Frederick Edward Guest, (14 June 1875 – 28 April 1937) was a British politician best known for being
Chief Whip of Prime Minister
David Lloyd George's Coalition
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, 1917–1921. He was also
Secretary of State for Air between 1921 and 1922. He won the bronze medal with the British
polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
team at the
1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Early life
Frederick Edward Guest was born in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the third son of
Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne (1835–1914) and
Lady Cornelia Spencer-Churchill (1847–1927). The Guest family had made its fortune in the iron and steel industry during the 18th and 19th centuries and had married into the aristocracy. The Wimbornes were
Conservatives who had been friends of
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...
. His mother was the eldest daughter of
John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough.
Guest's four brothers were also politically active, with
Ivor Guest serving as 2nd Baron Wimborne, then 1st Viscount Wimborne, a junior minister, and
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In addition,
Henry Guest and
Oscar Guest were
Members of Parliament (MPs), while
Lionel Guest (1880–1935) was a member of the
London County Council. His sister Frances Charlotte Guest (1865–1957) was married to
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, who served as
Viceroy of India.
Guest was a first cousin of British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
,
Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, and
Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe, as well as a nephew of Conservative politician
Lord Randolph Churchill,
George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough, and
Lady Anne Emily Spencer Churchill, who was married to the
7th Duke of Roxburghe. His cousin, the 8th Duke of Roxburghe, was married to American heiress
Mary Goelet, the only daughter of
Ogden Goelet.
Career
Education and military career
Educated at
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
, Guest chose the military profession. He was commissioned as
second-lieutenant in the Infantry militia,
East Surrey Regiment, and promoted to
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
on 7 April 1894. After apprenticeship in the militia, Guest was on 15 May 1897 appointed an officer in the
1st Life Guards, and promoted to lieutenant in that regiment on 23 November 1898. He was sent to Egypt in 1899, and in late November that year was part of a Camel Corps during the operations leading to the defeat of the
Khalifa (
mentioned in despatches 25 November 1899). He served in South Africa during the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
from 1901, returning home in late June 1902, following the end of hostilities. Back in the United Kingdom, he returned to a regular posting with his regiment in September 1902. He was decorated for bravery, and rose to
captain before retiring from active duty in 1906.
Political career
In 1904, during the controversy within the Conservative Party over adopting
protectionism
Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations ...
, Guest and other members of his family followed his cousin and close friend, Winston Churchill, into the Liberal Party in support of
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...
— and perhaps also to accelerate their political careers. In 1906 Guest became private secretary to Churchill, by then a junior minister in
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's Liberal government. Guest attempted three times to enter the House of Commons before winning the vote in the
East Dorset
East Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council met in Wimborne Minster between 2016 and 2019.
The district (as Wimborne) was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging Wimborne Minster Urban District with Wimborne an ...
seat in the
January 1910 general election. Although he remained 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
whip in 1911, in the same year was elected a charter member of the cross-bench
Other Club of political insiders, and was appointed
Treasurer of the Household (Deputy Chief Whip) in 1912.
When 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 ...
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 Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
and with political leaders. In 1916 Guest served in the East African theatre of war and was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...
. After being invalided out of the army following serious illness, Guest resumed his political career. In May 1917 he joined Lloyd George's
Coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
government as joint
Patronage Secretary of the Treasury – effectively chief whip for the Coalition Liberals. On 3 December 1917 Guest sent Lloyd George a 14-page memo stating that although only around a third of Liberal MPs were staunch supporters of his predecessor
H. H. Asquith, the time was not yet right to oust him from the Liberal leadership.
Guest was appointed to the
Privy Council in the 1920 New Year Honours, entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable", and in 1921 was promoted to
Secretary of State for Air, 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
Stroud
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021.
Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...
, then in 1924 for
Bristol North. After losing as an unofficial Liberal in the 1929 election, he rejoined the Conservative Party, winning as a Conservative for
Plymouth Drake in 1931 and remaining in this position until his death.
Polo
Guest competed for Great Britain in
polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics. The British
Polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
team received the bronze medal. He played alongside
Frederick W. Barrett,
Dennis Bingham and
Kinnear Wise.
Guest can be found among the winners of the
Roehampton Trophy. He would also lend horses to the English
polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
team for the
International Polo Cup matches.
Family and private life
On 28 June 1905, Guest married Amy Phipps (1873–1959), daughter of American industrialist
Henry Phipps (1839–1930), at
St George's, Hanover Square in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Amy was prominent as a women's
suffragist, philanthropist and aviation enthusiast and owned valuable property on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. The couple were frequent visitors to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in the 1920s and 1930s. They had a daughter and two sons who became American citizens:
*
Winston Frederick Churchill Guest (1906–1982), a polo player who married Helena Woolworth McCann and later
Lucy Douglas Cochrane (1920–2003)
*
Raymond R. Guest (1907–1991), the
United States Ambassador to Ireland
The United States ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States F ...
from 1965 to 1968,
who married three times to Elizabeth Polk,
Ellen Tuck French Astor, and Princess Caroline Murat (1923–2012).
*
Diana Guest Manning (1909–1994)
Apart from his political career he was an amateur
motor racing driver and aeroplane pilot. In 1928 he was instrumental in founding the British airfield operator
National Flying Services. In 1930, he became deputy master of the
Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, and master in 1932. He also played
polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
, was a
big-game hunter in
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
, and was a celebrated man-about-town in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
society. Among his homes was Villa Artemis in
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...
and the former du Pont estate in
Roslyn, New York. He was a member of the River and Links Clubs of New York and the
Piping Rock Club in
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. He was also a friend of the
Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his Abdication of Edward VIII, abdication on 11 December 1936. The Duchy, dukedom takes its name from ...
, formerly
King Edward VIII.
Guest died from cancer in 1937, at the age of 61.
Footnotes
References
*Biography, ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
''
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guest, Frederick
1875 births
1937 deaths
Younger sons of barons
Sportspeople from London
People educated at Winchester College
British Life Guards officers
British Army personnel of World War I
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Secretaries of State for Air (UK)
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1910
UK MPs 1910–1918
UK MPs 1918–1922
UK MPs 1923–1924
UK MPs 1924–1929
UK MPs 1931–1935
UK MPs 1935–1945
Deaths from cancer in England
Treasurers of the Household
English polo players
Olympic polo players for Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Polo players at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Freddie
Roehampton Trophy
British sportsperson-politicians
Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for East Dorset
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Devon
Olympic medalists in polo
Politicians from Plymouth, Devon