LORD LOTHIAN

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 143, 13 December 1940, Page 8

LORD LOTHIAN

AMBASSADOR IN U.S.A.

SHOCK TO PUBLIC

(British Official Wireless.}

(Received December 13, 9 a.m.)

RUGBY, December 12,

Lord Lothian, British Ambassador to the United States, died suddenly early this morning at the British ! Embassy in Washington. The news of his death, which was immediately communicated to the King and members of the Government, came as a great shock to the British public. Lord Lothian was reported to be indisposed yesterday, and his stirring and impressive speech at Baltimore last night was read by the Counsellor of the Embassy, Mr. Neville Butler.

His important mission to Washington, the conduct of which had been marked by distinction, was recognised on'both sides of the Atlartic as marking the peak of a career devoted unswervingly and unstintingly 'to the public service in various fields.

Lord Lothian displayed the keenest

interest in Imperial and international politics, and was widely travelled. During the last war and at the Peace Conference he was private secrtstary to Mr. Lloyd George. Before he \ succeeded to the title he was a Li-ijeral member of Parliament.

Philip Henry Kerr, eleventh Marquess of Lothian, was born in 1882 and sucqeeded his cousin in 1960. In addition to the marquisate he 'held a number of older titles. He was Lord Newbattle,. which dates from 1591, and Earl of Lothian, a title conferrect on the family in 1606. In the House erf Lords he sat as Baron Ker of Kershseugh, a barony of the United Kingdom, dating from 1821, but he was also Batron Jedburgh, Earl of Ancram, Baron Kerr of Nisbet, Viscount Briene, and Baron Kerr of Newbattle, the most recent of these titles \ dating from 1701. All the titles save the barony of the United Kingdom are Scottish.

Philip Kerr (the family oiame is pronounced "Karr") was bo.m in 1882 and was the eldest son of. the late Major-General Lord Ralph \ Kerr. He was educated at The Oratciry School, Birmingham, and at New Oollege, Oxford, and was one of the youngest members of Lord Milneir's famous "kindergarten" in South AJfiriea. There, at the age of 23, he was Assistant Secretary of the Intercolonial; Council of the Transvaal and Or«mge River Colonies and of the Railway Committee of Central South Africa. He" held these posts for three years and! in the last year was also Secretary of the Transvaal Indigency Commission. In 1908-9 he edited "The State," which was published in South Africa, amd in 1910-16 edited the newly-founded "Round Table." In 1916 he became secretary to Mr. Lloyd George,; then Prime Minister of Britain, and continued in that post until 1921, ■vsj'hen Mr. Lloyd George left office. In ;that year Lord Lothian was appointed a director of United Newspapers. Inj 1925 he became Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, and held that position for 14 years, relinquishing it to bec/bme British Ambassador at Washington. He had filled some political posts/previously,-being Chancellor «f the Duchy of Lancaster in 1931-32, Under-Serrretary of the India Office in 1931-32, anjd Chairman of the India Franchise Committee in 1932. He owned about 28,000* acres and is succeeded by his covcsin, Peter Francis Walter Kerr. ' ;

Lord Lothian visited New Zealand in 1938 as leader ,of the British delegation to the Conference on British Commonwealth Relations, held at Lapstone, New South jA^ales. He was known to write for the newspapers and magazines, but published no books. At Sydney he developed the theory that the United States was beginning to appreciate the tfact that the British Empire was "the.' outer ring" of American security.

In the United States, as Ambassador (he was appointed in April, 1939), he campaigned actively for support for the British Empire iwar effort, and issued a series of warnings to the United States about what British integrity and British sea povrer meant to the North American continent. One of his most recent utterances, a statement on the British financial position, however, proved rather' a mystery to financial writers. During the Presidential election Lord Lothian returned to^Britain. which may be taken as recognition by the British Government that it was undesirable' to lay itself open to tht charge that it was attempting in any way to influence the outcome of the campaign.