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Sir Arthur James Herbert, GCVO (22 August 1855 – 31 August 1921) was a British diplomat who served as the first British envoy to Norway.

Early life

He was the second son of Hon. Augusta Charlotte Elizabeth (née Hall) Herbert and John Arthur Edward Herbert, the High Sheriff of Monmouthshire. Among his siblings were Ivor Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen, Florence Herbert (wife of Joseph Monteith), and Lt.-Col. Edward Bleiddian Herbert of the 17th Lancers (who married Hon. Mary Dalberg-Acton, daughter of John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton).

His paternal grandparents were John Jones of Llanarth Court and the former Lady Harriet Plunkett (a daughter of Arthur Plunkett, 8th Earl of Fingall). His mother was the only surviving child of Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover and the former Augusta Waddington (sister of Frances Bunsen, wife of the Prussian diplomat Baron Bunsen).

Herbert was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1879.

Career

In the early years of his service, he was posted at Petrograd, Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires, Tehran, Brussels, Bern, Stockholm and Copenhagen. In August 1902, he was appointed Consul-General at Budapest, and the following year he became chargé d'affaires at Darmstadt (Hesse) and Karlsruhe (Baden). He received official allowances for knowledge of Russian and Persian and spoke five other languages fluently.

After the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, Herbert was appointed the first British envoy to the newly independent Norway, with the then-customary title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. He was the first foreign envoy to arrive in Christiania (now Oslo) after the recognition of Norway as an independent state by foreign powers.

Shortly afterwards he bought the Villa Frognæs, built in 1859 for the banker Thomas Heftye and recognized as one of the finest private residences in the city, to be the British Legation. The Foreign Office had strongly recommended a rental property, but Herbert argued that with the new Norwegian king, Haakon VII, married to a British princess, it was imperative for Britain to establish a first-class legation there, and the British Treasury approved the purchase early in 1906. The Villa Frognæs remains the official residence of the British Ambassador, but new offices have been built behind the house, facing Thomas Heftyes gate [no], to house the embassy.

Herbert was appointed envoy to Mexico in 1911 but did not proceed and instead retired from the diplomatic service. Sir Arthur was Deputy Lieutenant of Monmouthshire.

Personal life

On 14 December 1892, Herbert married Helen Louise Gammell at Our Lady of the Isle in Newport, Rhode Island with the reception being held at the Gammell cottage known as "Ocean Lawn" there. Together, they were the parents of John Arthur Herbert (1895–1943), an MP for Monmouth and Governor of Bengal.

After his retirement, Sir Arthur and Lady Herbert returned to America and vacationed amongst her family, including at Newport and Tuxedo Park, New York.

Sir Arthur died on 31 August 1921.

Honours

Herbert was appointed CVO in 1905, knighted KCVO on his appointment to Norway and raised to GCVO in 1908 on the occasion of a state visit by King Edward VII to Norway. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav by King Haakon VII in 1906.

References

1. ^ Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, of Great Britain and Ireland, for ...: Including All the Titled Classes. S. Low, Marston & Company. 1906. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
2. ^ "HERBERT -- GAMMELL". The New York Times. 15 December 1892. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
3. "Bunsen, Christian Karl Josias von, Baron von Bunsen in the Prussian nobility (1791–1860), diplomatist and scholar hostess and biographer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/53760. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 31 May 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
4. "Diplomatic appointmnets". The Times. No. 36857. London. 27 August 1902. p. 7.
5. "No. 27473". The London Gazette. 12 September 1902. p. 5887.
6. ^ The Times, 1 September 1921, page 13
7. "No. 27859". The London Gazette. 1 December 1905. p. 8645.
8. Mark Bertram, Room for Diplomacy: Britain's Diplomatic Buildings Overseas 1800-2000, Spire Books, 2011
9. HERBERT, Sir Arthur (James), Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007.
10. Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage: Comprising Information Concerning All Persons Bearing Hereditary Or Courtesy Titles, Knights, and Companions of All the Various Orders, and the Collateral Branches of All Peers and Baronets. Dean & Son, Limited. 1902. p. 522. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
11. Times, Special to The New York (13 September 1900). "SAFE-GAMMELL WEDDING; Religious Ceremony at Newport Following the Civil Marriage. COTTAGERS CROWD CHURCH Bride's Many Presents -- Entertainment Given to the Poor Children of Newport". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
12. Times, Special lo The l'emv York (25 April 1926). "LOUISE KING WEDS KENIETH A. S. SAFE; Bishop Perry of ,Rhode Island Performs Ceremony in St. Mary's Church, Tuxedo. 2,000 ASKED TO RECEPTION Father Escorts t h Bride -- Alice M. Post Maid of Honor -- Great Array of Society". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
13. "SIR J. A. HERBERT DIES; BENGAL EX-GOVERNOR; Resigned in October After Four YearsOnce in Parliament". The New York Times. 12 December 1943. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
14. TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (30 March 1924). "CAPTAIN HERBERT TO WED; Engagement to Lady Mary Fox-Strangways Is Announced". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
15. "Herbert, Sir John Arthur, (1895-1943), Knight Lieutenant Colonel Governor of Bengal". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
16. "HOUSE PARTIES AT TUXEDO.; Sir Arthur and Lady Herbert Among Guests -- Outdoor Sports". The New York Times. 10 May 1915. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
17. Death Of Sir Arthur Herbert: First British Minister To Norway, The Times, London, 1 September 1921, page 13.
18. "No. 27761". The London Gazette. 3 February 1905. p. 841.
19. "No. 27856". The London Gazette. 21 November 1905. p. 7807.
20. "No. 28135". The London Gazette. 8 May 1908. p. 3392.
21. "Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden", Norges Statskalender (in Norwegian), 1910, pp. 913–914 – via hathitrust.org

External links

• "Archival material relating to Herbert, Sir Arthur James (1855-1921) Knight Diplomat". UK National Archives.

• 1855 births
• 1921 deaths
• Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
• Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Norway
• Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
• Welsh cricketers
• Europeans cricketers
• Deputy lieutenants of Monmouthshire