Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey

The Right Honourable
The Earl Brassey
GCB TD JP DL
The Right Honourable The Earl Brassey GCB TD JP DL
	Lord Brassey, 1895.
Governor of Victoria
	In office; 6 February 1895 – 1900
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Preceded by	The Earl of Hopetoun
Succeeded by	Sir George Clarke
Personal details
Born	11 February 1836
Died	23 February 1918
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Anna Allnutt
Alma mater	University College, Oxford

Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey GCB TD JP DL (11 February 1836 – 23 February 1918), was a British Liberal Party politician, Governor of Victoria and founder of The Naval Annual.

Background and education

Brassey was the son of the railway contractor Thomas Brassey, by Maria Harrison, daughter of Joseph Harrison, a forwarding and shipping agent. He was the brother of Henry Brassey and Albert Brassey. He was educated at Rugby and University College, Oxford, and was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, in 1864.

Political career

Brassey was briefly Member of Parliament (MP) for Devonport in 1865,^[1] winning the seat at a by-election in June and then losing it again the general election in July.^[1] He returned to Parliament three years later as the representative for Hastings at the 1868 general election,^[2] holding that seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1886 general election.^[3] He was President of the first day of the 1874 Co-operative Congress.^[4] He served under William Ewart Gladstone as Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1880^[5] to 1884 and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty from 1884 to 1884. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1881^[6] and raised to the peerage as Baron Brassey, of Bulkeley in the County of Chester, in 1886.^[7] He again held office under Gladstone and then Lord Rosebery as a Lord-in-Waiting from 1893^[8] to 1895.^[9] In 1893 Queen Victoria appointed nine members as the Royal Opium Commission, which consisted of seven British and two Indian members, which was headed by Lord Brassey, who served as the Chairman. The Commission was to report on whether India Opium export trade to far east (China) should be ended and, further, whether poppy growing and consumption of Opium in India itself should be prohibited save for medical purpose.^[10]

Governor of Victoria

From 1895^[11] to 1900 he was Governor of Victoria, a colony in Australia, and lived in its capital, Melbourne, in Government House. Brassey is remembered in Australia's national capital, Canberra, with Brassey House, now a hotel (originally a guest house) in the inner suburb of Barton, Australian Capital Territory completed in 1927 to coincide with the relocation of the Federal Parliament from Melbourne, Victoria, to Canberra. Brassey House originally offered 45 rooms with shared bathing facilities, for the exclusive use of members of parliament and mid-level government officials relocating to Canberra. During the mid 1960s the government of the day expanded the capacity to 131 rooms and added conference and meeting rooms. It was sold in the mid-1980s to local businessmen and has been operated since as a residential hotel, now with 75 rooms including ensuites. It is said to have been built back-to-front, with the more ornate façade facing Belmore Gardens and its plainer face to Macquarie Street.35°18′41″S 149°08′06″E / 35.3115°S 149.1350°E / -35.3115; 149.1350^[12]

Sailing activities

Brassey's first experience of sailing was whilst he was still at Rugby school. After a short spell in a hired yacht called Zillah he started to compete successfully in club events in a yacht called Cymba (1855). In 1859 he became the owner of an iron yacht of 120 tons called Albatross, designed by his friend St Clare John Byrne and built at his father's Canada Works. He was elected as a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron at this time. In 1866 he ventured into auxiliary steam with the yacht Meteor and in 1872 used the steam yacht Eothen to visit Canada - although the vessel proved not to be best suited for this type of work. Eothen had formally been owned by the co-founder of P & O Company - Arthur Anderson.^[13]

Between 6 July 1876 and 27 May 1877 Brassey circumnavigated the world in his steam-assisted three-masted topsail-yard schooner Sunbeam, another yacht designed for him by St Clare Byrne. This voyage is said to have been the first circumnavigation by a private yacht. His son Thomas left the Sunbeam at Rio de Janeiro in order to return to school in England. His wife Annie, Lady Brassey (1839–1887), published an account of the cruise entitled In The Trades, The Tropics, & The Roaring Forties, or alternatively A Voyage In The Sunbeam: Our Home On The Ocean For Eleven Months. In 1880 Brassey's book The British Navy was published. In 1886, he started The Naval Annual (generally referred to as Brassey's Naval Annual). He edited The Naval Annual until 1891. He was succeeded as editor by his son Thomas.

At the age of 79 Brassey sailed his yacht Sunbeam to Mudros Bay in order to support the troops as a hospital ship during the ill fated Gallipoli Campaign.^[14]^[15]

Sunbeam under full sail

Honours and awards

Brassey was President of the Royal Statistical Society from 1879 to 1880. He was conferred with Honorary Membership of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland in 1891.[1] Following his return from Australia, he was President of the London Chamber of Commerce 1901-1902.^[16] He served as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1908^[17] to 1913.^[18] He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1906^[19] and made Viscount Hythe, of Hythe in the County of Kent, and Earl Brassey in 1911.^[20]

King David Kalākaua of Hawaii bestowed on Brassey the honor "Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua".^[21]

Freemasonry

He was a freemason. He was initiated to the craft as an Oxford student. In 1868, he became a member of Abbey Lodge No. 1184 and remained for 48 years. He was also a member of Derwent Lodge No. 4 and a founding brother of Navy Lodge No. 2612. When he was appointed Governor of Victoria, while he had never held any Lodge office, he was appointed Honorary Past Junior Grand Warden. In Melbourne, became a member of Clarke Lodge No. 98 and became its Senior Warden in 1896 and its Worshipful Master in 1897. On 4 May 1896 two days before being installed as Senior Warden, he was installed Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Victoria. His becoming of Grand Master was a bit controversial because many members preferred then-current Grand Master Sir William Clarke, 1st Baronet to stay and nominated him again. Clarke said that he would like the nomination to be withdrawn if Brassey was willing to serve. Brassey approved and Clarke withdrew the nomination, so Brassey was the sole candidate and therefore elected Grand Master.^[22]

Family

Lord Brassey married firstly Anna Allnutt, daughter of John Allnutt, of Clapham, Surrey. They had one son and four daughters. The third daughter, Lady Muriel Agnes, married Gilbert Sackville, 8th Earl De La Warr, and was the mother of Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, while the fourth daughter, Lady Marie Adelaide, married Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon. Lady Brassey died in September 1887, aged 47. Lord Brassey married secondly Lady Sybil de Vere Capell, daughter of Arthur Capell, Viscount Malden, and sister of George Capell, 7th Earl of Essex, in 1890. They had one daughter. Lord Brassey died in February 1918, aged 82, and was succeeded in the earldom by his only son, Thomas.

References

^ ^a ^b Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 109. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
^ Craig, op. cit. page 147
^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 120. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
^ "Congress Presidents 1869-2002" (PDF). February 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
^ "No. 24844". The London Gazette. 14 May 1880.
^ "No. 24976". The London Gazette. 24 May 1881.
^ "No. 25617". The London Gazette. 17 August 1886.
^ "No. 26413". The London Gazette. 16 June 1893.
^ "No. 26644". The London Gazette. 16 July 1895.
^ "No. 26443". The London Gazette. 22 September 1893.
^ "No. 26596". The London Gazette. 8 February 1895.
^ an Elegant Reminder of the Brassey's History, Brassey House, accessed 9 March 2011
^ Brassey, Earl (1917). Sunbeam RYS voyages & Experiences in Many Waters. London: John Murray. p. Chapters I, II & III.
^ "The Bulldog Breed". The Mirror of Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
^ "The 'Sunbeam' as Hospital Ship, July 30th 1915". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
^ "London Chamber of Commerce". The Times. No. 36791. London. 11 June 1902. p. 6. template uses deprecated parameter(s) (help)
^ "No. 28107". The London Gazette. 7 February 1908.
^ "No. 28777". The London Gazette. 28 November 1913.
^ "No. 27926". The London Gazette. 26 June 1906.
^ "No. 28514". The London Gazette. 18 July 1911.
^ The Royal Tourist—Kalakaua's Letters Home from Tokio to London. Editor: Richard A. Greer. Date: 10 March 1881
^ http://kenthenderson.com.au/m_papers03.html

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Brassey
Works by Lord Brassey at Project Gutenberg
Works by Thomas Brassey at Project Gutenberg
Works by or about Thomas Brassey at the Internet Archive

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Ferrand Sir Arthur William Buller	Member of Parliament for Devonport Jun 1865 – Jul 1865 With: William Ferrand	Succeeded by William Ferrand John Fleming
Preceded by George Waldegrave-Leslie Patrick Francis Robertson	Member of Parliament for Hastings 1868 – 1886 With: Frederick North 1868–1869 Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 1869–1880 Charles James Murray 1880–1883 Henry Bret Ince 1883–1885	Succeeded by Wilson Noble
Political offices
Preceded by Sir Massey Lopes, Bt	Civil Lord of the Admiralty 1880–1884	Succeeded by George Wightwick Rendel
Preceded by Henry Campbell-Bannerman	Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty 1884–1885	Succeeded by Charles Thomson Ritchie
Preceded by The Lord Wolverton	Lord-in-Waiting 1893–1895	Succeeded by The Earl Waldegrave
Government offices
Preceded by The Earl of Hopetoun	Governor of Victoria 1895–1900	Succeeded by Sir George Clarke
Honorary titles
Preceded by HRH The Prince of Wales	Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1908–1913	Succeeded by The Earl Beauchamp
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Earl Brassey 1911 – 1918	Succeeded by Thomas Allnutt Brassey
New creation	Baron Brassey 1886 – 1918	Succeeded by Thomas Allnutt Brassey

[craig1832-1885-1] Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 109. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.

[2] Craig, op. cit. page 147

[craig1885-1918-3] Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 120. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.

[PDF-4] "Congress Presidents 1869-2002" (PDF). February 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2008.

[5] "No. 24844". The London Gazette. 14 May 1880.

[6] "No. 24976". The London Gazette. 24 May 1881.

[7] "No. 25617". The London Gazette. 17 August 1886.

[8] "No. 26413". The London Gazette. 16 June 1893.

[9] "No. 26644". The London Gazette. 16 July 1895.

[10] "No. 26443". The London Gazette. 22 September 1893.

[11] "No. 26596". The London Gazette. 8 February 1895.

[12] Elegant Reminder of the Brassey's History, Brassey House, accessed 9 March 2011

[13] Brassey, Earl (1917). Sunbeam RYS voyages & Experiences in Many Waters. London: John Murray. p. Chapters I, II & III.

[14] "The Bulldog Breed". The Mirror of Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2013.

[15] "The 'Sunbeam' as Hospital Ship, July 30th 1915". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 31 May 2013.

[16] "London Chamber of Commerce". The Times. No. 36791. London. 11 June 1902. p. 6. template uses deprecated parameter(s) (help)

[17] "No. 28107". The London Gazette. 7 February 1908.

[18] "No. 28777". The London Gazette. 28 November 1913.

[19] "No. 27926". The London Gazette. 26 June 1906.

[20] "No. 28514". The London Gazette. 18 July 1911.

[21] The Royal Tourist—Kalakaua's Letters Home from Tokio to London. Editor: Richard A. Greer. Date: 10 March 1881

[22] ttp://kenthenderson.com.au/m_papers03.html

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v t e Governors of Victoria
Before Federation	Hotham Barkly Darling Viscount Canterbury Bowen Marquess of Normanby Loch Earl of Hopetoun Baron Brassey Clarke
After Federation	Talbot Gibson-Carmichael Fuller Stanley Earl of Stradbroke Baron Somers Baron Huntingfield Dugan Brooks Delacombe Winneke Murray McCaughey McGarvie Gobbo Landy de Kretser Chernov Dessau Gardner

v t e Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society
19th century	1834–1836 The Marquess of Lansdowne 1836–1838 Sir Charles Lemon, Bt 1838–1840 The Earl FitzWilliam 1840–1842 Viscount Sandon 1842–1843 The Marquess of Lansdowne 1843–1845 Lord Ashley 1845–1847 The Lord Monteagle of Brandon 1847–1849 The Earl FitzWilliam 1849–1851 The Earl of Harrowby 1851–1853 The Lord Overstone 1853–1855 The Earl FitzWilliam 1855–1857 The Earl of Harrowby 1857–1859 Lord Stanley 1859–1861 Lord John Russell 1861–1863 Sir John Pakington, Bt 1863–1865 William Henry Sykes 1865–1867 The Lord Houghton 1867–1869 William Ewart Gladstone 1869–1871 William Newmarch 1871–1873 William Farr 1873–1875 William Guy 1875–1877 James Heywood 1877–1879 George Shaw-Lefevre 1879–1880 Thomas Brassey 1880–1882 James Caird 1882–1884 Robert Giffen 1884–1886 Rawson W. Rawson 1886–1888 George Goschen 1888–1890 Thomas Graham Balfour 1890–1892 Frederic J. Mouat 1892–1894 Charles Booth 1894–1896 The Lord Farrer 1896–1897 John Biddulph Martin 1897 Alfred Edmund Bateman 1897–1899 Leonard Courtney 1899–1900 Henry Fowler 1900–1902 The Lord Avebury
20th century	1902–1904 Patrick George Craigie 1904–1905 Sir Francis Powell, Bt 1905–1906 The Earl of Onslow 1906–1907 Richard Martin 1907–1909 Sir Charles Dilke, Bt 1909–1910 Jervoise Athelstane Baines 1910–1912 Lord George Hamilton 1912–1914 Francis Ysidro Edgeworth 1914–1915 The Lord Welby 1915–1916 Lord George Hamilton 1916–1918 Bernard Mallet, Registrar General 1918–1920 Herbert Samuel 1920–1922 R. Henry Rew 1922–1924 The Lord Emmott 1924–1926 Udny Yule 1926–1928 The Viscount D'Abernon 1928–1930 A. William Flux 1930–1932 Sir Josiah Stamp 1932–1934 The Lord Meston 1934–1936 Major Greenwood 1936–1938 The Lord Kennet 1938–1940 Arthur Lyon Bowley 1940–1941 Henry William Macrosty 1941 Hector Leak 1941–1943 William Beveridge 1943–1945 Ernest Charles Snow 1945–1947 The Lord Woolton 1947–1949 David Heron 1949–1950 Sir Geoffrey Heyworth 1950–1952 Austin Bradford Hill 1952–1954 Ronald Fisher 1954–1955 The Lord Piercy 1955–1957 Egon Pearson 1957–1959 Harry Campion 1959–1960 Hugh Beaver 1960–1962 Maurice Kendall 1962–1964 Joseph Oscar Irwin 1964–1965 Sir Paul Chambers 1965–1966 L. H. C. Tippett 1966–1967 M. S. Bartlett 1967–1968 Frank Yates 1968–1969 Arthur Cockfield 1969–1970 R. G. D. Allen 1970–1971 Bernard Benjamin 1971–1972 George Alfred Barnard 1972–1973 Harold Wilson 1973–1974 D. J. Finney 1974–1975 Henry Daniels 1975–1977 Stella Cunliffe 1977–1978 Henry Wynn 1978–1980 Sir Claus Moser 1980–1982 David Cox 1982–1984 Peter Armitage 1984–1985 Walter Bodmer 1985–1986 John Nelder 1986–1987 James Durbin 1987–1989 John Kingman 1989–1991 Peter G. Moore 1991–1993 T. M. F. Smith 1993–1995 D. J. Bartholomew 1995–1997 Adrian Smith 1997–1999 Robert Nicholas Curnow 1999–2001 Denise Lievesley
21st century	2001–2003 Peter Green 2003–2005 Andy Grieve 2005–2007 Tim Holt 2008–2009 David Hand 2010–2010 Bernard Silverman (resigned Feb 2010; replaced pro tem by David Hand) 2011–2012 Valerie Isham 2013–2014 John Pullinger 2014–2016 Peter Diggle 2017–2018 David Spiegelhalter 2019– Deborah Ashby
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