George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon

His Excellency The Most Honourable The Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC
Lord Ripon as Viceroy of India; from an 1880 magazine.
Viceroy and Governor-General of India
In office 1880–1884
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	The Lord Lytton
Succeeded by	The Earl of Dufferin
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 1905–1908
Monarch	Edward VII
Prime Minister	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Preceded by	The Marquess of Lansdowne
Succeeded by	The Earl of Crewe
Chancellor of the University of Leeds
In office 1904-1909
Deputy	Nathan Bodington
Succeeded by	The Duke of Devonshire
Personal details
Born	24 October 1827(1827-10-24) 10 Downing Street, London
Died	9 July 1909(1909-07-09) (aged 81)
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Henrietta Vyner (1833–1907)

George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC (24 October 1827 – 9 July 1909), known as Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later.

Background and education

Ripon was born at 10 Downing Street, London, the second son of Prime Minister Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich (who was created Earl of Ripon in 1833), by his wife Lady Sarah, daughter of Robert Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire.

Political career

Although his father had been a Tory, Ripon was first a Whig and later a Liberal. He entered the House of Commons as member for Hull in 1852, and later sat for Huddersfield and the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1859 he succeeded his father as second Earl of Ripon, taking his seat in the House of Lords, and later that year succeeded a cousin in the more senior title of Earl de Grey.

Lord Ripon by George Frederic Watts.

In 1861 de Grey first took office, and was then a member of every Liberal Cabinet until his death. In 1863, he was made a Privy Counsellor. He was Secretary of State for War (1863–66) under Palmerston and Secretary of State for India in 1866 under Russell. In Gladstone's first administration he was Lord President of the Council (1868–73). During this period he acted as chairman of the joint commission for drawing up the Treaty of Washington with the United States. For this he was created Marquess of Ripon. He was also made a Knight of the Garter in 1869. He served as President of the first day of the 1878 Co-operative Congress.^[1]

When Gladstone returned to power in 1880 he appointed Ripon Viceroy of India, an office he held until 1884. During his time in India, Ripon introduced legislation (the "Ilbert Bill," named for his secretary Courtenay Ilbert) that would have granted native Indians more legal rights, including the right of Indian judges to judge Europeans in court. Though progressive in its intent, this legislation was gutted by the British Parliament who did not want to lose their legal superiority. He also became a supporter of Home Rule for Ireland. In Gladstone's 1886 government he was First Lord of the Admiralty, and in that of 1892–95 he was Secretary of State for the Colonies. When the Liberals again returned to power in 1905 he took office, aged 78, as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. He resigned in 1908.

Other appointments

Lord Ripon was Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England from 1870 until his conversion to Catholicism in 1874. A devout Catholic in his later years, Ripon was generous in educational and charitable works. He was president of the Society of St Vincent de Paul from 1899 until his death and a great supporter of St. Joseph's Catholic Missionary Society.

He was Chancellor of the University of Leeds from 1904 until his death in 1909.

Legacy in India

Lord Ripon is very much revered in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. The Corporation of Chennai's Ripon Building was named for him, as well as the town of Riponpet in the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka.In Kolkata, the Ripon Street was named for him.
Currently Ghanta Ghar Multan or Clock Tower of Multan was named 'Ripon Building' and hall of same building was named 'Ripon Hall'. Located in center Multan city of Punjab, in Pakistan

Family

Lord Ripon married his cousin Henrietta Anne Theodosia Vyner (17 April 1833 – 28 February 1907), daughter of Henry Vyner and his wife Lady Mary Gertrude Robinson, daughter of Thomas Robinson, 2nd Earl de Grey, on 8 April 1851. They had one son and one daughter. Lady Ripon died in February 1907, aged 73. Lord Ripon survived her by two years and died in July 1909, aged 81. He was succeeded by his only son, Frederick.^[2]

Notes

British High Commissioners for the 1871 Treaty of Washington. Lord Ripon seated in the centre.

References

• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Viscount Goderich

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