Thomas Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood,
PC,
KC (7 February 1870 – 10 September 1948), known as Sir Hamar Greenwood, Bt, between 1915 and 1929, was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
-born
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
lawyer and politician. He served as the last
Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1920 and 1922 and is associated with the activities of the
Black and Tans
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...
in Ireland. Both his sons died unmarried meaning that the title of
Viscount Greenwood became extinct in 2003.
Background and education
Greenwood was born in
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada, to John Hamar Greenwood (1829-1903), a lawyer who emigrated from
Llanbister,
Radnorshire,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, as a youth, and wife Charlotte Churchill Hubbard, who was from a
United Empire Loyalist
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America du ...
family that had an ancestor who immigrated to Canada after the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. He was educated at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
before emigrating to England as a young man.
Political career
Greenwood first stood for election as a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
and sat as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
from 1906 to 1910 and for
Sunderland from 1910 to 1922.
He served under
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...
as
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
This article lists past and present Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State serving the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom at the Home Office.
Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782–present
*April 1782: Evan Nepean
*April 1 ...
in 1919, as Additional
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is a vacant junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affa ...
, Additional
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade in the United Kingdom was a member of Parliament assigned to assist the Board of Trade and its President with administration and liaison with Parliament. It replaced the Vice-President of the Board ...
, as
Secretary for Overseas Trade
The Secretary for Overseas Trade was a junior Ministerial position in the United Kingdom government from 1917 until 1953, subordinate to the President of the Board of Trade. The office was replaced by the Minister of State for Trade on 3 Septem ...
from 1919 to 1920, and as the last
Chief Secretary for Ireland, with a seat in the Cabinet, from 1920 to 1922. He was made a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
in 1920.
As Chief Secretary, Greenwood was closely identified with the aggressive use of two specially formed paramilitary forces – the
Black and Tans
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...
and the
Auxiliaries
Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, ...
– during the
Irish War of Independence. After the burning of the centre of the city of
Cork by British auxiliary forces in December 1920, Greenwood blamed the "Sinn Féin rebels" and the people of Cork for
burning their own city. "A Lloyd George loyalist who believed in restoring British rule in Ireland by defeating the IRA, Greenwood’s denials and evasions became so frequent that he was lampooned with the phrase 'to tell a Greenwood'."
Greenwood lost his seat in the
1922 general election. At the
1924 general election, he was one of a small number of Liberals, including
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
, to stand as
Constitutionalist
Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law".
Political organizations are constitutional ...
candidates. These were Liberals who advocated closer ties between Liberals and Conservatives. Greenwood's candidature in
Walthamstow East was supported by the local Conservative association, but not by the local Liberals, who had their own candidate, and he won the seat. After the election, when it appeared that there was no prospect of closer formal ties between the two parties, Greenwood took the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
whip. He continued to represent Walthamstow East until 1929, although he never held government office again.
Post-politics
Greenwood had been created a baronet, of Onslow Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington, in 1915, and in the
1929 Dissolution Honours he was raised to the peerage as Baron Greenwood, of
Llanbister in the County of Radnor.
In 1937 he was further honoured when he was created Viscount Greenwood, of Holbourne in the County of London. He was president of the
British Iron and Steel Federation
The British Iron and Steel Federation (BISF), formed in 1934, was an organisation of British iron and steel producers responsible for the national planning of steel production. Its creation was imposed on the industry by Ramsay MacDonald's Nation ...
from 1938 to 1939 and chairman of the
Pilgrims Society from 1945 to 1948, and president of the Pilgrims Society in 1948.
He died on 10 September 1948 in
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
.
Family
His wife,
Margery Spencer, daughter of
The Rev. Walter Spencer of Fownhope
Court,
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...
, and wife Anne "Annie" Elizabeth Hudson, became Viscountess Greenwood. She was made a Dame Commander of the
Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(DBE) in 1922. She was the sister of
Muriel Forbes-Sempill, second wife of
Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple
Colonel Wilfrid William Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple, PC (13 September 1867 – 3 July 1939) was a British soldier and Conservative politician. He served as Minister of Transport between 1924 and 1929 under Stanley Baldwin.
Background and e ...
, known as Molly Mountemple.
They had two sons and two daughters. Their elder son, David Henry Hamar Greenwood, succeeded his father as second Viscount. He died unmarried and was succeeded as third Viscount by his younger brother, Michael George Hamar Greenwood, who died unmarried as well, in 2003 rendering the title extinct.
Their elder daughter,
Angela Margo Hamar Greenwood, married Edward Dudley Delevingne and is the paternal grandmother of model sisters
Poppy
A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug o ...
and
Cara Delevingne
Cara Jocelyn Delevingne ( ; born 12 August 1992) is an English model and actress. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014.
Delevingne sta ...
. Their younger daughter, Deborah Hamar Greenwood, married Patrick David de László, son of painter
Philip de László.
Arms
References
External links
*
*''British Diplomacy and Canadian Responsibilities''
).
Hamar Greenwooda
Whitby Public Library and Archives Digital Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwood, Hamar, 1st Viscount Greenwood
1870 births
1948 deaths
University of Toronto alumni
People of the Irish War of Independence
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Canadian emigrants to England
Canadian people of Welsh descent
Greenwood family
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of Gray's Inn
UK MPs 1906–1910
UK MPs 1910–1918
UK MPs 1918–1922
UK MPs 1924–1929
UK MPs who were granted peerages
People from Whitby, Ontario
Chief Secretaries for Ireland
English people of Welsh descent
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians
Barons created by George V
Viscounts created by George VI