Bernard Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard
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Bernard Arthur William Patrick Hastings Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard KP GCVO PC (September 17, 1874–September 10, 1948), known as Viscount Forbes from 1874 to 1889, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Liberal politician.
Granard was the son of George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard, and Hon. Mary Frances Petre, daughter of William Bernard Petre, 12th Baron Petre. He succeeded as eighth Earl of Granard on the death of his father in 1889, aged only 14. In 1895 he was able to take his seat in the House of Lords in right of his junior title of Baron Granard, which was in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (all his other titles were in the Peerage of Ireland). When the Liberals came to power in 1905 under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Granard was appointed a Lord-in-Waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) and Assistant Postmaster-General, posts he held until 1907 and 1909 respectively. In 1907 he was admitted to the Privy Council and also became Master of the Horse, an office he retained until 1915.
Granard was made a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1909 and in 1918 he was also admitted to the Irish Privy Council. He was also involved in Irish politics and was a member of the short-lived Senate of Southern Ireland in 1921 and of the Senate of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1934. He was again Master of the Horse between 1923 and 1936, but by this time this post had ceased being a political office. Apart from his political career, Granard was also on the board of Arsenal Football Club, and was club chairman from 1936 to 1939.
Lord Granard married Beatrice Mills, daughter of Ogden Mills, in 1909. They had four children. Lord Granard died in September 1948, and was succeeded by his eldest son Arthur Patrick Hastings Forbes.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Earl of Sefton |
Master of the Horse 1907–1915 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Chesterfield |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by The Marquess of Bath |
Master of the Horse 1923–1936 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Beaufort |
| Preceded by The Viscount Churchill |
His Majesty's Representative at Ascot 1936–1945 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Norfolk |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by George Forbes |
Earl of Granard 1889–1948 |
Succeeded by Arthur Patrick Hastings Forbes |
[edit] References
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- www.thepeerage.com
