Editing Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=|KG|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC|DL}}
| image = Charles Hardinge.jpg
| order1 = [[Viceroy and Governor-General of India]]
| term_start1 = 23 November 1910
| term_end1 = 4 April 1916
| monarch1 = [[George V]]
| predecessor1 = [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto|The Earl of Minto]]
| successor1 = [[Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford|The Lord Chelmsford]]
| birth_date = {{birth-date|20 June 1858|}}
| birth_place = 
| death_date = {{death-date and age|2 August 1944|20 June 1858}}
| death_place = [[Penshurst]], [[Kent]]
| nationality = [[British people|British]]
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| spouse = [[Winifred Sturt, Baroness Hardinge of Penshurst|Winifred Selena Sturt]]
| children = 3
}}

'''Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst''', <small>{{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KG|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC|DL}}</small> (20 June 1858 – 2 August 1944) was a British diplomat and statesman who served as [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy and Governor-General of India]] from 1910 to 1916.

==Background and education==
[[File:Shield of Arms of Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, KG, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, ISO, PC, DL.png|thumb|left|Garter-encircled shield of arms of Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, KG, as displayed on his Order of the Garter stall plate in St. George's Chapel.]]
Hardinge was the second son of [[Charles Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardinge]], and the grandson of [[Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge]], a former [[Governor-General of India]]. He was educated [[Cheam School]], [[Harrow School]] and at [[Trinity College, Cambridge]].<ref>photo at [http://www.harrowphotos.com Harrow Photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417093550/http://www.harrowphotos.com/ |date=17 April 2009 }} and cf [[List of Old Harrovians]]</ref><ref>{{acad|id=HRDN876C|name=Hardinge, the Hon. Charles}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:An assassination attempt on Lord Charles Hardinge.jpg|thumb|250px|1912 assassination attempt on Lord Hardinge.]]
[[File:Coronation Park, Delhi 53.JPG|thumb|left|Statue of Lord Hardinge at [[Coronation Park, Delhi]]]]
Hardinge entered the diplomatic services in 1880. He was appointed the first secretary at Tehran in 1896, and the first secretary at [[Saint Petersburg]] in 1898, when he was promoted over the heads of seventeen of his seniors. After a brief tenure as Assistant Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, he became [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Russia|Ambassador to Russia]], in 1904. In 1906, he was promoted to the position of [[Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office]], where, despite his own conservatism, worked closely with [[The Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] [[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon|Sir Edward Grey]]. In 1907, he declined the post of [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to the United States|Ambassador to the United States]]. In 1910, Hardinge was raised to the peerage as '''[[Baron Hardinge of Penshurst]]''', in the County of [[Kent]],<ref name="peerage" /> and appointed by the [[H. H. Asquith|Asquith]] government as [[Viceroy of India]].{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

[[File:Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, and Winifred Selina, née Sturt, Lady Hardinge of Penshurst.jpg|thumb|250px|Hardinge and his wife Winifred during his term as Viceroy of India, ca. 1910–1916.]]
His tenure was a memorable one, and included the visit of [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]], and the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1911, as well as the move of the capital from [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] to [[New Delhi]], in 1911. Although Hardinge was the target [[Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy|of assassination attempts]] by Indian nationalists, his tenure included an improvement of relations between the British administration and the nationalists, as a consequence of the implementation of the [[Morley-Minto reforms]] of 1909; and of Hardinge's own admiration for [[Mohandas Gandhi]] and criticism of the [[South Africa]]n government's anti-Indian immigration policies.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}. The [[Hardinge Bridge|Hardinge Railway bridge]] in Bangladesh was constructed and inaugurated(1915) in his tenure.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-08-01|title=Iconic Hardinge Bridge: A tale of 138 years|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/country/bangladesh-hardinge-bridge-padma-river-paksey-pabna-kushtia-bheramara-tale-138-years-1442014|access-date=2020-09-09|website=The Daily Star}}</ref> It continues to serve a crucial a role in the country's railway network even today.

Hardinge's efforts paid off in 1914 during the [[First World War]]. Due to improved colonial relationships, Britain was able to deploy nearly all of the British troops in India as well as many native Indian troops to areas outside of India. In particular the [[British Indian Army]] was able to play a significant role in the [[Mesopotamian campaign]].<ref>''Lord Hardinge and the Mesopotamia Expedition and Inquiry, 1914–1917''; '''Douglas Goold'''; ''The Historical Journal, Vol. 19, No. 4'' (Dec., 1976), pp. 919–945</ref>

In 1916, Hardinge returned to his former post in England as Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, serving with [[Arthur Balfour]]. In 1920 he became ambassador to [[France]] before his retirement in 1922.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

==Personal life==
[[File:HardingeFamily oxCart Mahubabad-Hyderabad(state) 1911.jpeg|thumb|250px|Hardinge family members in ox-cart in [[Hyderabad State]] (1911, attending the coronation of ''[[Asaf Jah VII]]'')]]

He married his first cousin [[Winifred Selina Sturt Hardinge|Winifred Selina Sturt]] on 17 April 1890, over the objections of her family, due to the couple's consanguinity<ref>for an explanation of this concept, see Alison Weir, Royal Genealogy (1989)</ref> and Hardinge's financial status.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |id=33703 |title=Hardinge, Charles, first Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944) |first=Katherine |last=Prior |orig-year=2004 |date=January 2011}}</ref> She was the 2nd daughter of Henry Gerard Sturt, 1st Baron Alington, by his first wife Lady Augusta Bingham, 1st daughter of George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan.  The couple had a daughter, Diamond Hardinge (1900-1927), and two sons, Edward and [[Alexander Hardinge, 2nd Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Alexander]] (1894–1960), who succeeded him as [[Baron Hardinge of Penshurst]].

The 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst is commemorated at [[St John the Baptist, Penshurst]]. His eldest son, The Hon. Edward Hardinge, died 18 December 1914, aged 22, from wounds while serving as a Lieutenant with the [[15th (The King's) Hussars]] in France. He won a [[Distinguished Service Order]] and was [[mentioned in dispatches]]. He was also the godson of [[Alexandra of Denmark]].<ref>https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/368316/hardinge,-the-hon.-edward-charles/ {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2021}}</ref> Diamond Hardinge was a bridesmaid at the [[wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]] on 3 May 1923.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/9176069/The-Queen-Mother-in-pictures.html?frame=2181538, ''Daily Telegraph'': royal wedding photograph]; accessed 28 March 2014.</ref>

==Styles and honours==
Hardinge had the unusual distinction of being a non-royal recipient of six British knighthoods.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hardinge, Charles, first Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944), diplomatist and viceroy of India|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-33703|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/33703}}</ref>

*June 1858 – July 1895: ''[[The Honourable]]'' Charles Hardinge
*July 1895 – April 1903: ''The Honourable'' Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|CB}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=26639 |page=3740 |date=2 July 1895}}</ref>
*April 1903 – 7 March 1904: ''The Honourable'' Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|CB|CVO}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27560 |page=3524 |date=2 June 1903}}</ref>
*7–26 March 1904: ''[[The Right Honourable]]'' Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|CB|CVO}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27655 |page=1521 |date=8 March 1904}}</ref>
*26 March – 28 April 1904: ''The Right Honourable'' [[Sir]] Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|KCMG|CB|CVO}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27662 |page=2025 |date=29 March 1904}}</ref>
*28 April – 10 May 1904: ''[[Excellency|His Excellency]] The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|KCMG|CB|CVO}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27674 |page=2923 |date=6 May 1904}}</ref>
*10 May 1904 – 2 January 1905: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|KCMG|KCVO|CB}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27675 |page=3000 |date=10 May 1904}}</ref>
*2 January – 9 November 1905: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|KCVO|CB}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27750 |page=22 |date=3 January 1905}}</ref>
*9 November 1905 – June 1906: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|GCVO|CB}}
*June 1906 – 23 June 1910: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|GCVO|CB|ISO}}<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27926 |supp=y|page=4462|date=29 June 1906}}</ref>
*23 June – 2 August 1910: ''The Right Honourable'' Sir Charles Hardinge {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCB|GCMG|GCVO|ISO}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28388 |supp=y |page=4476|date=24 June 1910 |display-supp=Supplement to the London Gazette Extraordinary}}</ref>
*2 August – 23 November 1910: ''The Right Honourable'' The [[Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Lord Hardinge of Penshurst]] {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCB|GCMG|GCVO|ISO|PC}}<ref name="peerage">{{London Gazette|issue=28403|page=5581|date=2 August 1910}}</ref>
*23 November 1910 – 24 March 1916: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC}} Viceroy & Governor-General of India
*24 March – 4 April 1916: His Excellency ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst {{postnominals|country=GBR|KG|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC}} Viceroy & Governor-General of India<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29519|page=3175 |date=24 March 1916}}</ref>
*4 April 1916 – 27 November 1920: ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst {{postnominals|country=GBR|KG|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC}}
*27 November 1920 – 1 February 1923: ''His Excellency The Right Honourable'' the Lord Hardinge of Penshurst {{postnominals|country=GBR|KG|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC}} HM Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary to the French Republic<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32145|page=11794|date=30 November 1920}}</ref>
*1 February 1923 – 2 August 1944: ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst {{postnominals|country=GBR|KG|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|GCVO|ISO|PC}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
[[File:Viceroy cabinet list from 1910-1915.jpg|thumb|Viceroy's Cabinet list from 1910-1915<ref>{{Cite book|last=Authority Of The Council|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.284985|title=Indian Army List For January I -1913|date=1913}}</ref>]]

==Sources==
* {{cite book | author= Briton C. Busch |title=Hardinge of Penshurst: a study of the old diplomacy | url= https://archive.org/details/hardingeofpenshu0000busc | url-access= registration |place= Hamden, Conn. | publisher= Conference on British Studies and Indiana University at South Bend by Archon Books |year= 1980 |author-link=Briton C. Busch }}
* {{cite book | author= Lord Hardinge of Penshurst | title=The Reminiscences of Lord Hardinge of Penshurst | place=London |year= 1947 }}
* {{cite book | first= Zara S. | last=Steiner | title=The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy 1898–1914 | url= https://archive.org/details/foreignofficefor0000stei | url-access= registration | place=Cambridge |year= 1969 }}

=== Articles ===
*{{cite journal | title=Lord Hardinge and the Mesopotamia Expedition and Inquiry, 1914–1917 | first= Douglas| last= Goold | journal= The Historical Journal | volume= 19 | issue= 4 | pages= 919–945|year= 1976| ref= pp. 919–945 | doi= 10.1017/S0018246X00010773}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | title=Lady Hardinge of Penshurst, C.I., vice-reine of India: A Tribute to her Memory | author=Manhar Kuvarbā, Maharani of Panna |year= 1916 |url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7743203W/Lady_Hardinge_of_Penshurst_C.I._vice-reine_of_India }}
* [[Hardinge Bridge]]
*[[doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U226448|Hardinge's entry]] at ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]''

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120617123955/http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/index986.htm Hardinge of Penshurst, Baron (UK, 1910), genealogy]
* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-charles-hardinge-1 | Lord Hardinge of Penshurst }}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/007127}}

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{{succession box | before=[[Charles Stewart Scott]] | title=[[British Ambassador to Russia]] | years=1904–1906 | after=[[Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock|Sir Arthur Nicolson]] }}
{{succession box | before=[[Thomas Sanderson, 1st Baron Sanderson|The Lord Sanderson]] | title=[[Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office|Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs]] | years=1906–1910 | after=[[Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock|Sir Arthur Nicolson]] }}
{{succession box | before=[[Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock|Sir Arthur Nicolson]] | title=[[Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office|Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs]] | years=1916–1920 | after=[[Eyre Crowe]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[British Ambassador to France]]|before=[[Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby|The Earl of Derby]]|after=[[Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe|The Marquess of Crewe]]|years=1920–1922}}
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{{s-ttl | title  = [[Baron Hardinge of Penshurst]]
        | years  = 1910–1944}}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Alexander Hardinge, 2nd Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Alexander Hardinge]] }}
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{{Viceroys of India}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardinge Of Penshurst, Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron}}
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