1st

Английский Язык - Турецкий язык

Определение 1st в Английский Язык Турецкий язык словарь: birinci; 1
evelyn baring 1st earl of cromer: evelyn Cromer 1. earl barikat
george 1st duke of albermarle monck: albermarle monck 1. dükü george

Английский Язык - Английский Язык

Определение 1st в Английский Язык Английский Язык словарь: indicating the beginning unit in a series; BROWN IKKYU; 2nd 3rd Argument; New York (Borough of Manhattan); Paper Clock 13th Lace Textiles/Furs
1st Cir.: United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
1st grade: Alternative spelling of first grade
1st Baron Lytton: later 1st Baron Lytton (of Knebworth) born May 25, 1803, London, Eng. died Jan. 18, 1873, Torquay, Devonshire British politician, novelist, and poet. His first novel, Pelham, was published in 1828. He entered Parliament as a Liberal in 1831, retired in 1841, and returned in 1852 as a Tory. In the interim he wrote his long historical novels, including The Last Days of Pompeii, 3 vol. (1834), and Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings (1848). He was created a peer in 1866. The opening to his 1830 novel Paul Clifford ("It was a dark and stormy night...") led to an annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Prize, in which entrants vie to create the most overwritten first sentence to a hypothetical novel
1st Baron Lytton of Knebworth: later 1st Baron Lytton (of Knebworth) born May 25, 1803, London, Eng. died Jan. 18, 1873, Torquay, Devonshire British politician, novelist, and poet. His first novel, Pelham, was published in 1828. He entered Parliament as a Liberal in 1831, retired in 1841, and returned in 1852 as a Tory. In the interim he wrote his long historical novels, including The Last Days of Pompeii, 3 vol. (1834), and Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings (1848). He was created a peer in 1866. The opening to his 1830 novel Paul Clifford ("It was a dark and stormy night...") led to an annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Prize, in which entrants vie to create the most overwritten first sentence to a hypothetical novel
1st duke of Buckingham: v. orig. George Villiers born Aug. 28, 1592, Brooksby, Leicestershire, Eng. died Aug. 23, 1628, Portsmouth, Hampshire English courtier and politician. Charming and handsome, he quickly became a royal favourite of James I and the future Charles I. He became lord high admiral in 1619 and was created a duke in 1623, but his arrogance and abuse of power made him highly unpopular. His erratic foreign policy led to a series of disasters, including failed military expeditions to Spain and France. A bill to impeach him was introduced in Parliament in 1626, prompting Charles to dissolve Parliament. When Buckingham was assassinated by a naval lieutenant, Londoners rejoiced
1st earl of Stockton Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden Maurice Harold Macmillan: in full Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st earl of Stockton, Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden born Feb. 10, 1894, London, Eng. died Dec. 29, 1986, Birch Grove, Sussex British prime minister (1957-63). He served in the House of Commons (1924-29, 1931-64) and held posts in Winston Churchill's wartime coalition government. After the war he served as minister of housing (1951-54), minister of defense (1954), foreign secretary (1955), and chancellor of the Exchequer (1955-57). In 1957 he became prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party. He worked to improve relations with the U.S. and visited Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1959. Domestically, Macmillan supported Britain's postwar social programs. His government began to lose popularity in 1961 because of a wage freeze and other deflationary measures and a Soviet espionage scandal involving John Profumo, secretary of state for war. He championed membership in the European Economic Community, though Britain's membership application was vetoed in 1963 by Charles de Gaulle. Demands for a new party leader led to his resignation in 1963. He wrote a series of memoirs (1966-75) and served as chair (1963-74) of his family's publishing house, Macmillan & Co
Alan Francis Brooke 1st Viscount Alanbrooke: born July 23, 1883, Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France died June 17, 1963, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, Eng. British military leader. He served in World War I and later became director of military training (1936-37) and an expert on gunnery. In World War II he began as commander of a corps in France and covered the Dunkirk evacuation. After serving as commander of the British home forces (1940-41), he was promoted to chief of staff (1941-46). He established good relations with the U.S. forces and exercised a strong influence on Allied strategy. He was promoted to field marshal in 1944 and created a viscount in 1946
Alan Francis Brooke 1st Viscount Alanbrooke of Brookeborough: born July 23, 1883, Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France died June 17, 1963, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, Eng. British military leader. He served in World War I and later became director of military training (1936-37) and an expert on gunnery. In World War II he began as commander of a corps in France and covered the Dunkirk evacuation. After serving as commander of the British home forces (1940-41), he was promoted to chief of staff (1941-46). He established good relations with the U.S. forces and exercised a strong influence on Allied strategy. He was promoted to field marshal in 1944 and created a viscount in 1946
Alfred 1st Baron Tennyson Tennyson: known as Alfred, Lord Tennyson born Aug. 6, 1809, Somersby, Lincolnshire, Eng. died Oct. 6, 1892, Aldworth, Surrey English poet, the leading poet of the Victorian age. While attending Cambridge University, Tennyson developed a deep friendship with Arthur Hallam. His reputation as a poet increased at Cambridge, and he published Poems, Chiefly Lyrical (1830). Another volume, including "The Lotos-Eaters" and "The Lady of Shalott," was published in 1832 (dated 1833). Hallam's sudden death in 1833 prompted Tennyson to write poems that eventually became part of the vast In Memoriam (1850) and lyrics that later appeared in the brooding Maud (1855), his favourite poem. Poems (1842), including "Ulysses," "Morte d'Arthur," and "Locksley Hall," followed, then The Princess (1847), a long antifeminist fantasia that includes such lyrics as "Sweet and Low" and "Tears, Idle Tears." In 1850 he married; that year he was also named poet laureate of England. Among his subsequent works are "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1855); Idylls of the King (1859), treating the Arthurian legend; and Enoch Arden (1864). A consummate poet who was inclined to melancholy, Tennyson was also regarded as a spokesman for the educated English middle class. His works often dealt with the difficulties of an age when traditional assumptions were increasingly called into question by science and modern progress
Alfred 1st Baron Tennyson of Aldworth and Freshwater Tennyson: known as Alfred, Lord Tennyson born Aug. 6, 1809, Somersby, Lincolnshire, Eng. died Oct. 6, 1892, Aldworth, Surrey English poet, the leading poet of the Victorian age. While attending Cambridge University, Tennyson developed a deep friendship with Arthur Hallam. His reputation as a poet increased at Cambridge, and he published Poems, Chiefly Lyrical (1830). Another volume, including "The Lotos-Eaters" and "The Lady of Shalott," was published in 1832 (dated 1833). Hallam's sudden death in 1833 prompted Tennyson to write poems that eventually became part of the vast In Memoriam (1850) and lyrics that later appeared in the brooding Maud (1855), his favourite poem. Poems (1842), including "Ulysses," "Morte d'Arthur," and "Locksley Hall," followed, then The Princess (1847), a long antifeminist fantasia that includes such lyrics as "Sweet and Low" and "Tears, Idle Tears." In 1850 he married; that year he was also named poet laureate of England. Among his subsequent works are "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1855); Idylls of the King (1859), treating the Arthurian legend; and Enoch Arden (1864). A consummate poet who was inclined to melancholy, Tennyson was also regarded as a spokesman for the educated English middle class. His works often dealt with the difficulties of an age when traditional assumptions were increasingly called into question by science and modern progress
Alfred Duff 1st Viscount Norwich of Aldwick Cooper: born Feb. 22, 1890 died Jan. 1, 1954 British politician. He served as a Conservative in Parliament (1924-29 and 1931-45). After a stint as secretary of state for war (1935-37), he became first lord of the Admiralty (1937) but resigned to protest the Munich agreement. Later he served as minister of information under Winston Churchill (1940-41) and as ambassador to France (1944-47). His books include Talleyrand, Haig, and his autobiography, Old Men Forget
Anthony 1st earl of Avon Eden: born June 12, 1897, Windlestone, Durham, Eng. died Jan. 14, 1977, Alvediston, Wiltshire British politician. After combat service in World War I, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1923. He became foreign secretary in 1935 but resigned in 1938 to protest Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. He held the post again in 1940-45 and in 1951-55, and he helped to settle the Anglo-Iranian oil dispute and arranged an armistice in Indochina. Succeeding Winston Churchill as prime minister in 1955, he attempted to ease international tension by welcoming to Britain Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolay A. Bulganin of the Soviet Union. His fall began when Egypt seized the Suez Canal and he supported an Anglo-French intervention in Egypt (see Suez Crisis). He resigned in 1957, citing ill health
Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st earl of Shaftesbury: born July 22, 1621, Wimborne St. Giles, Dorset, Eng. died Jan. 21, 1683, Amsterdam, Neth. English politician. He served in the English Civil Wars, fighting first for the king (1643) and then for Parliament (1644). He was appointed by Oliver Cromwell to the council of state (1653-54, 1659) and also served in Parliament (1654-60). One of 12 commissioners sent to invite Charles II to return to England, he was appointed to Charles's privy council (1660) and served as chancellor of the Exchequer (1661-72) and lord chancellor (1672-73). As head of the Council of Trade and Foreign Plantations (1672-74), he drew up a constitution for the North American province of Carolina, aided by his protégé John Locke. Dismissed by Charles for supporting the anti-Catholic Test Act and opposing the marriage of Charles's brother James (later James II) to another Catholic, Shaftesbury became a leader of the Whig opposition. He exploited the political chaos caused by Titus Oates to consolidate his parliamentary power and tried unsuccessfully to pass the Exclusion Bill, to keep James from the throne. In 1681 Charles dissolved the Parliament; Shaftesbury was arrested and tried for treason but was acquitted. In 1682 he fled to Holland, where he died
Archibald Percival Wavell 1st Earl Wavell: born May 5, 1883, Colchester, Essex, Eng. died May 24, 1950, London British army officer. Recognized as an excellent trainer of troops, he became British commander in chief for the Middle East in 1939. In World War II he was noted for his defeat of the numerically superior Italian armies in North Africa (1940-41) but was unable to stop the German force under Erwin Rommel in the North Africa Campaign. As commander in chief of Southeast Asia (1941-43), he failed to stop the Japanese conquests of Malaya, Singapore, and Burma (1942). Promoted to field marshal, he served as viceroy of India (1943-47)
Archibald Percival Wavell 1st Earl Wavell of Eritrea and of Winchester: born May 5, 1883, Colchester, Essex, Eng. died May 24, 1950, London British army officer. Recognized as an excellent trainer of troops, he became British commander in chief for the Middle East in 1939. In World War II he was noted for his defeat of the numerically superior Italian armies in North Africa (1940-41) but was unable to stop the German force under Erwin Rommel in the North Africa Campaign. As commander in chief of Southeast Asia (1941-43), he failed to stop the Japanese conquests of Malaya, Singapore, and Burma (1942). Promoted to field marshal, he served as viceroy of India (1943-47)
Arthur James 1st Earl Balfour: born July 25, 1848, Whittinghame, East Lothian, Scot. died March 19, 1930, Woking, Surrey, Eng. British statesman. The nephew of the marquess of Salisbury, Balfour served in Parliament (1874-1911) and in his uncle's government as secretary for Ireland (1887-91). From 1891 he was the Conservative Party's leader in Parliament and succeeded his uncle as prime minister (1902-05). He helped form the Entente Cordiale (1904). His most famous action came in 1917 when, as foreign secretary (1916-19), he wrote the so-called Balfour Declaration, which expressed official British approval of Zionism. He served as lord president of the council (1919-22, 1925-29) and drafted the Balfour Report (1926), which defined relations between Britain and the dominions expressed in the Statute of Westminster
Arthur James 1st Earl Balfour of Whittingehame: born July 25, 1848, Whittinghame, East Lothian, Scot. died March 19, 1930, Woking, Surrey, Eng. British statesman. The nephew of the marquess of Salisbury, Balfour served in Parliament (1874-1911) and in his uncle's government as secretary for Ireland (1887-91). From 1891 he was the Conservative Party's leader in Parliament and succeeded his uncle as prime minister (1902-05). He helped form the Entente Cordiale (1904). His most famous action came in 1917 when, as foreign secretary (1916-19), he wrote the so-called Balfour Declaration, which expressed official British approval of Zionism. He served as lord president of the council (1919-22, 1925-29) and drafted the Balfour Report (1926), which defined relations between Britain and the dominions expressed in the Statute of Westminster
Arthur Wellesley 1st duke of Wellington: born May 1, 1769, Dublin, Ire. died Sept. 14, 1852, Walmer Castle, Kent, Eng. British general. Son of the Irish earl of Mornington, he entered the army in 1787 and served in the Irish Parliament (1790-97). Sent to India in 1796, he commanded troops to victories in the Maratha War (1803). Back in England, he served in the British House of Commons and as chief secretary in Ireland (1807-09). Commanding British troops in the Peninsular War, he won battles against the French in Portugal and Spain and invaded France to win the war in 1814, for which he was promoted to field marshal and created a duke. After Napoleon renewed the war against the European powers, the "Iron Duke" commanded the Allied armies to victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). Richly rewarded by English and foreign sovereigns, he became one of the most honoured men in Europe. After commanding the army of occupation in France (1815-18) and serving in the Tory cabinet as master general of ordnance (1818-27), he served as prime minister (1828-30), but he was forced to resign after opposing any parliamentary reform. He was honoured on his death by a monumental funeral and burial in St. Paul's Cathedral alongside Horatio Nelson
Arthur William Tedder 1st Baron Tedder: born July 11, 1890, Glenguin, Stirling, Scot. died June 3, 1967, Banstead, Surrey, Eng. British air marshal. He joined the British army in 1913, transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, and after World War I commanded a branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF). As head of the RAF Middle East Command in World War II, he commanded Allied air operations in North Africa and Italy, and in 1944 he was appointed head of Allied air operations in western Europe. His policy of bombing German communications and providing close air support of ground operations contributed significantly to the success of the Normandy Campaign and the Allied advance into Germany. He later became the first peacetime chief of the air staff (1946-50)
Arthur William Tedder 1st Baron Tedder of Glenguin: born July 11, 1890, Glenguin, Stirling, Scot. died June 3, 1967, Banstead, Surrey, Eng. British air marshal. He joined the British army in 1913, transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, and after World War I commanded a branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF). As head of the RAF Middle East Command in World War II, he commanded Allied air operations in North Africa and Italy, and in 1944 he was appointed head of Allied air operations in western Europe. His policy of bombing German communications and providing close air support of ground operations contributed significantly to the success of the Normandy Campaign and the Allied advance into Germany. He later became the first peacetime chief of the air staff (1946-50)
Bernard Cyril Freyberg 1st Baron Freyberg: born March 21, 1889, Richmond, Surrey, Eng. died July 4, 1963, Windsor, Berkshire New Zealand military leader. He emigrated from Britain to New Zealand with his parents in 1891. He fought in many of the fiercest battles of World War I and at age 27 became the youngest brigadier general in the British army. He was commander in chief of New Zealand forces in World War II. After the war he served as governor-general of New Zealand (1946-52). In 1951 he was created a baron
Bernard Cyril Freyberg 1st Baron Freyberg of Wellington and of Munstead: born March 21, 1889, Richmond, Surrey, Eng. died July 4, 1963, Windsor, Berkshire New Zealand military leader. He emigrated from Britain to New Zealand with his parents in 1891. He fought in many of the fiercest battles of World War I and at age 27 became the youngest brigadier general in the British army. He was commander in chief of New Zealand forces in World War II. After the war he served as governor-general of New Zealand (1946-52). In 1951 he was created a baron
Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery: born Nov. 17, 1887, London, Eng. died March 24, 1976, near Alton, Hampshire British general in World War II. Educated at Sandhurst, he distinguished himself in World War I and remained in the army, becoming known as a tough and efficient leader. In World War II he commanded the British army in the North Africa Campaign and forced the German retreat from Egypt after the Battle of El Alamein (1942). He commanded troops in the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy (1943) and in the Normandy Campaign, leading the British-Canadian army group across northern France and into northern Germany. Promoted to field marshal, he became chief of the imperial staff (1946-48) and later deputy commander of NATO (1951-58). A cautious, thorough strategist, "Monty" often exasperated fellow Allied commanders, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, but his insistence on complete readiness ensured his popularity with his troops
Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein: born Nov. 17, 1887, London, Eng. died March 24, 1976, near Alton, Hampshire British general in World War II. Educated at Sandhurst, he distinguished himself in World War I and remained in the army, becoming known as a tough and efficient leader. In World War II he commanded the British army in the North Africa Campaign and forced the German retreat from Egypt after the Battle of El Alamein (1942). He commanded troops in the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy (1943) and in the Normandy Campaign, leading the British-Canadian army group across northern France and into northern Germany. Promoted to field marshal, he became chief of the imperial staff (1946-48) and later deputy commander of NATO (1951-58). A cautious, thorough strategist, "Monty" often exasperated fellow Allied commanders, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, but his insistence on complete readiness ensured his popularity with his troops
Charles Cornwallis 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl Cornwallis: born Dec. 31, 1738, London, Eng. died Oct. 5, 1805, Ghazipur, India British soldier and statesman. In 1780, during the American Revolution, he was appointed British commander in the American South. He defeated Horatio Gates at Camden, S.C., then marched into Virginia and encamped at Yorktown (see Siege of Yorktown). Trapped and besieged there, he was forced to surrender his army (1781), a defeat that effectively ended military operations in the war. Despite his defeat, he retained esteem in England. As governor-general of India (1786-93, 1805), he introduced legal and administrative reforms; the Cornwallis Code (1793) established a tradition of incorruptible British civil servants. In the third Mysore War he defeated Tippu Sultan in 1792. As viceroy of Ireland (1798-1801), he supported the parliamentary union of Britain and Ireland. He negotiated the Anglo-French Treaty of Amiens in 1802. Reappointed governor-general of India in 1805, he died shortly after his arrival there
Clement 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow Attlee: born Jan. 3, 1883, Putney, London, Eng. died Oct. 8, 1967, Westminster, London British Labour Party leader (1935-55) and prime minister (1945-51). Committed to social reform, he lived for much of the years (1907-22) in a settlement house in London's impoverished East End. Elected to Parliament in 1922, he served in several Labour governments and in the wartime coalition government of Winston Churchill, whom he succeeded as prime minister in 1945. Attlee presided over the establishment of the welfare state in Britain, the nationalization of major British industries, and the granting of independence to India, an important step in the conversion of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations. He resigned when the Conservatives narrowly won the election in 1951
Clement Richard 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow Attlee: born Jan. 3, 1883, Putney, London, Eng. died Oct. 8, 1967, Westminster, London British Labour Party leader (1935-55) and prime minister (1945-51). Committed to social reform, he lived for much of the years (1907-22) in a settlement house in London's impoverished East End. Elected to Parliament in 1922, he served in several Labour governments and in the wartime coalition government of Winston Churchill, whom he succeeded as prime minister in 1945. Attlee presided over the establishment of the welfare state in Britain, the nationalization of major British industries, and the granting of independence to India, an important step in the conversion of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations. He resigned when the Conservatives narrowly won the election in 1951
Douglas 1st Earl Haig: born June 19, 1861, Edinburgh, Scot. died Jan. 29, 1928, London, Eng. British general in World War I. A career army officer, he was promoted to general in 1914 and led British forces in northern France. In 1915 he succeeded John French as commander in chief of the British Expeditionary Force. Advocating a strategy of attrition, he was criticized for the enormous British losses at the Battles of the Somme (1916) and Ypres (1917). He was promoted to field marshal in 1916. In 1918 he secured the appointment of Ferdinand Foch as commander of the Allied forces; the two worked well together, and after helping stop the last German offensive, Haig led the victorious Allied assault in August 1918
Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood: born Sept. 14, 1864, London, Eng. died Nov. 24, 1958, Tunbridge Wells, Kent British statesman. The son of the marquess of Salisbury, he served during World War I as minister of blockade and as assistant secretary of state for foreign affairs. He was one of the principal draftsmen of the League of Nations covenant in 1919 and, as president of the League of Nations Union (1923-45), one of the League's most loyal workers until it was superseded by the United Nations. In 1937 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby 1st Viscount Allenby: born April 23, 1861, Brackenhurst, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire, Eng. died May 14, 1936, London British field marshal. He fought in the South African War and served as inspector general of cavalry (1910-14). In World War I, he commanded with distinction in the Middle East. His victory over the Turks at Gaza (1917) led to the capture of Jerusalem, and his victory at Megiddo, along with his capture of Damascus and Aleppo, ended Ottoman power in Syria. His success was partly due to his innovative use of cavalry and other mobile forces, and he is remembered as the last great British leader of mounted cavalry. As high commissioner for Egypt (1919-25), he steered that country to recognition as a sovereign state (1922)
Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby 1st Viscount Allenby of Megiddo and of Felixstowe: born April 23, 1861, Brackenhurst, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire, Eng. died May 14, 1936, London British field marshal. He fought in the South African War and served as inspector general of cavalry (1910-14). In World War I, he commanded with distinction in the Middle East. His victory over the Turks at Gaza (1917) led to the capture of Jerusalem, and his victory at Megiddo, along with his capture of Damascus and Aleppo, ended Ottoman power in Syria. His success was partly due to his innovative use of cavalry and other mobile forces, and he is remembered as the last great British leader of mounted cavalry. As high commissioner for Egypt (1919-25), he steered that country to recognition as a sovereign state (1922)
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood 1st earl of Halifax: born April 16, 1881, Powderham Castle, Devonshire, Eng. died Dec. 23, 1959, Garroby Hall, near York, Yorkshire British statesman. He was elected to Parliament in 1910. As viceroy of India (1925-31), he worked on terms of understanding with Mohandas K. Gandhi and accelerated constitutional advances. His tenure as foreign secretary (1938-40) in Neville Chamberlain's government was controversial because of Chamberlain's policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler, but Halifax kept the post into Winston Churchill's ministry. As ambassador to the U.S. (1941-46), he greatly served the Allied cause in World War II, for which he was created earl of Halifax in 1944
Edward Hyde 1st earl of Clarendon: born Feb. 18, 1609, Dinton, Wiltshire, Eng. died Dec. 9, 1674, Rouen, France. English statesman and historian. A successful lawyer, he was also well known in literary circles. As a member of Parliament, he became an adviser to Charles I, recommending moderate policies, but was unable to prevent the English Civil Wars. He helped bring about the Restoration of Charles II and was created earl of Clarendon in 1661. As lord chancellor (1660-67), he dominated most aspects of the administration. His criticism of the king's immorality eventually destroyed their friendship, and Parliament made him a scapegoat for the disasters of the Anglo-Dutch War of 1665. Dismissed as lord chancellor in 1667, he spent the rest of his life in exile in France, where he completed his History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England
Edward Seymour 1st duke of Somerset: born 1500/06 died Jan. 22, 1552, London, Eng. English politician. After his sister, Jane Seymour, married King Henry VIII in 1536, Somerset rose rapidly in royal favour. He commanded the English forces that invaded Scotland and sacked Edinburgh in 1544, and he decisively defeated the French at Boulogne in 1545. After Henry's death (1547), he was named Protector of England during the minority of Edward VI and acted as king in all but name. When the Scots rejected his appeal for a voluntary union with England, he invaded Scotland and won the Battle of Pinkie (1547). He introduced moderate Protestant reforms, but these provoked Catholic uprisings in western England. His land reforms were opposed by landowners and the duke of Northumberland, who had Somerset deposed from the protectorate in 1549. He was imprisoned in 1551 on a flimsy charge of treason and executed the next year
Evelyn Baring 1st earl of Cromer: born Feb. 26, 1841, Cromer Hall, Norfolk, Eng. died Jan. 29, 1917, London British administrator in Egypt. After serving as an army officer (1858-72), he became private secretary to his cousin Lord Northbrook, viceroy of India. In 1877 he went to Egypt to help resolve Egypt's financial problems. Named British agent and consul general in 1883, he instituted a form of government known as the Veiled Protectorate, whereby he ruled the Egyptian khedives. Egypt was made financially solvent by 1887, and Cromer's parsimony and encouragement of agricultural projects increased its prosperity. Until his resignation in 1907, he remained the country's real ruler, profoundly influencing Egypt's development as a modern state
FitzRoy James Henry Somerset 1st Baron Raglan: born Sept. 30, 1788, Badminton, Gloucestershire, Eng. died June 28, 1855, near Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia English army officer. He served as aide and, later, military secretary to the duke of Wellington. Appointed commander in chief of British forces in the Crimean War (1854), he gave an ambiguous order in the Battle of Balaklava that led to the disastrous charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade under the earl of Cardigan. Raglan became the scapegoat for the campaign's lack of progress and the inadequate supplies to the troops in the winter of 1854-55. His name was applied to the raglan sleeve, probably designed to adapt his coat to the arm he had amputated after the Battle of Waterloo
FitzRoy James Henry Somerset 1st Baron Raglan of Raglan: born Sept. 30, 1788, Badminton, Gloucestershire, Eng. died June 28, 1855, near Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia English army officer. He served as aide and, later, military secretary to the duke of Wellington. Appointed commander in chief of British forces in the Crimean War (1854), he gave an ambiguous order in the Battle of Balaklava that led to the disastrous charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade under the earl of Cardigan. Raglan became the scapegoat for the campaign's lack of progress and the inadequate supplies to the troops in the winter of 1854-55. His name was applied to the raglan sleeve, probably designed to adapt his coat to the arm he had amputated after the Battle of Waterloo
Frederic John Napier Thesiger 1st Viscount Chelmsford: born Aug. 12, 1868, London, Eng. died April 1, 1933, London English colonial administrator. In 1905 he was appointed governor of Queensland, Austl., and in 1909 of New South Wales. He left Australia in 1913 to serve in India as a captain in the Dorsetshire regiment. As viceroy of India in a time of surging Indian nationalism (1916-21), he helped to institute reforms increasing Indian representation in government but provoked opposition by his severe measures against nationalists
Frederic John Napier Thesiger 1st Viscount Chelmsford of Chelmsford: born Aug. 12, 1868, London, Eng. died April 1, 1933, London English colonial administrator. In 1905 he was appointed governor of Queensland, Austl., and in 1909 of New South Wales. He left Australia in 1913 to serve in India as a captain in the Dorsetshire regiment. As viceroy of India in a time of surging Indian nationalism (1916-21), he helped to institute reforms increasing Indian representation in government but provoked opposition by his severe measures against nationalists
Frederick Edwin Smith 1st earl of Birkenhead: born July 12, 1872, Birkenhead, Cheshire, Eng. died Sept. 30, 1930, London British politician. Elected to the House of Commons in 1906, he became noted as an orator and soon became a leader of the Conservative Party. As attorney general (1915-18), he successfully prosecuted Roger Casement. As lord chancellor (1919-22), he secured passage of the Law of Property Act (1922) and subsequent real-property statutes (1925) that replaced a convoluted system of land law. He also helped negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921
George 1st duke of Albermarle Monck: born Dec. 6, 1608, Great Potheridge, Devon, Eng. died Jan. 3, 1670, London English general. He served with the Dutch army against the Spanish in the Netherlands (1629-38) and later suppressed a rebellion in Ireland (1642-43). He fought in Ireland and Scotland in the English Civil Wars, then served in Scotland as commander (1650) and governor (1654). Appointed a general at sea (1652) in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, he played a leading part in the English naval victories. In 1660 he was the chief architect of the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy, for which he was created duke of Albemarle
George Calvert 1st Baron Baltimore: born 1578/79, Kipling, Yorkshire, Eng. died April 15, 1632 English colonialist. He served in the House of Commons from 1621; charged with communicating the policy of James I, he was distrusted by Parliament. After declaring himself a Roman Catholic (1625), he gave up his office and was created Baron Baltimore, receiving land grants in Ireland. To assure the prosperity of his New World holdings, he took his family to his Newfoundland colony in 1628. Because of conflict over his Catholicism and the severe climate, he petitioned Charles I for a land grant in the Chesapeake Bay area. He died before the charter was granted, and his son Cecil became proprietor of the colony of Maryland
George Calvert 1st Baron Baltimore of Baltimore: born 1578/79, Kipling, Yorkshire, Eng. died April 15, 1632 English colonialist. He served in the House of Commons from 1621; charged with communicating the policy of James I, he was distrusted by Parliament. After declaring himself a Roman Catholic (1625), he gave up his office and was created Baron Baltimore, receiving land grants in Ireland. To assure the prosperity of his New World holdings, he took his family to his Newfoundland colony in 1628. Because of conflict over his Catholicism and the severe climate, he petitioned Charles I for a land grant in the Chesapeake Bay area. He died before the charter was granted, and his son Cecil became proprietor of the colony of Maryland
Guy Carleton 1st Baron Dorchester: born Sept. 3, 1724, Strabane, County Tyrone, Ire. died Nov. 10, 1808, Stubbings, Berkshire, Eng. Irish soldier-statesman. In 1759 he was sent to Canada, where he fought in the Battle of Quebec. He served as lieutenant governor (1766-68) and governor (1768-78) of Quebec province. His conciliatory policies toward the French Canadians led to passage of the Quebec Act of 1774. He helped repel the attack on Quebec by American Revolutionary forces in 1775. He was appointed commander of British forces in North America in 1782 and then governor in chief of British North America (1786-96)
Guy Carleton 1st Baron Dorchester of Dorchester: born Sept. 3, 1724, Strabane, County Tyrone, Ire. died Nov. 10, 1808, Stubbings, Berkshire, Eng. Irish soldier-statesman. In 1759 he was sent to Canada, where he fought in the Battle of Quebec. He served as lieutenant governor (1766-68) and governor (1768-78) of Quebec province. His conciliatory policies toward the French Canadians led to passage of the Quebec Act of 1774. He helped repel the attack on Quebec by American Revolutionary forces in 1775. He was appointed commander of British forces in North America in 1782 and then governor in chief of British North America (1786-96)
H H 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith Asquith: born Sept. 12, 1852, Morley, Yorkshire, Eng. died Feb. 15, 1928, Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire British politician and prime minister (1908-16). Elected to the House of Commons in 1886, he served as home secretary (1892-95). A leader of the Liberal Party, he became prime minister in 1908. His plan to limit the powers of the House of Lords was enacted by the Parliament Act of 1911. He led Britain in the early years of World War I, but domestic crises combined with British losses in the war led to widespread dissatisfaction. He resigned in 1916 but remained leader of his party until 1926
Harold Alexander 1st Earl Alexander: born Dec. 10, 1891, London, Eng. died June 16, 1969, Slough, Buckinghamshire British field marshal in World War II. In 1940 he helped direct the Dunkirk evacuation and was the last man to leave the beaches. Appointed British commander in chief in the Mediterranean theatre in 1942, he helped lead the North Africa Campaign against the Germans. He directed the invasions of Sicily and Italy, then became commander in chief of Allied forces in Italy. After the war, he served as governor-general of Canada (1946-52) and as Britain's minister of defense (1952-54)
Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Alexander: born Dec. 10, 1891, London, Eng. died June 16, 1969, Slough, Buckinghamshire British field marshal in World War II. In 1940 he helped direct the Dunkirk evacuation and was the last man to leave the beaches. Appointed British commander in chief in the Mediterranean theatre in 1942, he helped lead the North Africa Campaign against the Germans. He directed the invasions of Sicily and Italy, then became commander in chief of Allied forces in Italy. After the war, he served as governor-general of Canada (1946-52) and as Britain's minister of defense (1952-54)
Henry Saint John 1st Viscount Bolingbroke: born Sept. 16, 1678, probably Wiltshire, Eng. died Dec. 12, 1751, Battersea, near London British politician. After entering Parliament in 1701, he became a prominent Tory in the reign of Queen Anne, serving as secretary of war (1704-08) and of state (1710-15). He was dismissed from office by George I and, fearing impeachment because of his intrigues with the Jacobites, he fled to France in 1715. He returned to England in 1725 and became the centre of a literary circle that included Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and John Gay. He waged an influential propaganda campaign in opposition to the Whigs and their leader, Robert Walpole, and also wrote several historical and philosophical works, including The Idea of a Patriot King (published secretly by Pope in 1744 and as a corrected version in 1749)
Herbert Henry 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith Asquith: born Sept. 12, 1852, Morley, Yorkshire, Eng. died Feb. 15, 1928, Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire British politician and prime minister (1908-16). Elected to the House of Commons in 1886, he served as home secretary (1892-95). A leader of the Liberal Party, he became prime minister in 1908. His plan to limit the powers of the House of Lords was enacted by the Parliament Act of 1911. He led Britain in the early years of World War I, but domestic crises combined with British losses in the war led to widespread dissatisfaction. He resigned in 1916 but remained leader of his party until 1926
Herbert Louis Samuel 1st Viscount Samuel: born Nov. 6, 1870, Liverpool, Eng. died Feb. 5, 1963, London British politician. A social worker in the London slums, he entered the House of Commons in 1902, where he effected legislation that established juvenile courts and the Borstal system for youthful offenders. As postmaster general (1910-14, 1915-16), he nationalized the telephone system. Appointed the first British high commissioner for Palestine (1920-25), he improved the region's economy and promoted harmony among its religious communities. He presided (1925-26) over the royal commission on the coal industry and helped to settle the general strike of May 1926. He led the Liberal Party in the House of Commons (1931-35), and after being made viscount (1937), he was leader of the party in the House of Lords (1944-55). As president of the British (later Royal) Institute of Philosophy (1931-59), he wrote popular works such as Practical Ethics (1935) and Belief and Action (1937)
Herbert Louis Samuel 1st Viscount Samuel of Mount Carmel and of Toxeth: born Nov. 6, 1870, Liverpool, Eng. died Feb. 5, 1963, London British politician. A social worker in the London slums, he entered the House of Commons in 1902, where he effected legislation that established juvenile courts and the Borstal system for youthful offenders. As postmaster general (1910-14, 1915-16), he nationalized the telephone system. Appointed the first British high commissioner for Palestine (1920-25), he improved the region's economy and promoted harmony among its religious communities. He presided (1925-26) over the royal commission on the coal industry and helped to settle the general strike of May 1926. He led the Liberal Party in the House of Commons (1931-35), and after being made viscount (1937), he was leader of the party in the House of Lords (1944-55). As president of the British (later Royal) Institute of Philosophy (1931-59), he wrote popular works such as Practical Ethics (1935) and Belief and Action (1937)
James Butler 12th earl and 1st duke of Ormonde: born Oct. 19, 1610, London, Eng. died July 21, 1688, Kingston Lacy, Dorset Anglo-Irish statesman. Born into the prominent Butler family of Ireland, he succeeded to the earldom of Ormonde in 1632. In service to the English crown in Ireland from 1633, he fought against the Catholic rebellion from 1641. He concluded a peace with the Catholic confederacy in 1649, then rallied support for Charles II, but he was forced to flee when Oliver Cromwell landed at Dublin. He was Charles's adviser in exile (1650-60). After the Restoration he was appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland (1662-69, 1677-84), where he encouraged Irish commerce and industry. He was created a duke in 1682
James Graham 5th earl and 1st marquess of Montrose: born 1612 died May 21, 1650, Edinburgh, Scot. Scottish general in the English Civil Wars. He served in the Covenanter army that invaded northern England (1640) but remained a royalist. Appointed lieutenant-general by Charles I (1644), he led his royalist army of Highlanders and Irish to victories in major battles in Scotland. After Charles's defeat in 1645, Montrose fled to the European continent. He returned to Scotland in 1650 with 1,200 men, but he was defeated, captured, and hanged
James Stanhope 1st Earl Stanhope: born 1673, Paris, France died Feb. 5, 1721, London, Eng. English soldier and statesman. He began a military career in 1691 and rose rapidly to become commander in chief of the English army in Spain in 1708 in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was defeated and captured by the French (1710), then returned to England (1712) and regained his seat in the House of Commons (1701-21). He served in the Whig government as secretary of state and negotiated the Quadruple Alliance against Spain (1718). Stanhope served as first lord of the treasury (1717-18), but his ministry was discredited by the South Sea Bubble scandal
Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Amherst: born Jan. 29, 1717, Sevenoaks, Kent, Eng. died Aug. 3, 1797, Sevenoaks British army commander. In the French and Indian War, he took the French fort at Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island, in 1758 and was promoted to chief of command in America. In 1760 he directed the campaign that captured Quebec and Montreal, and in 1761 he quelled the Indian uprising under Pontiac. Having secured Canada for Britain, he remained there as governor-general until 1763. Returning to England, he served as commander in chief of the British army (1772-95), but his tenure was marred by failure in the war with the American colonies and by serious abuses in the army. He was created a baron in 1776 and a field marshal in 1796. Several U.S. towns and Amherst College are named for him
John 1st earl of Ypres French: born Sept. 28, 1852, Ripple, Kent, Eng. died May 22, 1925, Deal, Kent British military leader. A soldier from 1874, he successfully led the British cavalry in the South African War. He was appointed inspector general in 1907 and chief of the army general staff in 1913. As commander of the British Expeditionary Force from the beginning of World War I, he was criticized for his indecisive leadership at Ypres, Belg., and elsewhere that caused large numbers of British casualties. Forced to resign in 1915, he served as commander in chief in Britain and later as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1918-21)
John Allsebrook Simon 1st Viscount Simon: born Feb. 28, 1873, Manchester, Eng. died Jan. 11, 1954, London British politician. A successful lawyer, he served in the House of Commons (1906-18, 1922-40). In the 1930s he led the Liberal National Party and served successively as foreign secretary (1931-35), home secretary (1935-37), and chancellor of the Exchequer (1937-40). Favouring rapprochement with Germany, he supported the appeasement policy of Neville Chamberlain and the Munich agreement. In 1940 Simon was appointed lord chancellor in Winston Churchill's wartime coalition ministry and was created a viscount
John Allsebrook Simon 1st Viscount Simon of Stackpole Elidor: born Feb. 28, 1873, Manchester, Eng. died Jan. 11, 1954, London British politician. A successful lawyer, he served in the House of Commons (1906-18, 1922-40). In the 1930s he led the Liberal National Party and served successively as foreign secretary (1931-35), home secretary (1935-37), and chancellor of the Exchequer (1937-40). Favouring rapprochement with Germany, he supported the appeasement policy of Neville Chamberlain and the Munich agreement. In 1940 Simon was appointed lord chancellor in Winston Churchill's wartime coalition ministry and was created a viscount
John Arbuthnot Fisher 1st Baron Fisher: born Jan. 25, 1841, Ceylon died July 10, 1920, London, Eng. British admiral and first sea lord. He entered the navy at 13 and saw combat in Crimea, China, and Egypt. Promoted to the Admiralty board in 1892, he became first sea lord in 1904. He reorganized and strengthened the British navy to counter the rapid expansion of the German navy, and his reforms and innovations including the conception of the battleship Dreadnought, which revolutionized naval construction ensured the Royal Navy's dominance in World War I. He retired in 1910; recalled in 1914 by Winston Churchill, he resigned the next year in protest against the Dardanelles Campaign
John Arbuthnot Fisher 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone: born Jan. 25, 1841, Ceylon died July 10, 1920, London, Eng. British admiral and first sea lord. He entered the navy at 13 and saw combat in Crimea, China, and Egypt. Promoted to the Admiralty board in 1892, he became first sea lord in 1904. He reorganized and strengthened the British navy to counter the rapid expansion of the German navy, and his reforms and innovations including the conception of the battleship Dreadnought, which revolutionized naval construction ensured the Royal Navy's dominance in World War I. He retired in 1910; recalled in 1914 by Winston Churchill, he resigned the next year in protest against the Dardanelles Campaign
John Churchill 1st duke of Marlborough: born May 26, 1650, Ashe, Devon, Eng. died June 16, 1722, Windsor, near London British military commander. He served with distinction at Maastricht (1673), was promoted rapidly, and advanced at court, in part because his wife (see Sarah Jennings, duchess of Marlborough) was a confidant of Princess (later Queen) Anne. On the accession of James II in 1685, Churchill was made a lieutenant general and effective commander in chief. In 1688 he transferred his allegiance to William III, who rewarded him with the earldom of Marlborough and a succession of commands in Flanders and Ireland. His relationship with William deteriorated in the 1690s. Queen Anne appointed him commander of English and Dutch forces in the War of the Spanish Succession, and for his successes he was created duke of Marlborough (1702). His victory at the Battle of Blenheim (1704) helped change the balance of power in Europe. In gratitude, he was granted a royal manor, where Blenheim Palace was built. His outstanding military tactics continued to produce victories, notably at Ramillies (1706) and Oudenaarde (1708). His influence with Queen Anne and financial backing for the war were undermined by intrigue between Tories and Whigs. After his Whig allies lost the election of 1710, he was dismissed on charges of misuse of public money. He retired from public life, though he was restored to favour by George I in 1714. Considered one of England's greatest generals, he secured a reputation in Europe that was unrivaled until the rise of Napoleon
John Denton Pinkstone 1st earl of Ypres French: born Sept. 28, 1852, Ripple, Kent, Eng. died May 22, 1925, Deal, Kent British military leader. A soldier from 1874, he successfully led the British cavalry in the South African War. He was appointed inspector general in 1907 and chief of the army general staff in 1913. As commander of the British Expeditionary Force from the beginning of World War I, he was criticized for his indecisive leadership at Ypres, Belg., and elsewhere that caused large numbers of British casualties. Forced to resign in 1915, he served as commander in chief in Britain and later as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1918-21)
John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton 1st Baron Acton: born Jan.10, 1834, Naples, Kingdom of Naples died June 19, 1902, Tegernsee, Bavaria, German Empire English historian. He served in the House of Commons (1859-65). Editor of the Roman Catholic monthly The Rambler (1859-64), he resigned because of papal criticism of his scientific approach to history. An adviser to William E. Gladstone from 1865, he was raised to the peerage in 1869. In 1895 he was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge. He later coordinated the massive publication project of The Cambridge Modern History. A critic of nationalism, he coined the familiar aphorism "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton 1st Baron Acton of Aldenham: born Jan.10, 1834, Naples, Kingdom of Naples died June 19, 1902, Tegernsee, Bavaria, German Empire English historian. He served in the House of Commons (1859-65). Editor of the Roman Catholic monthly The Rambler (1859-64), he resigned because of papal criticism of his scientific approach to history. An adviser to William E. Gladstone from 1865, he was raised to the peerage in 1869. In 1895 he was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge. He later coordinated the massive publication project of The Cambridge Modern History. A critic of nationalism, he coined the familiar aphorism "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
John George Lambton 1st earl of Durham: born April 12, 1792, London died July 28, 1840, Cowes, Isle of Wight, Eng. British colonial administrator in Canada. He was a member of the British House of Commons (1813-28) and served in the cabinet of Earl Grey (1830-33). In 1838 he was appointed governor-general and lord high commissioner of Canada. He appointed a new executive council to placate the rebellious French Canadians of Lower Canada (later Quebec). Criticized in England for his action, he resigned. He later issued the Durham Report, which advocated the union of Lower Canada and Upper Canada and the expansion of self-government to preserve Canadian loyalty to Britain
John Rushworth Jellicoe 1st Earl Jellicoe: born Dec. 5, 1859, Southampton, Hampshire, Eng. died Nov. 20, 1935, London British admiral. He entered the Royal Navy in 1872 and rose through the ranks to become commander of the fleet during World War I (1914-16). He won a crucial victory in the Battle of Jutland (1916), after which he was promoted to first sea lord of the Admiralty (1916-17) and admiral of the fleet (1919). He served as governor of New Zealand (1920-24)
John Russell 1st Earl Russell: born Aug. 18, 1792, London, Eng. died May 28, 1878, Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey British politician and prime minister (1846-52, 1865-66). A member of the prominent Russell family, he entered Parliament in 1813. He was a strong advocate of reform and made it a cause of the Whig Party, leading the effort to pass the Reform Bill of 1832. He served in Viscount Melbourne's government as home secretary (1835), reducing the number of crimes liable to capital punishment and beginning state support of public education. In the 1840s he advocated free trade and forced Robert Peel out of office. Russell became prime minister in 1846 and established the 10-hour day in factories (1847) and a board of public health (1848), but party disunity defeated his attempts at wider social and economic reform
John Russell 1st Earl Russell of Kingston Russell: born Aug. 18, 1792, London, Eng. died May 28, 1878, Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey British politician and prime minister (1846-52, 1865-66). A member of the prominent Russell family, he entered Parliament in 1813. He was a strong advocate of reform and made it a cause of the Whig Party, leading the effort to pass the Reform Bill of 1832. He served in Viscount Melbourne's government as home secretary (1835), reducing the number of crimes liable to capital punishment and beginning state support of public education. In the 1840s he advocated free trade and forced Robert Peel out of office. Russell became prime minister in 1846 and established the 10-hour day in factories (1847) and a board of public health (1848), but party disunity defeated his attempts at wider social and economic reform
Louis Mountbatten 1st Earl Mountbatten: orig. Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas, prince of Battenberg born June 25, 1900, Frogmore House, Windsor, Eng. died Aug. 27, 1979, Donegal Bay, off Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ire. British statesman and naval commander. Son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and great-grandson of Queen Victoria, he entered the Royal Navy in 1913 and became an aide to the prince of Wales in 1921. In World War II he was allied commander for Southeast Asia (1943-46) and directed the recapture of Burma. Appointed viceroy of India (1947), he administered the transfer of power from Britain to the independent nations of India and Pakistan and served as the first governor-general of India (1947-48). He became first sea lord (1955-59) and chief of the United Kingdom Defense Staff (1959-65). In 1979, while on a sailing visit to Ireland, he was assassinated by Irish terrorists who planted a bomb on his boat
Louis Mountbatten 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma: orig. Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas, prince of Battenberg born June 25, 1900, Frogmore House, Windsor, Eng. died Aug. 27, 1979, Donegal Bay, off Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ire. British statesman and naval commander. Son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and great-grandson of Queen Victoria, he entered the Royal Navy in 1913 and became an aide to the prince of Wales in 1921. In World War II he was allied commander for Southeast Asia (1943-46) and directed the recapture of Burma. Appointed viceroy of India (1947), he administered the transfer of power from Britain to the independent nations of India and Pakistan and served as the first governor-general of India (1947-48). He became first sea lord (1955-59) and chief of the United Kingdom Defense Staff (1959-65). In 1979, while on a sailing visit to Ireland, he was assassinated by Irish terrorists who planted a bomb on his boat
Richard Burdon 1st Viscount Haldane: born July 30, 1856, Edinburgh, Scot. died Aug. 19, 1928, Cloan, Perthshire Scottish lawyer and statesman. As British secretary of state for war (1905-12), he instituted important military reforms; the speedy mobilization of British forces in 1914 was largely due to his planning. He was lord chancellor (1912-15) in H.H. Asquith's government and again (1924) in James Ramsay MacDonald's Labour Party government
Richard Burdon 1st Viscount Haldane of Cloane: born July 30, 1856, Edinburgh, Scot. died Aug. 19, 1928, Cloan, Perthshire Scottish lawyer and statesman. As British secretary of state for war (1905-12), he instituted important military reforms; the speedy mobilization of British forces in 1914 was largely due to his planning. He was lord chancellor (1912-15) in H.H. Asquith's government and again (1924) in James Ramsay MacDonald's Labour Party government
Robert 1st Baron Clive: born Sept. 29, 1725, Styche, Shropshire, Eng. died Nov. 22, 1774, London British soldier and colonial administrator. In 1743 he was sent to Madras (Chennai) for the East India Company, where hostilities between it and the French East India Company allowed him to demonstrate his military skills. He made a fortune and returned to England in 1753 but was sent back to India in 1755. In 1757 his victory over the nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey made him the virtual master of Bengal. His first government, though tainted by corruption and duplicity, was a model of generalship and statecraft. Back in England, he was elected to Parliament (1760) but failed to become a national statesman. He returned to India as governor and commander in chief of Bengal (1765-67). His reorganizing of the colony, including his fight against corruption, helped establish Britain's power in India. He himself was attacked by Parliament on charges of corruption; though exonerated, he later committed suicide
Robert 1st Baron Clive of Plassey: born Sept. 29, 1725, Styche, Shropshire, Eng. died Nov. 22, 1774, London British soldier and colonial administrator. In 1743 he was sent to Madras (Chennai) for the East India Company, where hostilities between it and the French East India Company allowed him to demonstrate his military skills. He made a fortune and returned to England in 1753 but was sent back to India in 1755. In 1757 his victory over the nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey made him the virtual master of Bengal. His first government, though tainted by corruption and duplicity, was a model of generalship and statecraft. Back in England, he was elected to Parliament (1760) but failed to become a national statesman. He returned to India as governor and commander in chief of Bengal (1765-67). His reorganizing of the colony, including his fight against corruption, helped establish Britain's power in India. He himself was attacked by Parliament on charges of corruption; though exonerated, he later committed suicide
Robert 1st earl of Orford Walpole: born Aug. 26, 1676, Houghton Hall, Norfolk, Eng. died March 18, 1745, London English statesman generally regarded as the first British prime minister. Elected to the House of Commons in 1701, he became an active Whig parliamentarian. He served as secretary at war (1708-10) and as treasurer of the navy (1710-11). He was also a member of the Kit-Cat Club. The Tory government sought to remove his influence by impeaching him for corruption, and he was expelled from the Commons in 1712. With the accession of George I (1714), he regained his position and rose rapidly to become first lord of the treasury and chancellor of the Exchequer (1715-17, 1721-42). Although associated with the South Sea Bubble scandal, he restored confidence in the government and maintained the Whigs in office. He cultivated the support of George II from 1727 and used royal patronage for political ends, skillfully managing the House of Commons to win support for his trade and fiscal programs, including the sinking fund. With his consolidation of power, he effectively became the first British prime minister. He avoided foreign entanglements and kept England neutral until 1739 but was forced into the War of Jenkins' Ear. He resigned under pressure in 1742 and was created an earl. His acclaimed art collection, sold to Russia in 1779, became part of the Hermitage Museum collection
Robert 1st earl of Oxford Harley: born Dec. 5, 1661, London, Eng. died May 21, 1724, London English politician. Elected to Parliament in 1688, he led a coalition of Whigs and moderate Tories. He was speaker of the House of Commons (1701-05) and secretary of state (1704-08). A favourite of Queen Anne, he changed his politics to ally with the Tories. He became chancellor of the Exchequer and head of the Tory ministry in 1710. Created earl of Oxford (1711) and lord treasurer, he secured a reasonable peace at the Peace of Utrecht (1713). He was exiled from power by the Hanoverian succession and imprisoned (1715-17), after which he retired from politics
Robert 1st earl of Salisbury Cecil: born June 1, 1563, London, Eng. died May 24, 1612, Marlborough, Wiltshire English statesman. Trained in statesmanship by his father, William Cecil, Robert entered the House of Commons in 1584. He became acting secretary of state in 1590 and was formally appointed to the post by Elizabeth I in 1596. He succeeded his father as chief minister in 1598 and guided the peaceful succession of Elizabeth by James I, for whom he continued as chief minister from 1603 and lord treasurer from 1608. He negotiated the end of the war with Spain in 1604 and allied England with France
Robert Anthony 1st earl of Avon Eden: born June 12, 1897, Windlestone, Durham, Eng. died Jan. 14, 1977, Alvediston, Wiltshire British politician. After combat service in World War I, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1923. He became foreign secretary in 1935 but resigned in 1938 to protest Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. He held the post again in 1940-45 and in 1951-55, and he helped to settle the Anglo-Iranian oil dispute and arranged an armistice in Indochina. Succeeding Winston Churchill as prime minister in 1955, he attempted to ease international tension by welcoming to Britain Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolay A. Bulganin of the Soviet Union. His fall began when Egypt seized the Suez Canal and he supported an Anglo-French intervention in Egypt (see Suez Crisis). He resigned in 1957, citing ill health
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 1st Viscount Cecil: born Sept. 14, 1864, London, Eng. died Nov. 24, 1958, Tunbridge Wells, Kent British statesman. The son of the marquess of Salisbury, he served during World War I as minister of blockade and as assistant secretary of state for foreign affairs. He was one of the principal draftsmen of the League of Nations covenant in 1919 and, as president of the League of Nations Union (1923-45), one of the League's most loyal workers until it was superseded by the United Nations. In 1937 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Robert Stephenson Smyth 1st Baron Baden-Powell: born Feb. 22, 1857, London, Eng. died Jan. 8, 1941, Nyeri, Kenya British army officer and founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (later Girl Scouts; see scouting). He was noted for his use of observation balloons in warfare in Africa (1884-85). In the South African War, he became a national hero in the Siege of Mafikeng. Having learned that his military textbook Aids to Scouting (1899) was being used to train boys in woodcraft, he wrote Scouting for Boys (1908) and that same year established the Boy Scout movement. In 1910, with his sister Agnes and his wife, Olave, he founded the Girl Guides
Robert Stephenson Smyth 1st Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell: born Feb. 22, 1857, London, Eng. died Jan. 8, 1941, Nyeri, Kenya British army officer and founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (later Girl Scouts; see scouting). He was noted for his use of observation balloons in warfare in Africa (1884-85). In the South African War, he became a national hero in the Siege of Mafikeng. Having learned that his military textbook Aids to Scouting (1899) was being used to train boys in woodcraft, he wrote Scouting for Boys (1908) and that same year established the Boy Scout movement. In 1910, with his sister Agnes and his wife, Olave, he founded the Girl Guides
Roy Herbert Thomson 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet: born June 5, 1894, Toronto, Ont., Can. died Aug. 4, 1976, London, Eng. Canadian-British publisher. Thomson began acquiring radio stations and newspapers in Ontario in the 1930s; later he expanded his interests to Britain and the U.S. and added television holdings. In 1952 he bought The Scotsman newspaper and went to Edinburgh to run it. In 1959 he purchased the Kemsley group of newspapers, the largest in Britain, which included the Sunday Times. In 1967 he made his most important purchase, The Times of London, and thereafter made a major investment in it, providing it with financial stability. In the 1970s Thomson joined a consortium that was successful in discovering two oil fields. It sold The Times in 1981 and divested interests in U.K. newspapers in 1995. The acquisition of various publishing and other interests continued into the 21st century, and the Thomson Corp. is today one of the largest publishing conglomerates in the world
Roy Thomson 1st Baron Thomson: born June 5, 1894, Toronto, Ont., Can. died Aug. 4, 1976, London, Eng. Canadian-British publisher. Thomson began acquiring radio stations and newspapers in Ontario in the 1930s; later he expanded his interests to Britain and the U.S. and added television holdings. In 1952 he bought The Scotsman newspaper and went to Edinburgh to run it. In 1959 he purchased the Kemsley group of newspapers, the largest in Britain, which included the Sunday Times. In 1967 he made his most important purchase, The Times of London, and thereafter made a major investment in it, providing it with financial stability. In the 1970s Thomson joined a consortium that was successful in discovering two oil fields. It sold The Times in 1981 and divested interests in U.K. newspapers in 1995. The acquisition of various publishing and other interests continued into the 21st century, and the Thomson Corp. is today one of the largest publishing conglomerates in the world
Sir Arthur Travers 1st Baronet Harris: born April 13, 1892, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng. died April 5, 1984, Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire British air officer. He served in World War I and after the war in various posts in the Royal Air Force (RAF). Nicknamed Bomber Harris, as air marshal and commander of the RAF bomber command (1942), he developed the saturation technique of mass bombing (concentrating clouds of bombers in a giant raid on a single city) that was applied with destructive effect on Germany in World War II
Sir James Fitzjames 1st Baronet Stephen: born March 3, 1829, London, Eng. died March 11, 1894, Ipswich, Suffolk British legal historian and judge. His General View of the Criminal Law of England (1863) was the first attempt to explain the principles of English law since the work of William Blackstone. As a member of the British viceroy's council in India (1869-72), he helped codify and reform Indian law. He later taught at the Inns of Court (1875-79) and served as a judge of the High Court of Justice (1879-91). His Indictable Offenses Bill, though never enacted, greatly influenced the reformation of criminal law in English-speaking countries
Sir Samuel 1st Baronet Cunard: born Nov. 21, 1787, Halifax, Nova Scotia died April 28, 1865, Kensington, London, Eng. Canadian-British merchant and shipowner. He became prosperous in commerce and began laying plans in 1830 to establish mail service between England and North America. He went to England in 1838 and in 1839 cofounded the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., known as the Cunard Line. In 1840, four Cunard liners began the first regular service across the Atlantic Ocean
Sir Walter 1st Baronet Scott: born Aug. 15, 1771, Edinburgh, Scot. died Sept. 21, 1832, Abbotsford, Roxburgh Scottish writer, often considered both the inventor and the greatest practitioner of the historical novel. From childhood Scott was familiar with stories of the Border region of Scotland. Apprenticed to his father, a lawyer, in 1786, he later became sheriff depute of Selkirk and clerk to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. His interest in border ballads led to the collection Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802-03). His first original poetic romance, The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805), established his reputation; The Lady of the Lake (1810) was his most successful contribution to the genre. He produced editions of the works of John Dryden, 18 vol. (1808), and Jonathan Swift, 19 vol. (1814). Troubled with debt, from 1813 he wrote in part to make money. He tired of narrative poetry and turned to prose romances. The extremely popular series now known as the Waverley novels consists of more than two dozen works dealing with Scottish history, including the masterpieces Old Mortality (1816), Rob Roy (1817), and The Heart of Midlothian (1818). He drew on English history and other themes for Ivanhoe (1819), Kenilworth (1821), and Quentin Durward (1823). All his novels were published anonymously until 1827
Sir William 1st Baronet Johnson: born 1715, Smithtown, County Meath, Ire. died July 11, 1774, near Johnstown, N.Y. British colonial official. In 1737 he emigrated from Ireland and settled in New York's Mohawk Valley. He purchased his first tract of land two years later, thus beginning the acquisitions that eventually made him one of the largest landholders and wealthiest settlers in British America. He fostered friendly relations with the Indians; his ties with them were further cemented when, following the death of his first wife, he married successively two Mohawk women. In 1746 he was appointed colonel of the Iroquois Confederacy. In the French and Indian War he defeated French forces at Lake George, N.Y. (1755), and captured Fort Niagara (1759). He was appointed superintendent of the Six Iroquois Nations (1756-74), helped subdue the Indian uprising called Pontiac's War (1763-64), and negotiated the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768)
Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin: born Aug. 3, 1867, Bewdley, Worcestershire, Eng. died Dec. 14, 1947, Astley Hall, near Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire British politician. After managing his family's large industrial holdings, he became a Conservative member of the House of Commons (1908-37). He served as financial secretary of the treasury (1917-21) and president of the Board of Trade (1921-22), then was appointed prime minister (1923-24, 1924-29, 1935-37). He proclaimed a state of emergency in the general strike of 1926 and later secured passage of the antiunion Trade Disputes Act. As prime minister after 1935, he began to strengthen the British military while showing little public concern about the aggressive policies of Germany and Italy. He was criticized for not protesting the Italian conquest of Ethiopia. In 1936 he satisfied public opinion by procuring the abdication of Edward VIII, whose desire to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson, Baldwin believed, threatened the prestige of the monarchy
Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: born Aug. 3, 1867, Bewdley, Worcestershire, Eng. died Dec. 14, 1947, Astley Hall, near Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire British politician. After managing his family's large industrial holdings, he became a Conservative member of the House of Commons (1908-37). He served as financial secretary of the treasury (1917-21) and president of the Board of Trade (1921-22), then was appointed prime minister (1923-24, 1924-29, 1935-37). He proclaimed a state of emergency in the general strike of 1926 and later secured passage of the antiunion Trade Disputes Act. As prime minister after 1935, he began to strengthen the British military while showing little public concern about the aggressive policies of Germany and Italy. He was criticized for not protesting the Italian conquest of Ethiopia. In 1936 he satisfied public opinion by procuring the abdication of Edward VIII, whose desire to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson, Baldwin believed, threatened the prestige of the monarchy
Thomas 1st earl of Dorset Sackville: born 1536, Buckhurst, Sussex, Eng. died April 19, 1608, London English politician and poet. A London barrister, he entered Parliament in 1558. He was a member of the Privy Council (1585) and conveyed the death sentence to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1586. He later served on diplomatic missions to The Hague and served as lord high treasurer (1599-1608). He was also noted as the coauthor of The Tragedie of Gorboduc (1561), the earliest English drama in blank verse, and for his "Induction," the most famous part of the verse collection A Myrrour for Magistrates (1563)
Thomas Erskine 1st Baron Erskine: born Jan. 10, 1750, Edinburgh, Scot. died Nov. 17, 1823, Almondell, Linlithgowshire Scottish lawyer. He was the youngest son of Henry David Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan. After service in the British navy and army, he entered the law, and in 1778 he was called to the bar. His practice flourished after he won a seminal libel case, and he went on to make important contributions to the protection of personal liberties. His defense of politicians and reformers on charges of treason and related offenses, including an unsuccessful defense of Thomas Paine (1792), checked repressive measures taken by the British government in the aftermath of the French Revolution. He contributed to the law of criminal responsibility by defending, on the novel ground of insanity, a would-be assassin of George III. He served in Parliament (1783-84, 1790-1806) until elevated to the peerage (1806), and he was lord chancellor (1806-07) in William Grenville's "ministry of all talents." In 1820 he defended Queen Caroline, whom George IV had brought to trial before the House of Lords for adultery in order to deprive her of her rights and title. Erskine's courtroom speeches are characterized by vigour, cogency, and lucidity and often by great literary merit
Thomas Erskine 1st Baron Erskine of Restormel: born Jan. 10, 1750, Edinburgh, Scot. died Nov. 17, 1823, Almondell, Linlithgowshire Scottish lawyer. He was the youngest son of Henry David Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan. After service in the British navy and army, he entered the law, and in 1778 he was called to the bar. His practice flourished after he won a seminal libel case, and he went on to make important contributions to the protection of personal liberties. His defense of politicians and reformers on charges of treason and related offenses, including an unsuccessful defense of Thomas Paine (1792), checked repressive measures taken by the British government in the aftermath of the French Revolution. He contributed to the law of criminal responsibility by defending, on the novel ground of insanity, a would-be assassin of George III. He served in Parliament (1783-84, 1790-1806) until elevated to the peerage (1806), and he was lord chancellor (1806-07) in William Grenville's "ministry of all talents." In 1820 he defended Queen Caroline, whom George IV had brought to trial before the House of Lords for adultery in order to deprive her of her rights and title. Erskine's courtroom speeches are characterized by vigour, cogency, and lucidity and often by great literary merit
Thomas George Shaughnessy 1st Baron Shaughnessy: born Oct. 6, 1853, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S. died Dec. 10, 1923, Montreal, Que., Can. Canadian railway executive. After working as a clerk for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, he joined the Canadian Pacific Railway as general purchasing agent (1882), becoming vice president (1891-99), president (1899-1918), and chairman of the board (from 1918). He oversaw the greatest expansion in the railroad's history and added shipping and mining industries to its holdings
Thomas George Shaughnessy 1st Baron Shaughnessy of Montreal and Ashford: born Oct. 6, 1853, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S. died Dec. 10, 1923, Montreal, Que., Can. Canadian railway executive. After working as a clerk for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, he joined the Canadian Pacific Railway as general purchasing agent (1882), becoming vice president (1891-99), president (1899-1918), and chairman of the board (from 1918). He oversaw the greatest expansion in the railroad's history and added shipping and mining industries to its holdings
Thomas Howard 1st earl of Suffolk: born Aug. 24, 1561 died May 28, 1626, London, Eng. English naval officer and politician. Son of the 4th duke of Norfolk, Howard held naval commands and distinguished himself in the attack on the Spanish Armada (1588). He led naval forays against the Spanish in the reign of Elizabeth I. Created earl of Suffolk in 1603, he served James I as lord chamberlain (1603-14) and lord high treasurer (1614-18). In 1618 he was deprived of his office on charges of embezzlement and was briefly imprisoned with his wife, who had taken bribes from Spain
Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st duke of Newcastle: born July 21, 1693 died Nov. 17, 1768, London, Eng. British politician. He inherited lands from his father and uncle that by 1714 made him one of the wealthiest Whig landowners in England. He helped bring about the succession of George I, for which he received the title of duke (1715). Chosen by Robert Walpole as secretary of state, he served from 1724 to 1754, then succeeded his brother Henry Pelham as prime minister (1754-56, 1757-62). Noted for his skill in distributing patronage to secure parliamentary support for a particular ministry, Newcastle wielded great political influence in the reigns of George I and George II
Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st duke of Newcastle -under-Lyme: born July 21, 1693 died Nov. 17, 1768, London, Eng. British politician. He inherited lands from his father and uncle that by 1714 made him one of the wealthiest Whig landowners in England. He helped bring about the succession of George I, for which he received the title of duke (1715). Chosen by Robert Walpole as secretary of state, he served from 1724 to 1754, then succeeded his brother Henry Pelham as prime minister (1754-56, 1757-62). Noted for his skill in distributing patronage to secure parliamentary support for a particular ministry, Newcastle wielded great political influence in the reigns of George I and George II
Thomas Wentworth 1st earl of Strafford: born April 13, 1593, London, Eng. died May 12, 1641, London English politician and leading adviser to Charles I. Although an outspoken member of the opposition, he switched his support to the crown when offered a barony in 1628. As lord president of the north (1628-33), he quelled defiance to the crown. As lord deputy of Ireland (1633-39), he consolidated the royal authority, extended English settlement, reformed the administration, and increased revenues for the crown. He was recalled to command Charles's army against a Scottish revolt, but the costly war was opposed by the Long Parliament; as a target representing the king's authority, he was impeached by the Parliament in 1640. Strafford was accused of subverting the laws (he had offered to bring over the Irish army to subdue the king's opponents in England); when it looked as though he might be acquitted, John Pym, the leader of the House of Commons, had a bill of attainder passed that condemned Strafford to death. Strafford released the king from his promise of protection, and Charles gave his consent to the bill. Strafford was subsequently beheaded in the presence of an immense and jubilant crowd
Thomas Wriothesley 1st earl of Southampton: born Dec. 21, 1505, London, Eng. died July 30, 1550, London English politician. He followed his father, a herald, into royal service and became personal secretary to Thomas Cromwell (1533), whom he succeeded as a secretary of state to Henry VIII (1540). Wriothesley became one of Henry's leading councillors and was appointed lord chancellor of England (1544-47). After Henry's death, he was created earl of Southampton (1547) by the duke of Somerset, but he was deprived of the chancellorship. He supported Somerset's overthrow in 1549 but was excluded from the privy council in 1550
Vasco da 1st count da Vidigueira Gama: born 1460, Sines, Port. died Dec. 24, 1524, Cochin, India Portuguese navigator. On his first voyage to India (1497-99), he traveled around the Cape of Good Hope with four ships, visiting trading cities in Mozambique and Kenya en route. Portugal's King Manuel I acted quickly to open trade routes with India, but a massacre of Portuguese in India caused him to dispatch a fleet of 20 ships in 1502, led by da Gama, to establish Portuguese supremacy in the region. Da Gama, then an admiral, forced allegiance along the way from local rulers and attacked Arab shipping. After various battles, he secured obedience to Portuguese rule and returned home. In 1524 he was appointed Portuguese viceroy in India but died shortly after arriving in Goa. His voyages to India opened the sea route from western Europe to the East
Walter Devereux 1st earl of Essex: born Sept. 16, 1541, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales died Sept. 22, 1576, Dublin, Ire. English soldier. Born to a titled family, he helped suppress a rebellion in northern England in 1569 and was made earl of Essex in 1572. In 1573 he offered to subdue and colonize, at his own expense, a portion of Ulster that had not accepted English overlordship. There he treacherously captured and executed the Irish rebel leaders and massacred hundreds of the populace, contributing to Irish bitterness toward the English. Elizabeth I commanded him to break off the enterprise in 1575. He died of dysentery shortly after returning to Ireland from England
William 1st Viscount Slim Slim: born , Aug. 6, 1891, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng. died Dec. 14, 1970, London British general. He served with the British army in World War I and with the Indian army from 1920. In World War II he commanded Indian troops in East Africa and the Middle East (1940-41). As commander of the 1st Burma Corps (1942), he led a 900-mi (1,450-km) retreat from superior Japanese forces in Burma to India. In 1944 he led forces to repel a Japanese invasion of northern India; in 1945 he retook Burma from the Japanese. Promoted to field marshal (1948), he served as chief of the Imperial General Staff (1948-52) and later as governor-general of Australia (1953-60)
William 1st Baron Burghley Cecil: born Sept. 13, 1520, Bourne, Lincolnshire, Eng. died Aug. 5, 1598, London English statesman, principal adviser to Elizabeth I through most of her reign and a master of Renaissance statecraft. Having served as a councillor and cosecretary to Edward VI, he was appointed Elizabeth's sole secretary when she became queen in 1558. A dedicated and skillful adviser to the queen, Cecil was created Baron Burghley in 1571 and appointed lord high treasurer (1572-98). He obtained the trial and execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, thus securing the Protestant succession, and his preparations enabled England to survive the Spanish Armada. But he failed to induce Elizabeth to marry or to reform her church along more Protestant lines
William 1st Earl Cadogan: born 1672, Liscarton, County Meath, Ire. died July 17, 1726, Kensington, near London, Eng. British soldier. He served as a trusted colleague with the duke of Marlborough in the War of the Spanish Succession. Later he became involved in intrigues to secure the succession for the Hanoverian George I (1714). He crushed a Jacobite rebellion in 1716, was granted an earldom in 1718, and was promoted to commander in chief in 1722
William Alexander 1st earl of Stirling: born 1576, Menstrie, Clackmannan, Scot. died Feb. 12, 1640, London, Eng. Scottish poet and colonizer of Canada. He was a member of the court of James I, where he wrote his sonnet sequence Aurora (1604). In 1621 he obtained a grant for territory in North America that he named New Scotland (Nova Scotia), despite French claims to part of the land. He offered baronetcies to Scotsmen who would sponsor settlers, but the region was not colonized until his son established a settlement at Port Royal (Annapolis Royal). Alexander was compelled to surrender the territory under the Treaty of Susa (1629), which ended an Anglo-French conflict. Scottish settlers were ordered to withdraw by 1631
William Cavendish 1st duke of Newcastle: born 1593 died Dec. 25, 1676, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, Eng. British Royalist commander in the English Civil Wars. Through inheritances and royal favour, he became very wealthy. In 1642 he was given command of the four northern English counties and raised the siege of York (1642). After the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Marston Moor, he left England for France and Holland. He returned at the Restoration and regained his estates. A patron of poets and dramatists, he also wrote several comedies
William Cavendish 1st duke of Newcastle -upon-Tyne: born 1593 died Dec. 25, 1676, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, Eng. British Royalist commander in the English Civil Wars. Through inheritances and royal favour, he became very wealthy. In 1642 he was given command of the four northern English counties and raised the siege of York (1642). After the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Marston Moor, he left England for France and Holland. He returned at the Restoration and regained his estates. A patron of poets and dramatists, he also wrote several comedies
William Henry 1st Baron Beveridge: born March 5, 1879, Rangpur, India died March 16, 1963, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Eng. British economist. He took a lifelong interest in the problem of unemployment and served as director of labour exchanges (1909-16). He directed the London School of Economics (1919-37), then became master of University College, Oxford (1937-45). Invited by the government to become the architect of the new British welfare state, he helped shape Britain's social policies and institutions through the Beveridge Report (1942). His books included Insurance for All (1924), Full Employment in a Free Society (1944), and Pillars of Security (1948)
William Henry 1st Baron Beveridge of Tuggal: born March 5, 1879, Rangpur, India died March 16, 1963, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Eng. British economist. He took a lifelong interest in the problem of unemployment and served as director of labour exchanges (1909-16). He directed the London School of Economics (1919-37), then became master of University College, Oxford (1937-45). Invited by the government to become the architect of the new British welfare state, he helped shape Britain's social policies and institutions through the Beveridge Report (1942). His books included Insurance for All (1924), Full Employment in a Free Society (1944), and Pillars of Security (1948)
William Joseph 1st Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and Bishopston Slim: born , Aug. 6, 1891, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng. died Dec. 14, 1970, London British general. He served with the British army in World War I and with the Indian army from 1920. In World War II he commanded Indian troops in East Africa and the Middle East (1940-41). As commander of the 1st Burma Corps (1942), he led a 900-mi (1,450-km) retreat from superior Japanese forces in Burma to India. In 1944 he led forces to repel a Japanese invasion of northern India; in 1945 he retook Burma from the Japanese. Promoted to field marshal (1948), he served as chief of the Imperial General Staff (1948-52) and later as governor-general of Australia (1953-60)
William Murray 1st earl of Mansfield: born March 2, 1705, Scone, Perthshire, Scot. died March 20, 1793, London, Eng. British jurist. Called to the bar in 1730, he gained a wide reputation in 1737 when he eloquently supported before the House of Commons a merchants' petition to stop Spanish assaults on their ships. As chief justice of the King's Bench (1756-88), he conducted several scrupulously fair trials of persons accused of treason and seditious libel. He reduced an unwieldy mass of outmoded commercial law to a coherent body of rules, refined the law of contracts, and made major contributions to maritime law. He was a member of the cabinet three times, entrusting the great seal of his office to a committee so that he could retain the chief justiceship and still exert political power. In 1783 he declined cabinet office, preferring to serve as speaker of the House of Lords. Thomas B. Macaulay called him the father of modern Toryism