Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth
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James Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth, KCMG, CB (August 17, 1876 – December 15, 1951) was a Scottish representative peer, a British diplomat and the first Secretary General of the League of Nations.
Half brother of the 15th Earl of Perth, Drummond was born in North Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Eton and began his Foreign Office career in 1900. In 1906, he became private secretary to Lord Edmund Petty-FitzMaurice, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In 1908 and again from 1910 to 1911, he was précis writer for Sir Edward Grey, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
He served as the League of Nations Secretary General from the organization's foundation in 1919 until 1933 when he became Britain's ambassador to Italy. He succeeded to the Earldom in 1937 upon his half brother's death and entered the House of Lords. In 1939, Drummond returned to Britain and served during the Second World War as chief advisor on foreign publicity in the Ministry of Information. From 1947 until his death, he served as deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Drummond |
Earl of Perth 1937-1951 |
Succeeded by John Drummond |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by new title |
Secretary-General of the League of Nations 1920-1933 |
Succeeded by Joseph Louis Anne Avenol |
| Preceded by Sir Ronald Graham |
British Ambassador to Italy 1933–1939 |
Succeeded by Sir Percy Loraine |
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