Frederick Edward Guest CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DSOThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
PC (14 June 1875 – 28 April 1937), often known as
Freddie Guest, was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politicianPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
best known for being
Chief WhipThe Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
of
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
's Coalition
Liberal PartyThe Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
between 1917 and 1921. He was also
Secretary of State for AirThe Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
between 1921 and 1922. He won the Bronze medal with the British
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
team in the 1924 summer olympics in Paris
Background, education and military career
The
Guest familyThe Guest family are a British family of the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries who, among other things built a huge industrial business in the Dowlais Iron Company and later in Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.-John Guest:...
had made its fortune in the iron and steel industry in the 18th and 19th centuries and had married into the aristocracy. Frederick Guest was born in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the third son of Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne and Lady Cornelia Spencer-Churchill (1847–1927), daughter of John Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough. The Wimbornes were
ConservativesThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
who had been friends of Benjamin Disraeli. Guest was first cousin of
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, son of Lady Cornelia's brother, the Conservative politician
Lord Randolph ChurchillLord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill MP was a British statesman. He was the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane , daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry...
. His four brothers were also politically active, notably Ivor Guest, 2nd Baron and 1st Viscount Wimborne, a junior minister and
Lord Lieutenant of IrelandThe Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. In addition,
Henry GuestChristian Henry Charles Guest , usually known as Henry Guest, was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.- Family :...
and
Oscar GuestHon. Oscar Montague Guest was a politician in the United Kingdom, initially with the Liberal Party and later as a Conservative...
were
Members of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs), while Lionel Guest (1880–1935) was a member of the
London County CouncilLondon County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. Educated at Winchester School, Frederick Guest chose the military profession. After apprenticeship in the militia, Guest became (1897) an officer in the 1st Life Guards. He was sent to Egypt in 1900, was decorated for bravery in the South African War (served 1901–02), and rose to captain before retiring from active duty (1906).
Political career
In 1906 guest became private secretary to his cousin and close friend, Winston Churchill, a junior minister in
Sir Henry Campbell-BannermanSir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
's Liberal government. In 1904, during the controversy within the Conservative Party over adopting
protectionismProtectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
, Guest and other members of his family followed Churchill into the Liberal Party in support of
free tradeUnder a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
— and perhaps also to accelerate their political careers. Guest attempted three times to enter the House of Commons before winning the
East DorsetEast Dorset is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was formally known as the Eastern Division of Dorset. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
seat in the January 1910 general election. Although unseated because of election irregularities by his constituency agent, he was reelected in December 1910. Known in the political world as "Freddie Guest," he was a popular backbencher, became a Liberal Party
whipA whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in 1911, the same year was elected a charter member of the cross-bench Other Club of political insiders, and was appointed
Treasurer of the HouseholdThe position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
(Deputy Chief Whip) in 1912.
When
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began in August 1914, Guest returned to active service as aide-de-camp to Field Marshal Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force in France. Guest performed confidential missions for French, liaising with the
War OfficeThe War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
and with political leaders. Later (1916) Guest served in the East African theatre and was awarded the
Distinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. After being invalided out of the army following serious illness, Guest resumed his political career. In May 1917 he joined Lloyd George's
CoalitionA coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
government as joint patronage secretary of the treasury, or chief whip for the Coalition Liberals. Guest was appointed to the
Privy CouncilHer Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in the 1920 New Year Honours, entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable", and in 1921 was promoted to
Secretary of State for AirThe Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
, a post he held until the Coalition fell from power in October 1922. In the general election of November 1922 Guest lost his seat but in 1923 was returned for
StroudStroud is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, then in 1924 for
Bristol NorthBristol North was a borough constituency which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
. After losing as a Liberal in the 1929 election, he rejoined the Conservative Party, first sitting as a Conservative for
Plymouth DrakePlymouth Drake was a borough constituency in the city of Plymouth, in Devon. It elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
in 1931, and remaining in this position until his death.
Family and private life
Guest married Amy (1873–1959), daughter of American industrialist
Henry PhippsHenry Phipps, Jr. was an American entrepreneur and major philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of an English shoemaker who emigrated in the early part of the 19th century to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before settling in Pittsburgh. When a child, he was a friend and neighbor to Andrew Carnegie...
, in 1905. Apart from his political career he was an amateur motor racing driver and airplane pilot. In 1930 he became deputy master of the Guild of Air Pilots, and master in 1932. He also played
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, was a big-game hunter in
East AfricaEast Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, and was a celebrated man-about-town in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
society. Guest's wife — who was prominent as a women's suffragist, philanthropist and aviation enthusiast — owned valuable property in
Long IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. The couple were frequent visitors to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1920s and 1930s. They had a daughter, Diana (1909–1994) and two sons who became American citizens:
Winston Frederick Churchill Guest-Biography:Winston Guest was the son of Frederick Guest, a British politician, and his wife, Amy Phipps, who was the daughter of American businessman and philanthropist Henry Phipps, Jr. Guest was born in 1906. He won the International Polo Cup in 1930, 1936 and 1939. He died in 1982 at Nassau...
(1906–1982), a polo great, and
Raymond R. GuestCommander Raymond Richard Guest OBE Commander Raymond Richard Guest OBE Commander Raymond Richard Guest OBE (November 25, 1907 – December 31, 1991 was an American businessman, thoroughbred race horse owner and polo player. He was United States Ambassador to Ireland.-Biography:...
(1907–1991),
United States Ambassador to IrelandThere have been a total of 30 Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland meaning the Republic of Ireland. All except one, Frederick A. Sterling, have been non-career appointees, while there were three under President George W. Bush.-List of Ambassadors:...
, 1965–1968. Guest died from cancer in 1937, at the age of 61.
Polo
Guest competed for Great Britain at the 1924 Paris summer olympics. The British
PoloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
team received the Bronze Medal. He played along side Frederick Barrett,
Dennis BinghamDennis Bingham was a British Olympic polo player. He competed in the 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games and won the bronze medal alongside teammates Frederick Guest, Frederick Barrett, and Kinnear Wise.- References :...
and Kinnear Wise.
Guest can be found amongst the winners of the
Roehampton TrophyThe Roehampton trophy is the oldest polo trophy in the United Kingdom. The trophy was first played for at the Roehampton Club in 1902 and was won by Buccaneers...
. He would also lend horses to the English
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
team for the
International Polo CupThe International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup is a trophy in polo that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the United States and Great Britain. The match is the best of three games. In 1886 it was decided to make the polo match a continuing...
matches.
External links