Sir Lepel Henry Griffin, (20 July 1838 – 9 March 1908) was a British administrator and diplomat during 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 ...

period in India. He was also a writer.

Early life

Lepel Henry Griffin was born in

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

, England on 20 July 1838. His father, Henry, was a clergyman in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and his mother was Frances Sophia. His mother had been married previously and thus Griffin had ten half-siblings as well as two full sisters. Griffin was educated briefly at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

, having also attended Malden's Preparatory School,

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. He did not go to university but was privately tutored for the

competitive examination An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

for entry to 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 ...

. He sat and passed those examinations during 1859 and 1860, being ranked tenth among the 32 successful candidates.

Career

He reached India in November 1860 and was posted to Lahore. The mannerisms of Griffin had attracted attention in India from the time of his arrival there, and in 1875 Sir Henry Cunningham satirised him in the novel, '' Chronicles of Dustypore'', in which he was depicted as the character ''Desvoeux''. Katherine Prior, the author of his entry in the ''

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'') ...

'', describes that, "He was a dandyish,

Byronic The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. Historian and critic Lord Macaulay described the character as "a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his bro ...

figure, articulate, argumentative, and witty. Anglo-Indian society was at once both dazzled by and scornful of his languid foppishness and irreverent tongue". In 1880 he became Chief Secretary of the Punjab. He was sent as a diplomatic representative to Kabul, at the end of the

Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai ...

. He was then Governor-General's

Agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuran ...

Central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...

and

Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

; and Resident in Hyderabad. He collaborated with the pioneer Indian photographer

Lala Deen Dayal Raja Lala Deen Dayal (; c. 1844 – 1905; also written as 'Din Dyal' and 'Diyal' in his early years), famously known as Raja Deen Dayal) was an British India, Indian photographer. His career began in the mid-1870s as a commissioned photographer ...

. After his return to the United Kingdom, he was Chairman of the East India Association. He was also for several years a Chairman of the Imperial Bank of Persia, and in late 1902 received the Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun (Persian language, Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar, Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extend ...

from the Shah of Persia. He was a proponent of an Anglo-American union, he addressed a meeting on 15 October 1898 in

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

, on the subject of the suggested Anglo-American union, Col.

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a Secretary to the President of the United States, private secretary for Abraha ...

, the former United States Ambassador at London attended the meeting.

Death

Griffin died at his home – 4

Cadogan Gardens Cadogan Gardens is a street in Chelsea, London, that is part of the Cadogan Estate. Layout It forms a rough square, with arms leading off the east side to Sloane Street and Pavilion Road. It also connects with Cadogan Square, Cadogan Street, ...

, Sloane Street, London – on 9 March 1908 after suffering from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

. He was cremated and his ashes were interred at a private chapel owned by Colonel Dudley Sampson in Buxhalls,

Haywards Heath Haywards Heath ( ) is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, ...

, Sussex. His wife remarried, while the younger of his two sons, Sir Lancelot Cecil Lepel Griffin became the last political secretary of British India.

Bibliography

* ** ** ***Revised as ''Chiefs and Families of note in the Punjab'' (1909) * *''The Rajas of the Punjab'' (1873)
''Famous monuments of Central India'' (1886)
* *

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Lepel 1838 births 1908 deaths Indian Civil Service (British India) officers People educated at Harrow School British writers People from Watford Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Liberal Unionist Party parliamentary candidates People educated at Windlesham House School