John Erskine, Lord Erskine

John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine, GCSI, GCIE (12 April, 1895 – 3 May, 1953) was a British politician and colonial administrator. His time as Governor of Madras in the 1930s showed that he was adept at managing the complex and feverish politics among Indian nationalists.

Family and early life

Erskine was the elder of two sons of the 12th Earl of Mar and 14th Earl of Kellie, and as the heir to the Peerages, he held from his birth the courtesy title of Lord Erskine. He was sent to Eton College and went on from there to Christ Church, Oxford University. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War, and he enlisted in the Scots Guards. By the end of the war he was a Major in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Entry into politics

With an interest in politics and an allegiance to the Conservative Party, Erskine was appointed Assistant Private Secretary to Viscount Long in 1920. At the 1922 general election, Erskine was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare. He lost his seat to a Liberal in the 1923 general election but easily regained it in 1924 and did not face a serious challenge there again.

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.

Political advancement

After the 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 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.

India

On 22 May, 1934 it was announced that the King had approved the appointment of Erskine as the new Governor of Madras. Although his appointment commenced in November, Erskine resigned his seat through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds at the beginning of June.

An earlier reform of government in Madras enacted in 1920 had introduced a small amount of democracy, and unlike elsewhere in India, a local group called the 'Justice Party' had emerged to work with the British authorities in developing the reforms. Erskine began work shortly before the Government of India Act 1935, which introduced wider democracy, took effect. He hoped to encourage the Indians in Madras to work with this scheme too.

At the elections in 1937, the Congress Party swept the board and won its largest majority in India in the Madras. Congress in Madras was also headed by Mahatma Gandhi's ally Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, who was determined to extract concessions. However, Erskine engaged him in debate and succeeded in coming to an agreement which gave him the confidence to appoint a Congress Ministry. This Ministry in practice worked well with Erskine and the British authorities.

Return

The outbreak of the Second World War brought this happy situation to an end as the Congress Party was everywhere opposed to India's participation in the war. The Madras legislature passed a resolution condemning it, and the Ministry resigned. Erskine was forced to institute direct rule. His term of office, which was due to end at the same time, was extended by four months so as not to disrupt the administration.

On his return, Erskine was swiftly returned to Parliament unopposed as one of the MPs for the two-member 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.

Retirement

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. His younger son was killed in action in 1945.

Active in voluntary work locally, Erskine was appointed President of the Navy League. A major operation in the early 1950s damaged his health, and he died in 1953 during the lifetime of his father.

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.