Almeric Hugh Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough,
GBE (14 March 1861 – 22 September 1949) was a British
industrialist
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through per ...
and
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
politician. He was a founder of the
Military Massage Service and the Cambridgeshire Battalion of
The Suffolk Regiment
The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars, before bei ...
and treasurer of the
League of Nations Union The League of Nations Union (LNU) was an organization formed in October 1918 in Great Britain to promote international justice, collective security and a permanent peace between nations based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. The League of N ...
.
Early life
Born in London on 14 March 1861, Paget was the sixth and youngest son of
Lord Alfred Paget (the fifth son of
Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768 – 29 April 1854), styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as the Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving as a member ...
) and Cecilia Wyndham. His grandfather had commanded the British
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
at the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...
in 1815. Educated at
Harrow,
he was later made an honorary
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th centur ...
.
Career
Paget briefly worked for the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
, Derbyshire before emigrating to the United States in 1881. He established a cattle ranch at
Le Mars, Iowa
Le Mars is the county seat of Plymouth County, Iowa, United States. It is located on the Floyd River northeast of Sioux City. The population was 10,571 at the time of the 2020 census. Le Mars is part of the Sioux City metropolitan area.
Histo ...
, where he became acquainted with
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. Later he relocated to
St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
, where he was a real estate agent. Paget finally moved to New York City, where his brother Arthur introduced him to society. He lived in what is now
Lubin House
Lubin (; german: Lüben, szl, Lubin) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of ...
,
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
's alumni centre.
He joined
Henry Melville Whitney in establishing the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. in 1893 and the
Dominion Iron and Steel Company
The Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (also DOSCO) was a Canadian coal mining and steel manufacturing company.
Incorporated in 1928 and operational by 1930, DOSCO was predated by the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO), which was a merger o ...
Ltd. in 1901 at
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissol ...
.
Election to Parliament
In 1901 the Pagets moved to England, ostensibly due to the poor health of Paget's wife, Pauline. The family initially settled in Brandon Park House, Suffolk, and Paget was appointed
High Sheriff of Suffolk
This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Suffolk.
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The Sheriff was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county a ...
in 1909.
Paget was a highly successful
yachtsman
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
, winning the first prize in the open handicap race from
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
to
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
in 1902, and winning the Tsar's prize at
Cowes Week
Cowes Week ( ) is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily sailing races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest saili ...
in 1909. Following his return to England from the US, he was appointed rear-commodore of the
Royal Thames Yacht Club
The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The club ...
(1905-1910); he subsequently served as vice-commodore (1911-1923; 1932-1935; 1946-1949) and commodore (1924-1931; 1936-1945). The
Belvidere Cup was named by Paget in 1913, in honour of a boat owned by his father which had competed for the cup the first time it was contested in 1845.
In
1906
Events
January–February
* January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
, Paget contested the
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
constituency, losing with 3,924 votes to 4,232 for
Stanley Buckmaster. Paget was named president of the Eastern Provincial Division of the
National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations
The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...
in 1909. In
January 1910 he narrowly won the seat with 4,667 votes to 4,080 for Buckmaster, holding the seat until his resignation in 1917.
First World War
In August 1914 Paget founded the
Almeric Paget Massage Corps The Almeric Paget Massage Corps (later the Almeric Paget Military Massage Corps) was a British physiotherapy service during the First World War.
History
On the outbreak of the First World War, Almeric Paget and his first wife, the American soci ...
(renamed the Almeric Paget Military Massage Corps in December 1916, and the Military Massage Service in 1919).
Initially 50 masseuses were recruited, rapidly rising to over 100.
The corps established clinics in every hospital in the United Kingdom, with central direction from Paget's London townhouse at 39
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...
. After the war, clinics were continued in the poorer parts of London, with treatment provided for all who applied.
In November 1914, Paget founded the Massage and Electrical Outpatient Clinic, in premises at 55
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Named after the Third Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to BBC Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Institute of British ...
, London, loaned by Lady Alexander Paget. For the duration of the First World War the clinic treated an average of 200 wounded officers and soldiers per day.
In addition to the Massage Corps, following the outbreak of war Paget sponsored the formation of a Cambridgeshire Battalion formed of volunteers. Comprising approximately 1,350 volunteers, it became the 11th Battalion of
The Suffolk Regiment
The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars, before bei ...
, popularly known as the Cambs Suffolks. The Battalion was initially posted within the UK, transferring to France in 1916; 970 members died during World War I including 190 on
1 July 1916, first day on the Somme.
Ennoblement and later career
Paget resigned his parliamentary seat in July 1917. On 18 January 1918 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Queenborough, of
Queenborough
Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.
Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the R ...
in the County of Kent.
In 1920, he was appointed treasurer of the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...
Union, an office he held for sixteen years. He resigned in 1936 in protest at the League's recognition and admission of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. Lord Queenborough was created Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1926.
Lord Queenborough served as president of the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico (
Chihuahua and Pacific Railroad), chairman of Caxton Electrical Developments, chairman of
Siemens Brothers & Co., and chairman of the Queenborough Port Development Company. He was also governor of
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre.
...
,
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
; president of Miller General Hospital,
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
; president of Preston Hall Hospital,
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
; member of the Council of the
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park.
History
On 29 ...
; a Knight of Justice of the
Order of St. John of Jerusalem (K.J.St.J.); and president of the
Royal Society of St George
The Royal Society of St George is an English patriotic society established in 1894 to encourage interest in the English way of life, and English customs and traditions.
History
In 1415 St. George became the Patron Saint of England after the Engli ...
.
During the 1930s, Paget was a keen supporter of
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...
and
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
, extolling the ''Führer'' as late as 1939. He was also a fanatical anti-
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
campaigner, and in a 1935 article described a perceived plot between the
Freemasons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and the Communists to take over Europe. Despite these sympathies, he was appointed President of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations in 1928–29 and 1940–41.
Personal life
On 12 November 1895, he married Henry Melville Whitney's niece, the American heiress
Pauline Payne Whitney
Pauline Payne Whitney Paget (March 21, 1874 – November 22, 1916), was an American heiress and a member of the prominent Whitney family.
Early life
She was born in New York City, New York, to William C. Whitney and Flora (née Payne) Whitney. ...
. The marriage was solemnised at St. Thomas's Church in New York City, and among those attending was President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
. The Pagets were the parents of two daughters:
*
Olive Cecilia (b. 1899 – d. 9 September 1974, married three times and later the owner of
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, southeast of Maidstone. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds.
A castle has existed on the site since 857. In the 13th century, it came into th ...
). Her third husband,
Sir Adrian William Maxwell Baillie, Bt., was Member of Parliament for
Tonbridge
Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...
from 1937 to 1945.
*
Dorothy Wyndham (b. 1905 – d. 9 February 1960, never married)
In the middle of World War I, Pauline died at
Esher, Surrey
Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole.
Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up A ...
, after a three weeks' illness on 22 November 1916. She was buried at
Hertingfordbury
Hertingfordbury is a small village in Hertfordshire, England, close to the county town of Hertford. It was mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''. Hertingfordbury is also the name of a neighbouring civil parish, which does not contain the village. ...
, Hertfordshire.
On 19 July 1921, in New York City, he married conspiracy theorist and anti-Mormon agitator
Edith Starr Miller, daughter of a wealthy American couple,
William Starr Miller
William Starr Miller II (October 26, 1856 – September 14, 1935) was a prominent New York industrialist and real estate operator.
Early life
Miller was born in New York City on October 26, 1856. He was a son of George Norton Miller I (1805–18 ...
and Edith Caroline (Warren) Miller. Granddaughter of George H. Warren, one of the founders of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...
, Edith Miller had written ''
Common Sense in the Kitchen'' and ''
Occult Theocrasy
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion, religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as Ma ...
''. After marriage Paget and Edith moved to Camfield Place, near
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess o ...
. They had three daughters:
*Audrey Elizabeth (b. 4 May 1922 – d. 1991, aviator)
*Enid Louise (b. 14 July 1923)
*Cicilie Carol (b. 18 April 1928)
The Pagets later separated, and Edith sued in New York City for legal separation on 8 January 1932, citing cruelty. She died in Paris a year later, on 16 January 1933. He died at Hatfield on 22 September 1949, aged 88. With no male heir, his title became extinct.
Footnotes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queenborough, Almeric Paget, 1st Baron
1861 births
1949 deaths
Paget, Almeric
Paget, Almeric
Paget, Almeric
UK MPs who were granted peerages
British people of World War I
Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Whitney family
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Knights of Justice of the Order of St John
British male sailors (sport)
High Sheriffs of Suffolk
Almeric
Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
People educated at Harrow School
British anti-communists
British conspiracy theorists
Anti-Masonry
Barons created by George V
Military personnel from London
Suffolk Regiment officers
Cambridgeshire Regiment officers
British Army personnel of World War I