Patrick Gower (civil servant)
Sir Patrick Gower | |
---|---|
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister | |
In office 1922–1928 Serving with Ronald Waterhouse | |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | Sir Edward Grigg |
Succeeded by | Robert Vansittart |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Patrick Malcolm Gower 18 August 1887 Cardigan, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
Died | 31 August 1964 Henley, Oxfordshire, England | (aged 77)
Spouses |
|
Relations | Sir Robert Gower |
Children | 2 |
Education | Marlborough College |
Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
Awards | |
Sir Robert Patrick Malcolm Gower KBE CB CVO (18 August 1887 – 31 August 1964) was a British civil servant who served as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister between 1922 and 1928.
Early life
[edit]Patrick Gower was born in Cardigan, Pembrokeshire,[1] the younger son of Captain Erasmus Gower of Pembrokeshire. He was educated at Marlborough College and gained a scholarship to Emmanuel College, Cambridge.[2]
Career
[edit]Gower served as Private Secretary to Austen Chamberlain as Chancellor of the Exchequer and as Lord Privy Seal, from 1919 to 1922.[3] He served as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, during which time he served three different prime ministers; Bonar Law; Stanley Baldwin; and Ramsay MacDonald, from 1922 to 1928.[4][5] After leaving 10 Downing Street, Gower served as Chief Press Officer to the Conservative Party from 1929 to 1939.[6][2] In 1939 he left Whitehall to become chairman of advertising firm Charles F. Higham, where he remained until retirement.[7]
He was awarded an Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1922 New Years Honours list;[8] a Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 1923 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours;[9] and was knighted (KBE) for services to the Prime Minister.[2] in the 1924 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.[10]
Personal life
[edit]He married Nancy Barkley in 1913, with whom he had one son and one daughter. Upon her death in 1940 he remarried in March 1941 to H. Margaret Hawdon.[7] He died at home in Henley, Oxfordshire, on 31 August 1964.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Gower, Sir (Robert) Patrick (Malcolm), (18 Aug. 1887–31 Aug. 1964), President of Charles F. Higham Ltd, since 1956 (Chairman, 1935–56)". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u53298. ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ Churchill, Randolph Spencer; Gilbert, Martin (1966). Winston S. Churchill. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-25104-1.
- ^ Jones, Thomas (1969). Whitehall Diary. Oxford U.P.
- ^ The Economist. Economist Newspaper Limited. 1928.
- ^ The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. Saturday Review. 1928.
- ^ a b c "OBITUARY: Sir Patrick Gower". The Times. 1 September 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "Page 10713 | Supplement 32563, 30 December 1921 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ^ "Page 3739 | Supplement 32827, 25 May 1923 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ^ "Page 1263 | Supplement 32906, 8 February 1924 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-13.