Roger Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield
Encyclopedia
Roger Mellor Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield, GCB
, GCMG
, FRS (3 February 1904 – 9 November 1996), was a British
diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1953 to 1956.
Makins was the son of Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Makins
(1869-1959) and Florence Mellor. He was educated at Winchester
and Christ Church, Oxford
, and was called to the Bar, Inner Temple, in 1927. However, he never practiced and instead joined the Diplomatic Service in 1928. Makins later served as Minister at the British Embassy in Washington from 1945 to 1947, as Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office
from 1947 to 1948 and as Deputy Under-Secretary of State from 1948 to 1952. In 1953 he was appointed Ambassador to the United States, a post he held until 1956. After his return from Washington he served as Joint Permanent Secretary to The Treasury
from 1956 to 1960 and as Chairman of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
from 1960 to 1964.
Makins was appointed to the post of Chancellor
of the University of Reading
in 1969, and retained this position until 1992.
Makins became a CMG
in 1944, a KCMG
in 1949 and a GCMG
in 1955 and was also a GCB
and a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1960 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sherfield, of Sherfield-on-Loddon in the County of Southampton.
On April 30, 1934, in an Episcopal
ceremony in Tallahassee, Florida
, he married an American, Alice Brooks Davis, the daughter of Dwight F. Davis
, founder of the Davis Cup
and former U.S. Secretary of War.
Makins was a notable collector of Victorian art. The Makins Collection contained important works by John Everett Millais
.
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...
, GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, FRS (3 February 1904 – 9 November 1996), 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 who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1953 to 1956.
Makins was the son of Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Makins
Ernest Makins
Major Sir Ernest Makins, KBE, CB, DSO, Honorary Brigadier General was a British military officer, statesman and Conservative Party politician. He was educated at Winchester College and Christ Church College, Oxford University.-As soldier:He fought in the Boer War between 1899 and 1902, where he...
(1869-1959) and Florence Mellor. He was educated at Winchester
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, and was called to the Bar, Inner Temple, in 1927. However, he never practiced and instead joined the Diplomatic Service in 1928. Makins later served as Minister at the British Embassy in Washington from 1945 to 1947, as Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
from 1947 to 1948 and as Deputy Under-Secretary of State from 1948 to 1952. In 1953 he was appointed Ambassador to the United States, a post he held until 1956. After his return from Washington he served as Joint Permanent Secretary to The Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
from 1956 to 1960 and as Chairman of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of nuclear fusion power. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and was formerly chaired by Lady Barbara Judge CBE...
from 1960 to 1964.
Makins was appointed to the post of Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
in 1969, and retained this position until 1992.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1944, a KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1949 and a GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1955 and was also 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...
and a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1960 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sherfield, of Sherfield-on-Loddon in the County of Southampton.
On April 30, 1934, in an Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
ceremony in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, he married an American, Alice Brooks Davis, the daughter of Dwight F. Davis
Dwight F. Davis
Dwight Filley Davis was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.-Biography:...
, founder of the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
and former U.S. Secretary of War.
Makins was a notable collector of Victorian art. The Makins Collection contained important works by John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
.
External links
- Interview about the Korean War for the WGBH series, War and Peace in the Nuclear AgeWar and Peace in the Nuclear AgeWar and Peace in the Nuclear Age is a 1989 PBS television series focusing on the effect of nuclear weapons development on international relations and warfare during the Cold War. The 13-part series was funded by the Annenberg/CPB Project and produced by WGBH in Boston in association with NHK and...