John Erskine, Lord Erskine - Revision history

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2026-03-06T23:56:15Z

refined details also per standard format

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:26, 7 March 2026
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			{{Short description\|British soldier, Conservative Party politician and colonial administrator (1895–1953)}}
	{{More citations needed\|date=February 2014}}		{{More citations needed\|date=February 2014}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=~~May 2013~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2022}}
	{{Use British English\|date=May 2013}}		{{Use British English\|date=May 2013}}
	{{Infobox officeholder		{{Infobox officeholder
	\| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]		\| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
	\| name = Lord Erskine		\| name = The Lord Erskine
	\| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Star of India\|GCSI]] [[Order of the Indian Empire\|GCIE]]		\| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Star of India\|GCSI]] [[Order of the Indian Empire\|GCIE]]
	\| image = LordErskine1941.jpg		\| image = LordErskine1941.jpg
	\| imagesize = 200px		\| imagesize = 200px
	\| caption = ~~Lord~~ Erskine in 1940.		\| caption = Erskine {{circa}} 1940
	\| order1 = Governor of Madras Presidency		\| order1 = Governor of Madras Presidency
	\| term_start1 = 15 November 1934		\| term_start1 = 15 November 1934
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	\| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)\|Conservative Party]]		\| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)\|Conservative Party]]
	\| alma_mater = [[Eton College\|Eton]], <br />[[Christ Church, Oxford]]		\| alma_mater = [[Eton College\|Eton]], <br />[[Christ Church, Oxford]]
	\| profession = ~~soldier~~		\| profession = Soldier
	\| occupation = ~~politician~~,<br />administrator		\| occupation = Politician,<br />administrator
	\| spouse = Lady Marjorie Hervey		\| spouse = Lady Marjorie Hervey
	}}		}}

	'''John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine''' [[Order of the Star of India\|GCSI]], [[Order of the Indian Empire\|GCIE]] (12 April 1895 – 3 May 1953) was a ~~[[United Kingdom\|~~British]] soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)\|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)\|Weston-super-Mare]] and [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)\|Brighton]]. Erskine also served as the ~~Governor~~ of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940.		'''John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine''' [[Order of the Star of India\|GCSI]], [[Order of the Indian Empire\|GCIE]] (12 April 1895 – 3 May 1953) was a British soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)\|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)\|Weston-super-Mare]] and [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)\|Brighton]]. Erskine also served as the governor of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940.

	Erskine was born to [[Walter Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar]] on 12 April 1895 and had his education at [[Eton College\|Eton]] and [[University of Oxford\|Oxford University]]. On graduation, Erskine served in the British ~~army~~ and rose to become a major before entering politics. Erskine was elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom\|House of Commons]] as a candidate of the Conservative Party from Weston-super-Mare and served as MP from 1922 to 1923 and from 1924 to 1934. He also served as Assistant Government Whip from 1930 to 1934. In 1934, Erskine was appointed Governor of Madras Presidency, British India.		Erskine was born to [[Walter Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar]] on 12 April 1895 and had his education at [[Eton College\|Eton]] and [[University of Oxford\|Oxford University]]. On graduation, Erskine served in the British Army and rose to become a major before entering politics. Erskine was elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom\|House of Commons]] as a candidate of the Conservative Party from Weston-super-Mare and served as MP from 1922 to 1923 and from 1924 to 1934. He also served as Assistant Government Whip from 1930 to 1934. In 1934, Erskine was appointed Governor of Madras Presidency, British India.

	Erskine served as the ~~Governor~~ of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940. He was a close friend of Indian politician Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari though he disagreed with some of his policies. On the conclusion of his term, Erskine returned to the United Kingdom and served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton from 1940 to 1941. Erskine retired from politics in his later life. He died on 3 May 1953 at the age of 58.		Erskine served as the governor of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940. He was a close friend of Indian politician Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari though he disagreed with some of his policies. On the conclusion of his term, Erskine returned to the United Kingdom and served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton from 1940 to 1941. Erskine retired from politics in his later life. He died on 3 May 1953 at the age of 58.

	==Family and early life==		==Family and early life==

	John Erskine was born on 12 April 1895 to [[Walter Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar]] and his wife Lady Violet Ashley Cooper(1868–1938). He was the eldest of their two sons and had his education at [[Eton College\|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford\|Christ Church]], [[University of Oxford\|Oxford University]].		John Erskine was born on 12 April 1895 to [[Walter Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar]] and his wife Lady Violet Ashley Cooper (1868–1938). He was the eldest of their two sons and had his education at [[Eton College\|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford\|Christ Church]], [[University of Oxford\|Oxford University]].

	John Erskine married Lady Marjorie Hervey, the elder daughter of the [[Frederick Hervey, 4th Marquess of Bristol\|4th Marquess of Bristol]], on 2 December 1919 and had four sons.		John Erskine married Lady Marjorie Hervey, the elder daughter of the [[Frederick Hervey, 4th Marquess of Bristol\|4th Marquess of Bristol]], on 2 December 1919 and had four sons.
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	== Military career ==		== Military career ==

	On outbreak of the [[First World War]], Erskine enlisted in the [[Scots Guards]]. By the end of the war he was a [[Major]] in the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]].		On outbreak of the [[First World War]], Erskine enlisted in the [[Scots Guards]]. By the end of the war he was a [[Major (rank)\|Major]] in the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]].

	==Politics==		==Politics==
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	On 22 May 1934 Erskine was appointed the new Governor of [[Madras]].<ref name="nytimes_19340523">{{cite news\|title=MADRAS POST TO ERSKINE.; Governorship Goes to Member of British Parliament\|work=[[The New York Times]]\|date=23 May 1934}}</ref> Although his appointment commenced in November, Erskine resigned his seat through appointment as Steward of the [[Chiltern Hundreds]] at the beginning of June.		On 22 May 1934 Erskine was appointed the new Governor of [[Madras]].<ref name="nytimes_19340523">{{cite news\|title=MADRAS POST TO ERSKINE.; Governorship Goes to Member of British Parliament\|work=[[The New York Times]]\|date=23 May 1934}}</ref> Although his appointment commenced in November, Erskine resigned his seat through appointment as Steward of the [[Chiltern Hundreds]] at the beginning of June.

	In 1934, Erskine succeeded [[George Frederick Stanley]] as the [[Governor of Madras Presidency]] and served from 1934 to 1940. Erskine was a supporter of the [[Justice Party (India)\|Justice Party]] and wanted the party to capture power in the Presidency during the [[1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election\|1937 elections]]. However, to his disappointment, the [[Indian National Congress]] won by a huge margin. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the ~~Council~~, the Congress refused to form the government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the ~~Governor~~ by the [[Government of India Act 1935\|Government of India Act of 1935]]. Erskine decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. He first offered the Prime Minister post in the interim government to [[V. S. Srinivasa Sastri]] but Shastri refused to accept it. Then Erskine formed the interim Government with [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] of the Justice Party as premier on 1 April 1937. He also used the Minister for Public Health [[R. M. Palat]] to try and entice Congress legislators into supporting the government. Wary of his tactics, Congress leaders like [[S. Satyamurti]] started a campaign to convince Congress High Command ([[Gandhi]] and [[Nehru]]) to accept power within the limitations set by the Government of India Act. They also appealed to the British Government to give assurances that the Governor's special powers will not be misused. On 22 June, [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow\|Viceroy Linlithgow]] issued a statement expressing the British Government's desire to work with the Congress in implementing the 1935 Act. On 1 July, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) agreed to form Governments in the provinces they had won. On 14 July, Erskine had to swear in the Congress leader [[Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari]] as the Premier.<ref name="ramanathan">{{Cite book\| last =Ramanathan\| first =K. V.\| title =The Satyamurti letters: the Indian freedom struggle through the eyes of a parliamentarian, Volume 1\| publisher =Pearson Education India\| year = 2008\| pages =301–5\| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=NY_XjIE6sVUC&pg=PA301 \|isbn= 81-317-1488-8}}</ref><ref name="menon">{{Cite book\| last =Menon\| first =Visalakshi\| title =From movement to government: the Congress in the United Provinces, 1937-42\| publisher =Sage\| year = 2003\| pages =75\| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=UO-OxAoL4YIC&pg=PT38 \|isbn= 0-7619-9620-6}}</ref><ref name="nagarajan">{{Cite book\| last =Nagarajan\| first =Krishnaswami\| title =Dr. Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar: a biography\| publisher =Annamalai University\| year = 1989\| pages =63–70\| url =https://books.google.com/books?~~client=firefox-a&as_brr=0&~~id=0AMcAAAAIAAJ~~&dq=K.+V+Reddy+interim+Government+1937~~&q=erskine~~#search_anchor~~}}</ref>		In 1934, Erskine succeeded [[George Frederick Stanley]] as the [[Governor of Madras Presidency]] and served from 1934 to 1940. Erskine was a supporter of the [[Justice Party (India)\|Justice Party]] and wanted the party to capture power in the Presidency during the [[1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election\|1937 elections]]. However, to his disappointment, the [[Indian National Congress]] won by a huge margin. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the council, the Congress refused to form the government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the governor by the [[Government of India Act 1935\|Government of India Act of 1935]]. Erskine decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. He first offered the Prime Minister post in the interim government to [[V. S. Srinivasa Sastri]] but Shastri refused to accept it. Then Erskine formed the interim Government with [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] of the Justice Party as premier on 1 April 1937. He also used the Minister for Public Health [[R. M. Palat]] to try and entice Congress legislators into supporting the government. Wary of his tactics, Congress leaders like [[S. Satyamurti]] started a campaign to convince Congress High Command ([[Gandhi]] and [[Nehru]]) to accept power within the limitations set by the Government of India Act. They also appealed to the British Government to give assurances that the Governor's special powers will not be misused. On 22 June, [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow\|Viceroy Linlithgow]] issued a statement expressing the British Government's desire to work with the Congress in implementing the 1935 Act. On 1 July, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) agreed to form Governments in the provinces they had won. On 14 July, Erskine had to swear in the Congress leader [[Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari]] as the Premier.<ref name="ramanathan">{{Cite book\| last =Ramanathan\| first =K. V.\| title =The Satyamurti letters: the Indian freedom struggle through the eyes of a parliamentarian, Volume 1\| publisher =Pearson Education India\| year = 2008\| pages =301–5\| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=NY_XjIE6sVUC&pg=PA301 \|isbn= 978-81-317-1488-1}}</ref><ref name="menon">{{Cite book\| last =Menon\| first =Visalakshi\| title =From movement to government: the Congress in the United Provinces, 1937-42\| publisher =Sage\| year = 2003\| pages =75\| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=UO-OxAoL4YIC&pg=PT38 \|isbn= 0-7619-9620-6}}</ref><ref name="nagarajan">{{Cite book\| last =Nagarajan\| first =Krishnaswami\| title =Dr. Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar: a biography\| publisher =Annamalai University\| year = 1989\| pages =63–70\| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=0AMcAAAAIAAJ&q=erskine}}</ref>

			[[File:Portrait of John Francis Ashley.jpg\|thumb\|260px\|Lord Erskine GCSI GCIE in the mantle of the Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
	Erskine had a cordial personal relationship with Rajagopalachari<ref name="nehru_bio">{{cite book\|title=Jawaharlal Nehru, a Biography: A Biography\|first=Sankar\|last=Ghose\|publisher=Allied Publishers\|year=1993\|isbn=978-81-7023-369-5\|page=101}}</ref> though they disagreed over some issues.<ref name="rajajip280">{{cite book \| title=C. Rajagopalachari: Role in Freedom Movement\| last=Bakshi\| first=S. R. \| year=1991\| pages=280\| publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD\| isbn=978-81-7041-433-9}}</ref> When Rajagopalachari took a month's leave, he requested Erskine to look after most of his duties.<ref name="nehru_bio" /> It is also alleged that Rajagopalachari suggested knighthoods for some his friends.<ref name="nehru_bio" /> However, there were disagreements over the constitution of the ministry.<ref name="rajajip280" /> Erskine also opposed Rajagopalachari's usage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1932 during the [[Anti-Hindi agitation of 1937-40\|1938 Anti-Hindi agitations]]:"..[Rajagopalachari] was too much of a [[Tory]] for me, for though I may want to go back twenty years, he wishes to go back two thousand and to run India as it was run in the time of [[Ashoka the Great\|King Ashoka]]".		Erskine had a cordial personal relationship with Rajagopalachari<ref name="nehru_bio">{{cite book\|title=Jawaharlal Nehru, a Biography: A Biography\|first=Sankar\|last=Ghose\|publisher=Allied Publishers\|year=1993\|isbn=978-81-7023-369-5\|page=101}}</ref> though they disagreed over some issues.<ref name="rajajip280">{{cite book \| title=C. Rajagopalachari: Role in Freedom Movement\| last=Bakshi\| first=S. R. \| year=1991\| pages=280\| publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD\| isbn=978-81-7041-433-9}}</ref> When Rajagopalachari took a month's leave, he requested Erskine to look after most of his duties.<ref name="nehru_bio" /> It is also alleged that Rajagopalachari suggested knighthoods for some his friends.<ref name="nehru_bio" /> However, there were disagreements over the constitution of the ministry.<ref name="rajajip280" /> Erskine also opposed Rajagopalachari's usage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1932 during the [[Anti-Hindi agitation of 1937-40\|1938 Anti-Hindi agitations]]:"..[Rajagopalachari] was too much of a [[Tory]] for me, for though I may want to go back twenty years, he wishes to go back two thousand and to run India as it was run in the time of [[Ashoka the Great\|King Ashoka]]".

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	\| after=[[Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour\|Hon. Arthur Hope]]}}		\| after=[[Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour\|Hon. Arthur Hope]]}}
	{{s-end}}		{{s-end}}

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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, John}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, John}}

>CrumbleCrumble at 21:20, 23 May 2021

2021-05-23T21:20:32Z

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{{More citations needed|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = Lord Erskine
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]] [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]]
| image = LordErskine1941.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Lord Erskine in 1940.
| order1 = Governor of Madras Presidency
| term_start1 = 15 November 1934
| term_end1 = 18 June 1936
| governor-general1 = [[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|The Marquess of Willingdon]], [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|The Marquess of Linlithgow]]
| predecessor1 = [[George Frederick Stanley|Hon. Sir George Frederick Stanley]]
| successor1 = [[Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] (acting)
| premier1 = [[Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili]], [[P. T. Rajan]]
| term_start2 = 1 October 1936
| term_end2 = 12 March 1940
| predecessor2 = [[Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] (acting)
| successor2 = [[Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour|Hon. Arthur Hope]]
| governor-general2 = [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|The Marquess of Linlithgow]]
| premier2 = [[P. T. Rajan]], [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]], [[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1895|4|12|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1953|5|3|1895|4|12|df=y}}
| death_place = [[United Kingdom]]
| nationality = British
| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]
| alma_mater = [[Eton College|Eton]], [[Christ Church, Oxford]]
| profession = soldier
| occupation = politician, administrator
| spouse = Lady Marjorie Hervey
}}

'''John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine''' [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]], [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]] (12 April 1895 – 3 May 1953) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]] and [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton]]. Erskine also served as the Governor of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940.

Erskine was born to [[Walter Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar]] on 12 April 1895 and had his education at [[Eton College|Eton]] and [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]]. On graduation, Erskine served in the British army and rose to become a major before entering politics. Erskine was elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] as a candidate of the Conservative Party from Weston-super-Mare and served as MP from 1922 to 1923 and from 1924 to 1934. He also served as Assistant Government Whip from 1930 to 1934. In 1934, Erskine was appointed Governor of Madras Presidency, British India.

Erskine served as the Governor of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940. He was a close friend of Indian politician Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari though he disagreed with some of his policies. On the conclusion of his term, Erskine returned to the United Kingdom and served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton from 1940 to 1941. Erskine retired from politics in his later life. He died on 3 May 1953 at the age of 58.

==Family and early life==

John Erskine was born on 12 April 1895 to [[Walter Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar]] and his wife Lady Violet Ashley Cooper(1868–1938). He was the eldest of their two sons and had his education at [[Eton College|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]].

John Erskine married Lady Marjorie Hervey, the elder daughter of the [[Frederick Hervey, 4th Marquess of Bristol|4th Marquess of Bristol]], on 2 December 1919 and had four sons.

== Military career ==

On outbreak of the [[First World War]], Erskine enlisted in the [[Scots Guards]]. By the end of the war he was a [[Major]] in the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]].

==Politics==
With an interest in politics and an allegiance to the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], Erskine was appointed [[Private Secretary|Assistant Private Secretary]] to [[Walter Hume Long, 1st Viscount Long|Viscount Long]] in 1920. At the [[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922 general election]], Erskine was elected as [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]]. He lost his seat to a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] in the [[1923 United Kingdom general election|1923 general election]] but easily regained it in [[1924 United Kingdom general election|1924]] and did not face a serious challenge there again.

[[William Joynson-Hicks, 1st Viscount Brentford|William Joynson-Hicks]], then a rapidly rising Conservative Minister, appointed Erskine as his [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] in 1922, which gave him considerable interesting work to do. Joynson-Hicks was among the more controversial Ministers and had especial need to know that he had the support of Conservative backbenchers, and this Erskine was able to arrange.

After the [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931 general election]], Erskine was named as an unpaid Assistant [[Government whip]] on 12 November 1931. This appointment effectively silenced Erskine in the Chamber of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] due to the tradition that Whips do not make speeches. Previously Erskine had been an effective and confident speaker who had taken a close interest in the affairs of [[India]] (although he admitted never to having visited it). He followed the '[[Round Table Conferences]]' of the early 1930s closely.

In his later years, Erskine served as a member of Parliament for the two-member [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton]] constituency. However Erskine's public support for native rule in India counted against him with [[Winston Churchill]] who had led the opposition to the Government of India Act 1935. Although hopeful of appointment to government office, Erskine was given nothing.

==As Governor of Madras Presidency==
[[File:John Erskine, Lord Erskine.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Lord Erskine with his wife Marjorie in Madras in the 1930s]]

On 22 May 1934 Erskine was appointed the new Governor of [[Madras]].<ref name="nytimes_19340523">{{cite news|title=MADRAS POST TO ERSKINE.; Governorship Goes to Member of British Parliament|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 May 1934}}</ref> Although his appointment commenced in November, Erskine resigned his seat through appointment as Steward of the [[Chiltern Hundreds]] at the beginning of June.

In 1934, Erskine succeeded [[George Frederick Stanley]] as the [[Governor of Madras Presidency]] and served from 1934 to 1940. Erskine was a supporter of the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] and wanted the party to capture power in the Presidency during the [[1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election|1937 elections]]. However, to his disappointment, the [[Indian National Congress]] won by a huge margin. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the Council, the Congress refused to form the government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the Governor by the [[Government of India Act 1935|Government of India Act of 1935]]. Erskine decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. He first offered the Prime Minister post in the interim government to [[V. S. Srinivasa Sastri]] but Shastri refused to accept it. Then Erskine formed the interim Government with [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] of the Justice Party as premier on 1 April 1937. He also used the Minister for Public Health [[R. M. Palat]] to try and entice Congress legislators into supporting the government. Wary of his tactics, Congress leaders like [[S. Satyamurti]] started a campaign to convince Congress High Command ([[Gandhi]] and [[Nehru]]) to accept power within the limitations set by the Government of India Act. They also appealed to the British Government to give assurances that the Governor's special powers will not be misused. On 22 June, [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|Viceroy Linlithgow]] issued a statement expressing the British Government's desire to work with the Congress in implementing the 1935 Act. On 1 July, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) agreed to form Governments in the provinces they had won. On 14 July, Erskine had to swear in the Congress leader [[Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari]] as the Premier.<ref name="ramanathan">{{Cite book| last =Ramanathan| first =K. V.| title =The Satyamurti letters: the Indian freedom struggle through the eyes of a parliamentarian, Volume 1| publisher =Pearson Education India| year = 2008| pages =301–5| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=NY_XjIE6sVUC&pg=PA301 |isbn= 81-317-1488-8}}</ref><ref name="menon">{{Cite book| last =Menon| first =Visalakshi| title =From movement to government: the Congress in the United Provinces, 1937-42| publisher =Sage| year = 2003| pages =75| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=UO-OxAoL4YIC&pg=PT38 |isbn= 0-7619-9620-6}}</ref><ref name="nagarajan">{{Cite book| last =Nagarajan| first =Krishnaswami| title =Dr. Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar: a biography| publisher =Annamalai University| year = 1989| pages =63–70| url =https://books.google.com/books?client=firefox-a&as_brr=0&id=0AMcAAAAIAAJ&dq=K.+V+Reddy+interim+Government+1937&q=erskine#search_anchor}}</ref>

Erskine had a cordial personal relationship with Rajagopalachari<ref name="nehru_bio">{{cite book|title=Jawaharlal Nehru, a Biography: A Biography|first=Sankar|last=Ghose|publisher=Allied Publishers|year=1993|isbn=978-81-7023-369-5|page=101}}</ref> though they disagreed over some issues.<ref name="rajajip280">{{cite book | title=C. Rajagopalachari: Role in Freedom Movement| last=Bakshi| first=S. R. | year=1991| pages=280| publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD| isbn=978-81-7041-433-9}}</ref> When Rajagopalachari took a month's leave, he requested Erskine to look after most of his duties.<ref name="nehru_bio" /> It is also alleged that Rajagopalachari suggested knighthoods for some his friends.<ref name="nehru_bio" /> However, there were disagreements over the constitution of the ministry.<ref name="rajajip280" /> Erskine also opposed Rajagopalachari's usage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1932 during the [[Anti-Hindi agitation of 1937-40|1938 Anti-Hindi agitations]]:"..[Rajagopalachari] was too much of a [[Tory]] for me, for though I may want to go back twenty years, he wishes to go back two thousand and to run India as it was run in the time of [[Ashoka the Great|King Ashoka]]".

Erskine was also a regular visitor to the [[Nilgiri Hills]].<ref name="thehindu_kotagiri">{{cite news|title=Keeping the connection alive|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/01/stories/2009110150060200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107112911/http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/01/stories/2009110150060200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 November 2012|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=1 November 2009}}</ref> On a public reception accorded to him by the [[Kotagiri]] Panchayat Board in 1935, he gave Kotagiri town the sobriquet, "Princess among Hill Stations".<ref name="thehindu_kotagiri" /> The first regular radio service in the Madras Presidency commenced in 1938 when the [[All India Radio]] established its station in Madras.<ref name="muthiahp164">{{cite book | title=Madras Rediscovered| last=Muthiah| first=S.|author-link=S. Muthiah |year=2004| pages=164| publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd| isbn=81-88661-24-4}}</ref>

The Congress ministry resigned on 9 October 1939 over the outbreak of [[Second World War]].<ref name="nytimes_19391031">{{cite news|title=VICEROY CALLS GANDHI TO PARLEY ON STATUS; Other Party Chiefs Invited-- Second Ministry Resigns|work=The New York Times|date=31 October 1939}}</ref> Erskine declared an emergency and took over the reins of the administration. Rajagopalachari and other ministers were arrested as per [[Defence of India Act 1915|Defence of India Act]] rules. On 21 February 1940, Erskine repealed the unpopular law imposing compulsory study of Hindi in the Madras Presidency.

==Later life==
With no hope of continuing a political career, and finding that representing the seat was very expensive, Erskine resigned his seat and went to live in his house at [[Ickworth]] near [[Bury St Edmunds]]. He continued to comment on Indian affairs, bemoaning the influence of [[Gandhi]]{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}. His second son was killed in action in 1945.

Active in voluntary work locally, Erskine was appointed President of the [[Marine Society & Sea Cadets|Navy League]]. A major operation in the early 1950s damaged his health, and he died in 1953 during the lifetime of his father.

== Notes ==

{{reflist}}

==References==
*M. Stenton and S. Lees, "Who's Who of British MPs" Vol. IV (Harvester Press, 1981)
*"John Francis Ashley Erskine" in [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]].
*Obituary, ''The Times'', 4 May 1953.

== External links ==
* {{Hansard-contribs | lord-erskine | Lord Erskine }}

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{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]]
| years=[[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922]]–[[1923 United Kingdom general election|1923]]
| before=Sir [[Gilbert Wills, 1st Baron Dulverton|Gilbert Wills]], Bt.
| after=[[Frank Murrell]]}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]]
| years=[[1924 United Kingdom general election|1924]]–[[1934 Weston-super-Mare by-election|1934]]
| before=[[Frank Murrell]]
| after=[[Ian Orr-Ewing (Weston-super-Mare MP)|Ian Orr-Ewing]]}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton]]
| with = [[Cooper Rawson|Sir Cooper Rawson]]
| years=[[1940 Brighton by-election|1940]]–[[1941 Brighton by-election|1941]]
| before=[[George Tryon, 1st Baron Tryon|George Tryon]] [[Cooper Rawson|Sir Cooper Rawson]]
| after=[[Anthony Marlowe]] [[Cooper Rawson|Sir Cooper Rawson]]
}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Governor of Madras]]
| years=1934–1940
| before=[[George Stanley (British politician)|Hon. Sir George Stanley]]
| after=[[Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour|Hon. Arthur Hope]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, John}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
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[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
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[[Category:Governors of Madras]]
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[[Category:British courtesy barons and lords of Parliament]]
[[Category:Clan Erskine|John]]