George Frederick Stanley
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir George Frederick Stanley GCSI
GCIE
CMG
(14 October 1872 – 1 July 1938) was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician who served as a member of the UK Parliament for Preston and later, Willesdon East. He also served the Governor of Madras from 1929 to 1934 and as Acting Viceroy of India in 1934.
The sixth son of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
, Stanley was educated at Wellington and at Woolwich. In 1903 he married Lady Beatrix Taylour, CBE
CI
, youngest daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Headfort
.
He entered the Royal Horse Artillery
in 1893 and was promoted to Captain in 1900. He served in the Second Boer War
in 1899–1900 and was Adjutant with the Honourable Artillery Company
from 1904–1909. He later served in World War I
and was mentioned in despatches and awarded the CMG
in 1916.
He was Conservative
Member of Parliament for Preston
from 1910–1922 and for Willesden East
from 1924–1929.
He held office as Comptroller of the Household
from 1919 until 1921, as Financial Secretary to the War Office
from 1921–1922, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
from 1922–1923, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1924–1929. He was Governor of Madras from 1929–1934.
He was appointed a Privy Counsellor
in 1927 and made a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
(GCIE) in 1929 and a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
in 1934.
Stanley assumed the governorate at a critical juncture. The Great Depression
had just broken out and the economy was deteriorating. The Premier P. Subbarayan
resigned after the 1930 elections when his party was voted out. The Swaraj Party
boycotted the elections as a part of the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Justice Party
was voted to power in the 1930 and 1934 elections. B. Munuswamy Naidu served as Premier from 1930 to 1932 but he had to resign in 1932 due to the strong opposition of landowning elements in the party. Naidu was succeeded by Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili whose administration soon became notorious for mis-governance.
During his tenure as Governor, Stanley inaugurated the Mettur Dam
across the Kaveri River
. The inauguration which took place on August 21, 1934, was attended by people from all parts of the Presidency. The reservoir created by the Dam was named Stanley Reservoir
in his honour. On January 17, 1930, Stanley laid the foundation stone of a Gaudiya math and a temple at Royapettah
, Madras.The first service of the Madras sub-urban line of the South Indian Railway Company was flagged off by Stanley from Madras Beach station on April 2, 1931.In 1933, Stanley inaugurated the five-year medicine and surgery diploma course at the Royapettah Medical College. On July 2, 1938, the school was renamed as Stanley Medical College in his honour.
in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India is named in memory of Stanley. The Diploma in Medicine and Surgery program was inaugurated here in 1933 by Stanley when he was the Governor of Madras. The college formerly known as Royapuram Medical School was renamed Stanley Medical School on 27 March 1934 in his honour. It was renamed to Stanley Medical College in 1938.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
GCIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(14 October 1872 – 1 July 1938) was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician who served as a member of the UK Parliament for Preston and later, Willesdon East. He also served the Governor of Madras from 1929 to 1934 and as Acting Viceroy of India in 1934.
The sixth son of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, PC , known as Frederick Stanley until 1886 and as Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as Colonial Secretary from 1885 to 1886 and the sixth Governor General...
, Stanley was educated at Wellington and at Woolwich. In 1903 he married Lady Beatrix Taylour, CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
CI
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
, youngest daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Headfort
Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort
Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort KP PC was an Irish peer, styled Lord Kenlis until 1829 and Earl of Bective from 1829 to 1870....
.
He entered the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
in 1893 and was promoted to Captain in 1900. He served in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
in 1899–1900 and was Adjutant with the Honourable Artillery Company
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
from 1904–1909. He later served in World War I
World War I
World 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...
and was mentioned in despatches and awarded the CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1916.
He was Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...
Member of Parliament for Preston
Preston (UK Parliament constituency)
Preston is a borough 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.-Boundaries:...
from 1910–1922 and for Willesden East
Willesden East (UK Parliament constituency)
Willesden East was a borough constituency in the Municipal Borough of Willesden, in North-West London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
from 1924–1929.
He held office as Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
from 1919 until 1921, as Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....
from 1921–1922, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
-Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782-present:*April 1782: Evan Nepean*April 1782: Thomas Orde*July 1782: Henry Strachey*April 1783: George North*February 1784: Hon. John Townshend*June 1789: Scrope Bernard*July 1794: The Hon...
from 1922–1923, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1924–1929. He was Governor of Madras from 1929–1934.
He was appointed a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her 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 1927 and made a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
(GCIE) in 1929 and a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
in 1934.
As Governor of Madras
Stanley was appointed Governor of Madras on October 26, 1929 at an annual pay of Rs. 1,20,000.He arrived in India and took over as Governor on November 12, 1929.Stanley assumed the governorate at a critical juncture. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
had just broken out and the economy was deteriorating. The Premier P. Subbarayan
P. Subbarayan
Paramasiva Subbarayan was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and diplomat and was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, India's ambassador to Indonesia and Union Minister of Transport and Communications in Jawaharlal Nehru's government. He is the father of General P. P...
resigned after the 1930 elections when his party was voted out. The Swaraj Party
Swaraj Party
The Swaraj Party, Swarajaya Party or Swarajya Party, established as the Congress-Khilafat Swarajaya Party, was a political party formed in India in 1922 that sought greater self-government and political freedoms for the Indian people from the British Raj. It was inspired by the concept of Swaraj...
boycotted the elections as a part of the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Justice Party
Justice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
was voted to power in the 1930 and 1934 elections. B. Munuswamy Naidu served as Premier from 1930 to 1932 but he had to resign in 1932 due to the strong opposition of landowning elements in the party. Naidu was succeeded by Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili whose administration soon became notorious for mis-governance.
During his tenure as Governor, Stanley inaugurated the Mettur Dam
Mettur Dam
The Mettur Dam is a large dam in India built in 1934.It was constructed in a gorge, where the Kaveri River enters the plains. The dam is one of the oldest in India . It provides irrigation facilities to a part of Salem, the length of Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappali and Thanjavur district for...
across the Kaveri River
Kaveri River
The Kaveri , also spelled Cauvery in English, is a large Indian river. The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the...
. The inauguration which took place on August 21, 1934, was attended by people from all parts of the Presidency. The reservoir created by the Dam was named Stanley Reservoir
Stanley Reservoir
Stanley Reservoir is one of largest fishing reservoirs in South India . Its source of water is the River Kaveri , and the water is retained by the Mettur Dam, Tamil Nadu. Its total capacity is more than 90,000,000,000 cubic feet ....
in his honour. On January 17, 1930, Stanley laid the foundation stone of a Gaudiya math and a temple at Royapettah
Royapettah
Royapettah is a centrally located suburb in the city of Chennai, India. It is situated to the west of the famous Marina Beach of Chennai. The locality features one of the developed commercial centres lying adjacent to the Chennai city center....
, Madras.The first service of the Madras sub-urban line of the South Indian Railway Company was flagged off by Stanley from Madras Beach station on April 2, 1931.In 1933, Stanley inaugurated the five-year medicine and surgery diploma course at the Royapettah Medical College. On July 2, 1938, the school was renamed as Stanley Medical College in his honour.
Commemoration
The Government Stanley Medical CollegeStanley Medical College
Stanley Medical College is a government medical college with hospitals, located in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Though the original hospital is more than 200 years old, the medical college was formally established on July 2, 1938...
in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India is named in memory of Stanley. The Diploma in Medicine and Surgery program was inaugurated here in 1933 by Stanley when he was the Governor of Madras. The college formerly known as Royapuram Medical School was renamed Stanley Medical School on 27 March 1934 in his honour. It was renamed to Stanley Medical College in 1938.