Thomas Chenery
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Chenery was an English
scholar and editor of the British newspaper The Times
.
to John Chenery, a West Indies merchant. He was educated at Eton
and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
. Immediately after taking an ordinary degree
in 1854, he was recruited by Mowbray Morris to work for The Times
, and was sent to Istanbul
. Arriving in March 1854, he soon proved himself an excellent diplomaric correspondent, covering the Crimean War
mainly from Istanbul but occasionally form the front, where he relieved William Howard Russell
. It was while he was in Istanbul that Chenery met Percy Smythe
, who first sparked Chenery's interest in philological studies, a field in which he would subsequently gain prominence.
After the war Chenery returned to London, where he worked as a leader writer
for The Times for many years. During this time he continued his studies of the Orient
. Among the languages he spoke was Arabic, Hebrew, modern Greek
, and Turkish
, and was one of the panelists involved in preparing the Old Testament
portion of the Revised Version
of the Bible
. His translation of the Arabic classic The Assemblies of Al-Hariri
led to his appointment as Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford
, and he also served as secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society
.
In 1877 John Walker
selected Chenery as John Thadeus Delane
's successor as editor of the paper. He was then an experienced publicist, particularly well versed in Oriental affairs, an indefatigable worker, with a rapid and comprehensive judgment, though he lacked Delane's sociability and intuition for public opinion. Despite this, he brought about a number of innovations, bringing in more writers with scholarly backgrounds to employ their respective expertise. His background as a diplomatic correspondent and his choice of capable reporters for foreign postings revived the paper's reputation for international news coverage.
Despite his position as editor, Chenery was unable to prevent the increasingly partisan slant of the paper imposed by Walter, a member of the Conservative Party
. This shift was furthered in 1880 by the appointment of George Earle Buckle
, Walter's hand-picked candidate, as assistant editor. Buckle assumed more duties in 1883 as ill health reduced Chenery's ability to play an active role as editor, though he continued in the post until his death on 11 February 1884. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
scholar and editor of the British newspaper The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
Biography
Chenery was born in BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
to John Chenery, a West Indies merchant. 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"....
and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
. Immediately after taking an ordinary degree
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in 1854, he was recruited by Mowbray Morris to work for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and was sent to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Arriving in March 1854, he soon proved himself an excellent diplomaric correspondent, covering the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
mainly from Istanbul but occasionally form the front, where he relieved William Howard Russell
William Howard Russell
William Howard Russell was an Irish reporter with The Times, and is considered to have been one of the first modern war correspondents, after he spent 22 months covering the Crimean War including the Charge of the Light Brigade.-Career:As a young reporter, Russell reported on a brief military...
. It was while he was in Istanbul that Chenery met Percy Smythe
Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford
Percy Ellen Algernon Frederick William Sydney Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford was a British nobleman and man of letters....
, who first sparked Chenery's interest in philological studies, a field in which he would subsequently gain prominence.
After the war Chenery returned to London, where he worked as a leader writer
Leader writer
A Leader Writer is a senior journalist in a British newspaper who is charged with writing the paper's editorial either in the absence of the editor or in cases where the editor chooses not to write editorials because their editorial skills may rest more in management of the company than in writing...
for The Times for many years. During this time he continued his studies of the Orient
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
. Among the languages he spoke was Arabic, Hebrew, modern Greek
Modern Greek
Modern Greek refers to the varieties of the Greek language spoken in the modern era. The beginning of the "modern" period of the language is often symbolically assigned to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, even though that date marks no clear linguistic boundary and many characteristic...
, and Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, and was one of the panelists involved in preparing the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
portion of the Revised Version
Revised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. His translation of the Arabic classic The Assemblies of Al-Hariri
Al-Hariri of Basra
Muhammad al-Qasim ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Hariri , popularly known as al-Hariri of Basra was an Arab poet, scholar of the Arabic language and a high government official of the Seljuk Empire...
led to his appointment as Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and he also served as secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
.
In 1877 John Walker
John Walter (third)
John Walter was an English newspaper publisher and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1847 and 1885....
selected Chenery as John Thadeus Delane
John Thadeus Delane
John Thadeus Delane , editor of The Times , was born in London.He was the second son of Mr WFA Delane, a barrister, of an old Irish family, who about 1832 was appointed by Mr Walter financial manager of The Times.While still a boy he attracted Mr Walter's attention, and it was always intended that...
's successor as editor of the paper. He was then an experienced publicist, particularly well versed in Oriental affairs, an indefatigable worker, with a rapid and comprehensive judgment, though he lacked Delane's sociability and intuition for public opinion. Despite this, he brought about a number of innovations, bringing in more writers with scholarly backgrounds to employ their respective expertise. His background as a diplomatic correspondent and his choice of capable reporters for foreign postings revived the paper's reputation for international news coverage.
Despite his position as editor, Chenery was unable to prevent the increasingly partisan slant of the paper imposed by Walter, a member of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. This shift was furthered in 1880 by the appointment of George Earle Buckle
George Earle Buckle
George Earle Buckle was an English editor and biographer.-Early years:Buckle was the son of George Buckle, a rector, and canon and precentor of Wells Cathedral, and Mary Hamlyn Earle, the sister of the philologist John Earle. He attended Honition grammar school and Winchester College before...
, Walter's hand-picked candidate, as assistant editor. Buckle assumed more duties in 1883 as ill health reduced Chenery's ability to play an active role as editor, though he continued in the post until his death on 11 February 1884. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
.