Arthur Henry Hardinge

Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge, (12 October 1859 – 27 December 1933), was a senior British diplomat.

Early life Hardinge was born in London, the son of General Hon. Sir Arthur Edward Hardinge, (1828–1892), KCB, Commander of the Bombay Army and later Governor of Gibraltar, and a grandson of the 1st Viscount Hardinge. He was a Page of Honour to Queen Victoria 1870–1876.

Hardinge studied Classics and Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford, matriculating in 1877 and graduating B.A. in 1881. He won the Lothian Prize Essay in 1880, and became a Fellow of All Souls College in 1881. a post which was later upgraded to Minister. Staying in Teheran until 1906, he stressed the importance of stopping Tsarist Russia on courting the political favours of the Persian government .

Concern by King Edward VII prompted him to accept the position as Minister to Belgium 1906–1911, and later as Minister to Portugal 1911–1913, and Ambassador to Spain, 1913–1919, a neutral country in World War I. He was frequently visited at Madrid and Barcelona by the notorious literary widow and sister to the famous General José Millán Astray, who was running some sort of World War I espionage network in both places and took thus opportunities to read and transcribe faithfully his diplomatic notes.

He retired in 1920, aged 61. He became the author of several books, including Life of Lord Carnarvon (1925) and two volumes of autobiography, A Diplomatist in Europe (1927) and A Diplomatist in the East. A supporter of right-wing politics, he joined the British Fascists.

He died in Mortlake and was buried in the churchyard of St. Peter, Fordcombe, Kent.

Family

Hardinge married, in 1899, Alexandra Mina Ellis, daughter of Major-General Sir Arthur Ellis. They had a daughter, and three sons. The sons were Henry Arthur Mina Hardinge (1904–1925), Edward William George Hardinge (1905–1906) (godson of Edward VII) and George Granville Douglas Hardinge (1912–1927).

Honours The Most Honourable Order of the Bath Companion (CB) 1895 Knight Commander (KCB) 1904

The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander (KCMG) 1897 Knight Grand Cross (GCMG) 1910