Sir Louis William Dane (21 March 1856 – 22 February 1946) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

administrator during the time of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

Early life

He was born on 21 March 1856 at Chichester, Sussex, the fifth son of Richard Martin Dane, an army staff surgeon, and Sophia Eliza, the daughter of Colonel Charles Griffiths who had served in the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

. Richard Morris Dane, was his brother. He was educated at Dr Stackpole's school in Kingstown, Dublin and passed his examinations for the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

in 1874. He married Edith Norman on 3 March 1882.

Civil service

In 1876, he was posted to the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

as assistant commissioner in

Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 16th most-populous city in Punjab and List of most p ...

. In 1879, he became private secretary to Sir Robert Egerton, Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. He became Foreign Secretary to the Government of India in 1903. Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan and Sir Louis William Dane

Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan and Sir Louis William Dane

In 1904, the Dane Mission, named for his leadership, was sent by the British to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

to negotiate the friendship agreement with the country's new

Amir Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...

Habibullah Khan Habibullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 3 June 1872 – 20 February 1919) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until his assassination in 1919 by Shuja-ud-Daula Ghourbandi. He was the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by rig ...

. The mission resulted in a reinforcement of the agreements between the British and

Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan (Pashto: ) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) also known by his epithet, The Iron Amir, was Amir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for perpetrating the Hazara genocide, but also uniting the ...

, Habibullah's father and predecessor as Amir. Afghanistan was a key player in

The Great Game The Great Game was a rivalry between the 19th-century British and Russian empires over influence in Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan, Persia, and Tibet. The two colonial empires used military interventions and diplomatic negotiations t ...

, and Dane's mission confirmed Britain's control over Afghanistan's foreign policy, and therefore gave the British the upper hand over the Russians. In 1908, he was appointed Lieutenant-governor in the Punjab, a post from which he retired in 1913.

Football

In 1928, Dane led a consortium of businessmen to found Thames A.F.C, following the construction of

West Ham Stadium West Ham Stadium existed between 1928 and 1972 in Custom House, Newham, Custom House, east London, England, on Prince Regent Lane, near the present-day Prince Regent DLR station. The venue was used for Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, ...

in the same year. In an interview with the ''Stratford Express'', published on 1 August 1928, Dane said he believed West Ham Stadium, which had a capacity of 120,000, was "a wonderful stadium – one of the finest in the Country". Despite the Thames' facilities and the signing of former First Division players, such as Jimmy Dimmock and Henry White, the club never caught the imagination of the public, with the club setting a record low

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

attendance of 469 for a game against

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

on 6 December 1930. By 1932, following repeated poor finishes in the Third Division South, financial pressure and low attendances, Thames were wound up.

Caxton Hall assassination

On 13 March 1940, Dane was one of four victims of a shooting at the

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and a ...

Indian nationalist Indian nationalism is an instance of civic nationalism. It is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian nationalism can trace roots to pre-colonial India, but was f ...

Udham Singh Udham Singh (born Sher Singh; 26 December 1899 – 31 July 1940) was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March ...

. Dane's successor (in 1913) as lieutenant-governor of the Punjab,

Michael O'Dwyer Michael Francis O'Dwyer (28 April 1864 – 13 March 1940) was an Irish colonial officer in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919. During O'Dwyer's tenure as Punjab' ...

, was killed instantly. Dane's arm was broken by a bullet; Lawrence Dundas, formerly

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India secretary or the Indian secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of ...

and Charles Cochrane, formerly governor of the Bombay presidency were slightly injured.

Death

Dane died at his home in South Kensington, London, on 22 February 1946. He is buried at

Southampton Old Cemetery The cemetery has had various titles including The Cemetery by the Common, Hill Lane Cemetery and is currently known as Southampton Old Cemetery. An Act of Parliament was required in 1843 to acquire the land from Southampton Common. It covers a ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dane, Louis 1856 births 1946 deaths Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Companions of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire People from Chichester Thames A.F.C. English football chairmen and investors British shooting survivors Burials at Southampton Old Cemetery