Philip Currie, 1st Baron Currie
Encyclopedia
Philip Henry Wodehouse Currie, 1st Baron Currie GCB
(13 October 1834 – 12 May 1906), known as Sir Philip Currie between 1885 and 1899, was a British
diplomat. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902.
, Member of Parliament
for Northampton
, and the Hon. Laura Sophia, daughter of John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse
. He was a great-nephew of William Currie
and a second cousin of Sir Frederick Currie, 1st Baronet
and Captain Mark John Currie
. He was educated at Eton
.
, from 1856 to 1857, and précis writer to the Foreign Secretary, Lord Clarendon
, from 1856 to 1857 as well as secretary to Lord Salisbury
. He was Assistant Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1882 to 1889 and served as Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and as Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902. Currie was appointed a CB
in 1878, a KCB
in 1885 and a GCB
in 1892. In 1899 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Currie, of Hawley
in the County of Southampton
.
From 24th November to 21st December 1898, Currie was one of the British Government delegate
s to the Rome Anti-Anarchist Congress
, with Sir C. E. Howard Vincent and Sir Godfrey Lushington
.
. There were no children from the marriage. She died in October 1905, aged 62. Lord Currie survived her by a year and died in May 1906, aged 71. The title became extinct on his death.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(13 October 1834 – 12 May 1906), known as Sir Philip Currie between 1885 and 1899, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902.
Background and education
Currie was the son of Raikes CurrieRaikes Currie
Raikes Currie was Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1837 to 1857. He was a partner of the bank Curries & Co, Cornhill, City of London, and had several interests in the newly developing colony of South Australia...
, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Northampton
Northampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Northampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Northampton which existed until 1974.It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was reduced to one member for the 1918 general election...
, and the Hon. Laura Sophia, daughter of John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse
John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse
John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse , known as Sir John Wodehouse, 6th Baronet, from 1777 to 1797, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
. He was a great-nephew of William Currie
William Currie (British politician)
William Currie, , was a land owner, distiller, banker and Member of Parliament for Gatton and Winchelsea.On his father's death in 1781, he inherited his father's 75% interest in the distilling partnership his father had started with Nathaniel Byles...
and a second cousin of Sir Frederick Currie, 1st Baronet
Sir Frederick Currie, 1st Baronet
Sir Frederick Currie, 1st Baronet was an English diplomat.He was educated at Charterhouse and had a distinguished career in the British East India Company and the Indian Civil Service...
and Captain Mark John Currie
Mark John Currie
Captain Mark John Currie RN played a significant role in the exploration of Australia and the foundation of the Swan River Colony, later named 'Western Australia'....
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
Diplomatic career
Currie joined the Foreign Office in 1854. He was an attaché at St Petersburg, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, from 1856 to 1857, and précis writer to the Foreign Secretary, Lord Clarendon
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon KG, GCB, PC , was an English diplomat and statesman.-Background and education:...
, from 1856 to 1857 as well as secretary to Lord Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
. He was Assistant Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1882 to 1889 and served as Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and as Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902. Currie was appointed a CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1878, a KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1885 and a GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1892. In 1899 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Currie, of Hawley
Hawley, Hampshire
Hawley is a village in the civil parish of Blackwater and Hawley in the Hart district of northeastern Hampshire, England.The village is continguous with the small town of Blackwater. It is on the western edge of the Blackwater Valley conurbation, about north of central Farnborough, Hampshire,...
in the County of Southampton
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
From 24th November to 21st December 1898, Currie was one of the British Government delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
s to the Rome Anti-Anarchist Congress
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
, with Sir C. E. Howard Vincent and Sir Godfrey Lushington
Godfrey Lushington
Sir Godfrey Lushington KCB, GCMG, , British civil servant and promoter of prison reform, was Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Home Office of the United Kingdom from 1886 to 1895....
.
Personal life
Lord Currie married Mary, daughter of Charles James Savile Montgomerie Lamb and widow of Henry Sydenham Singleton, in 1894. She was aa poet under the pen-name Violet FaneViolet Fane
Violet Fane was the literary pseudonym of Mary, Baroness Currie, née Mary Montgomerie Lamb , a British novelist, poet and essayist of Victorian era.-Biography:...
. There were no children from the marriage. She died in October 1905, aged 62. Lord Currie survived her by a year and died in May 1906, aged 71. The title became extinct on his death.