Ronald Lindsay
British civil servant and diplomat (1877–1945)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Ronald Charles Lindsay GCB GCMG CVO PC (3 May 1877 – 21 August 1945) was a British diplomat. He was Ambassador to Turkey from 1925 to 1926 and to Germany from 1926 to 1928, Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 1928 to 1930 and Ambassador to the United States from 1930 to 1939.
Edward VIII
George VI
Stanley Baldwin
Neville Chamberlain
Sir Ronald Lindsay | |
|---|---|
Sir Ronald Lindsay in 1928. | |
| Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1928–1930 | |
| Preceded by | Sir William Tyrrell |
| Succeeded by | Sir Robert Vansittart |
| British Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 1930 – June 1939 | |
| Monarchs | George V Edward VIII George VI |
| Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain |
| Preceded by | Sir Esme Howard |
| Succeeded by | The Marquess of Lothian |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 May 1877 |
| Died | 21 August 1945 (aged 68) Bournemouth, England |
| Spouses | |
| Parent(s) | James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford Emily Florence Bootle-Wilbraham |
| Winchester College | |
Background and education
Lindsay was the fifth son of James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford, by Emily Florence Bootle-Wilbraham. David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford, was his elder brother and his maternal grandfather was Colonel the Honourable Edward Bootle-Wilbraham (second son of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale).[1]
He was educated at Winchester College in Winchester, Hampshire.[2]
Career
Lindsay was appointed Third Secretary in the Diplomatic Service in January 1901,[3] and advanced to First Secretary in 1911.[4] From 1913 to 1919 he was Under-Secretary of Finance for Egypt,[1] and was made a Grand Officer of the Order of the Nile by the Sultan of Egypt in 1915.[5] From 1919 to 1920 he was Counsellor of the Embassy in Washington D.C.,[6] before being posted as Minister Plenipotentiary to France in September 1920.[7] In 1921, he was appointed the Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign Office, a post he held until 1924. In 1925, he was appointed the Ambassador to Turkey[8] and was sworn of the Privy Council later that year.[9] In 1926, he moved to become Ambassador to Germany.[10] He returned to London in 1928 to become the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the civil service head of the Foreign Office.[1]
British Ambassador to the United States
After two years as Permanent Secretary, Lindsay was named as the Ambassador to the United States in November 1929,[11] and took up the position early the next year.[12][13][14] He was the first ambassador to move into the brand-new British embassy in 1930,[15] and remained in Washington for almost a decade, retiring in June 1939 to be replaced by Lord Lothian.[6]
Lindsay served an extraordinarily long term of nine years as U.S. ambassador, also as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps from July 1934 to August 1939,[16] his tenure being extended because of his effectiveness as a diplomat and the growing importance of American assistance during the years leading up to World War II.[17]
His last major official act as ambassador was to host the 1939 Royal Garden Party for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during the first-ever visit to the United States by a reigning British monarch.[18][19] The Royal Garden Party at the British embassy was considered the social event of the year in Washington.[20][21][22]
Honours
Lindsay was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1908,[23] a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1922,[24] a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1924,[25] and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1926.[26]
Personal life
Lindsay was married twice, both times to Americans; in 1909 to Martha Cameron, daughter of J. Donald Cameron (a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and the 32nd Secretary of War) and his wife Elizabeth Sherman Cameron;[27] and after his first wife's death in April 1918, he married prominent landscape gardener Elizabeth Sherman Hoyt, daughter of Colgate Hoyt, in 1924.[28] Both wives were grandnieces of William Tecumseh Sherman. There were no children from either marriage.[1][6]
Lindsay died in Bournemouth in August 1945, aged 68.[2] Lady Lindsay died in September 1954, aged 68.[29]