Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, 1st Baron Carmichael

Thomas David Gibson-Carmichael, 1st Baron Carmichael, (18 March 1859 – 16 January 1926), known as Sir Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, 11th Baronet, between 1891 and 1912, was a Scottish Liberal politician and colonial administrator. He was also a keen naturalist.

Background and education Born near Edinburgh, Scotland, Carmichael was the eldest son of Reverend Sir William Henry Gibson-Carmichael, 10th Baronet, and Eleanora Anne Anderson, daughter of David Anderson.

He was educated at the Wixenford House school of Cowley Powles, then near Eversley in Wixenford and St John's College, Cambridge. He succeeded his father as 11th Baronet in 1891.

Political career Carmichael was Private Secretary to George Trevelyan and Lord Dalhousie, when Secretaries for Scotland. but was successfully returned as Liberal Member of Parliament for Midlothian in 1895, succeeding William Ewart Gladstone. He continued to represent this constituency until the 1900 general election. During this period, Carmichael leased Malleny House and Garden. He developed gardens, as well as organised decorative ironwork to be added to the garden.

As governor, Carmichael permitted Victoria Premier Sir Thomas Bent who had lost a no-confidence vote on 3 December 1908 to dissolve the assembly and call for fresh elections. Thomas Bent, however, lost the elections and John Murray succeeded him as premier. A Royal Commission investigation was started in 1909 to inquire into the financial misappropriations made by Bent.

In 1911 Carmichael was appointed governor of Madras and served from 3 November 1911 to 30 March 1912. From 1 April 1912 to 26 March 1917, he was appointed as the Governor of Bengal. He was also elected as the President of The Asiatic Society from 1913 to 1915.

Honours He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1908, a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1911 and a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India in 1917. Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee created a post Carmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture, after his name. Carmichael College in Rangpur, Bangladesh is named after and was inaugurated by him in 1916.

Other public appointments Carmichael was also Chairman of the Commissioners in Lunacy for Scotland from 1894 to 1897, a Trustee of the Board of Manufactures in Scotland from 1900, a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1904 to 1908 and of the National Gallery from 1906 to 1908 and again from 1923 to 1926.

In 1891 he founded the Scottish Beekeepers Association.

Personal life Lord Carmichael married the Hon. Mary Helen Elizabeth, daughter of Baron Albert Nugent, in 1886. They had no children. He died at 13 Portman Street, London, in January 1926, aged 66, and was buried at Skirling, Biggar, Lanarkshire. The barony became extinct on his death while he was succeeded in the baronetcy by his cousin, Henry Thomas Gibson-Craig. He was a keen, amateur entomologist. During his career in India, he made a large collection of insects, mainly from the Darjeeling region, which he gave to the Indian Museum before leaving India. The damselfly species, Drepanosticta carmichaeli was named after him by Laidlaw in 1915.