Sir Edwin Henry Egerton, (8 November 1841 – 8 July 1916) was a British diplomat who was envoy to Greece and ambassador to Spain and Italy.

Career

Edwin Egerton was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, and joined the

Diplomatic Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

in 1859 as an attaché at

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He was Secretary of

Legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

1879–1881 and at

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

1881–85;

Consul-General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

1884–85; Secretary of Embassy at

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in 1885 and at

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

during 1885–86;

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

1892–1903;

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

1903–04 and Ambassador to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

1905–08. During his time in Paris, Egerton was trained by Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, who was then British Ambassador to France. Egerton was a member of the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

-sympathetic 'Lyons School' of British diplomacy. When Egerton retired in 1908, ''The Times'' correspondent in Rome wrote: :He will be followed into his retirement by the good wishes not only of the British colony, who received constant proofs of his kindness and interest in their concern, but also of the Italian Government, which has always found in him a cordial representative of the traditional friendship that has so long existed between England and Italy. During his tenure of his post no questions of any great moment have arisen between the two countries but, should such questions arise in the future, Sir Edwin has simplified their solution for his successors by enhancing the kindly feeling of Anglo-Italian relations. The British Archaeological School in Rome owes much to his generosity and has received from him the same liberal and personal support which he formerly gave to the school in Athens, while the untiring efforts of Lady Egerton in the cause of charity should have earned the lasting gratitude of many poor British subjects. The general regret experienced at their departure will be doubly felt by the many friends in whom they have inspired a sentiment of warm affection.

Honours

Egerton was appointed Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) in 1886, and knighted as a Knight Commander (KCB) of the same order in 1897. He received the Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(GCMG) in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902, and was invested as such by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on 8 August 1902.

Family

Edwin Egerton was a son of the Rev. Thomas Egerton (1809–1847) and Charlotte Catherine (1812–1894), daughter of Sir William Milner, 4th Baronet. He was a grandson of Wilbraham Egerton (MP died 1856) and a nephew of William Egerton, 1st Baron Egerton. He married in 1895 Olga, daughter of Prince Nicholas

Lobanov-Rostovsky Lobanov-Rostovsky (), feminine: Lobanova-Rostovskaya () is a Russian surname of noble origin, associated with the House of Lobanov-Rostovsky. Notable people with the surname include: * Aleksandr Lobanov-Rostovsky (disambiguation), multiple persons ...

of Lobanovo, Russia, and widow of M. Michel Katkoff who had been Russian Secretary of Legation at Lisbon. They had one son, John Frederick, who was killed in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.John Frederick Egerton
, Christ Church, Oxford

References

EGERTON, Rt. Hon. Sir Edwin Henry
''Who Was Who'', 1920–2008 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2007)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Egerton, Edwin Henry 1841 births 1916 deaths Edwin Henry People educated at Eton College Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Greece Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Italy Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom