone , taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.Ellison-Macartney was called to the...
, the Conservative
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...
MP
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 Tyrone
Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)
Tyrone is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:This constituency comprised the whole of County Tyrone, except the Parliamentary borough of Dungannon....
in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. His father changed the family surname to Ellison-Macartney in 1859, as a condition of an inheritance from a maternal uncle.
Ellison-Macartney was educated at Eton
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 Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, taking an early interest in law and politics, and was called to the Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1878. He was an ardent supporter of Irish Unionism
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
, and became grand secretary of the Orange Institution
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
in Ireland.
Political career
At the 1885 UK general electionUnited 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:...
, Ellison-Macartney ran for the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, and was elected as Conservative
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...
member for the newly-created constituency of Antrim South. In January 1886, he convened a meeting which lead to the formation of the Irish Unionist Party, for which he served as whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
.
In 1895, he was appointed as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, holding the post until 1890, when a cabinet reshuffle resulted in the appointment of Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster
Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster
Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster PC , known as H. O. Arnold-Forster, was a British politician and writer. He notably served as Secretary of State for War from 1903 to 1905.-Background and education:...
. As a consolation, Ellison-Macartney 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...
.
By 1900, Ellison-Macartney's political fortunes had waned: his popularity in his constituency of South Antrim had dropped considerably due to his reluctance to dispense favour upon Antrim during his time as a junior minister, and he was criticised by the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
newspaper The News Letter
The News Letter
The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. It is the oldest English language general daily newspaper still in publication in the world, having first been printed in 1737....
.
Hoping to reassert his place in the loyalist hierarchy, Ellison-Macartney led a "law-and-order" campaign, targeted in particular at the violence and agrarian crime committed by William O'Brien
William O'Brien
William O'Brien was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
's United Irish League
United Irish League
The United Irish League was a nationalist political party in Ireland, launched 23 January 1898 with the motto "The Land for the People" . Its objective to be achieved through agrarian agitation and land reform, compelling larger grazier farmers to surrender their lands for redistribution amongst...
. He retired from politics in 1903, after being offered several government appointments.
Government postings
Ellison-Macartney was appointed Deputy-Master of the Royal MintRoyal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
from 1903 to 1913, and High Sheriff of Antrim
High Sheriff of Antrim
The High Sheriff of Antrim is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Antrim. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258...
in 1908.
Governor of Tasmania
In December 1912, he was knighted KCMGOrder 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....
, and appointed Governor of the 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...
n state of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. There was considerable concern over his appointment from Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
, who felt that Ellison-Macartney's Unionist political background may cause offence to Tasmanians who supported Irish Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
.
In 1914, Ellison-Macartney presided over a constitutional dispute in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
. With the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
and Liberal
Commonwealth Liberal Party
The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a political movement active in Australia from 1909 to 1916, shortly after federation....
parties close to deadlock in the parliament, he granted an early election
Tasmanian state election, 1913
A general election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 23 January 1913 .-Background:...
to the Liberal Premier of Tasmania, Albert Solomon
Albert Solomon
Albert Edgar Solomon was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Tasmania from 14 June 1912 to 6 April 1914....
. The Liberals gained an extra seat needed to retain power, but lost one in a subsequent by-election. Ellison-Macartney declined Solomon's request for another dissolution of parliament
Dissolution of parliament
In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
, and he called upon Labor's John Earle
John Earle
John Earle may refer to:*John Earle , English bishop*John Earle *John Earle , Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford...
to form government, on the condition that an election be called. With Earle and his ministry sworn in, neither side desired to hold an election so parliament remained in session, with Ellison-Macartney's recommendations over-ridden by the Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
.
Governor of Western Australia
Like Sir Harry Baron before him, and Sir Francis NewdegateFrancis Newdegate
Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate Newdegate GCMG was Governor of Tasmania from 1917 to 1920, and Governor of Western Australia from 1920 to 1924....
after him, Ellison-Macartney was transferred as Governor from Tasmania to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. His term in Western Australia was not a happy one – his critical comments about Tasmanian politicians had made Western Australians wary of his attitude, and he had to deal with the state's post-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...
economic depression and continued objection to his Unionist stance from those supportive of Irish Home Rule.
As he had in Tasmania, he participated regularly in Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and served as grand master of the Hobart and Perth masonic lodges during his respective terms.
Ellison-Macartney returned to England after a three-year term. He died in Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, aged 72.
Family
Ellison-Macartney was the son of John William EllisonJohn Ellison-Macartney
John William Ellison-Macartney , born John William Ellison, was an Irish barrister and Conservative politician. From 1874 to 1885 he was Member of Parliament for Tyrone , taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.Ellison-Macartney was called to the...
and Elizabeth Phoebe Ellison, née Porter. On 5 August 1897, he married Ettie Myers Scott at Holcombe, Somerset
Holcombe, Somerset
Holcombe is a small village and civil parish in the Mendip local government district of Somerset, England. The parish contains the hamlets of Barlake and Edford...
, and she would bear him three children: a son and two daughters. Ettie was the sister of Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
, the Antarctic explorer.