Product Code Database
George Wyndham, PC (29 August 1863 – 8 June 1913) was a British Conservative politician, statesman, man of letters, and one of The Souls.
Wyndham launched an Imperialist magazine called The Outlook in February 1898. This may have been supported financially by Cecil Rhodes, with whom he had a close relationship. Joseph Conrad, who was a contributor, described the publication:
Also in 1898, Wyndham was appointed Under-Secretary of State for War under Lord Salisbury, which he remained until 1900. He was closely involved in Irish affairs at two points. Having been private secretary to Arthur Balfour during the years around 1890 when Balfour was Chief Secretary for Ireland, Wyndham was himself made Chief Secretary by Salisbury in 1900. He continued in this position after Balfour succeeded as prime minister in July 1902, but was taken into the Cabinet, and sworn a member of the Privy Council on 11 August 1902.
Wyndham furthered the 1902 Land Conference and also successfully saw the significant Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903 into law. This change in the law ushered in the most radical change in history in Ireland's land ownership. Before it, Ireland's land was largely owned by landlords; within years of the Acts, most of the land was owned by their former tenants, who had been supported in their purchases by government subsidies.
He brought forward a devolution scheme to deal with the Home Rule question co-ordinated with the Irish Reform Association conceived by his permanent under-secretary Sir Antony MacDonnell (afterwards Baron) and with the approval of the Lord Lieutenant William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley. He resigned, largely as a result of the failure of his devolution scheme, in March 1905. Balfour's Unionist government fell in December 1905.
Wyndham was in October 1902 elected by the students of the University of Glasgow to be Lord Rector of the university for three years. He was elected a Member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in January 1903.
Wyndham was the leader of the "die-hard" opponents in the House of Commons of the Parliament Bill that became the Parliament Act 1911.
Wyndham died suddenly in June 1913 in Paris, aged 49, of a Embolism. He was survived by his wife and one son.
Lady Grosvenor died in February 1929, aged 73.
There has been speculation over the years that Wyndham was the natural father of Anthony Eden, who was prime minister from 1955 to 1957. Eden's mother, Sybil, Lady Eden, was evidently close to Wyndham, to whom Eden bore a striking resemblance.D. R. Thorpe (2003) Eden.
|
|
