Eric Drummond, 7th Earl of Perth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Earl of Perth
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Drummond circa 1918
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| Secretary-General of the League of Nations | |
| In office 1 August 1920 – 2 July 1933 |
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| Deputy | Jean Monnet Joseph Avenol |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Avenol |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 August 1876 Fulford, England |
| Died | 15 December 1951 (aged 75) Sussex, England |
| Nationality | British (Scottish) |
| Spouse | Angela Mary Constable-Maxwell |
| Education | Eton College |
James Eric Drummond, 7th Earl of Perth (born August 17, 1876 – died December 15, 1951) was an important British politician and diplomat. He is best known as the very first Secretary-General of the League of Nations. This was an international organization created after World War I to promote peace.
Drummond worked for the League from 1920 to 1933. He helped build a strong international team. Later, he became the British Ambassador to Italy (1933–1939). He also advised the British government during World War II. In 1946, he became a leader in the Liberal Party in the House of Lords.
Contents
Early Life and Career Path
Family Background and Titles
James Eric Drummond was born into a noble Scottish family. His father was James David Drummond, the 10th Viscount Strathallan. Eric was the eldest son from his father's second marriage.
In 1937, Eric's half-brother passed away. This meant Eric became the 7th Earl of Perth. He inherited several important titles, including Chief of Clan Drummond.
He grew up in a Presbyterian family. But in 1903, he became a Roman Catholic. This decision later affected his career. For example, a Prime Minister stopped him from becoming an ambassador to Washington. He married Angela Mary Constable-Maxwell in 1904. They had four children:
- Lady Margaret Gwendolyn Mary (born 1905)
- John David Drummond, Viscount Strathallan (born 1907), who inherited his father's titles
- Lady Angela Alice Maryel Drummond (born 1912)
- Lady Gillian Mary Drummond (born 1920)
Education and Early Work
Drummond studied at Eton College and finished in 1895. There, he learned French, which was very useful in his later diplomatic work. His background helped him join the world of diplomacy as a civil servant.
Before leading the League of Nations, Drummond worked as a private secretary. He served many British politicians and diplomats. This included Prime Minister H. H. Asquith.
In 1900, Drummond joined the British Foreign Office as a clerk. He worked his way up, serving different important officials. From 1912 to 1918, he was a private secretary to Prime Minister Asquith and foreign secretaries like Sir Edward Grey and Arthur James Balfour. In 1917, he helped promote cooperation between Britain and the United States during World War I.
Leading the League of Nations
Joining the League
From 1918 to 1919, Drummond was part of the British team at the Paris Peace Conference. Here, he helped write the rules for the Covenant of the League of Nations.
In 1919, he was offered the job of Secretary-General of the League of Nations. This was a new and very important role. Lord Robert Cecil, who helped create the League, suggested Drummond for the job.
The League needed a strong leader. Cecil first wanted a politician. But he later decided a skilled civil servant would be better. Drummond was a British diplomat with 19 years of experience. He had a great reputation. He was seen as the best choice.
Drummond was a bit worried about organizing the new League. But he finally accepted the offer. On April 28, 1919, the conference officially appointed him as the first Secretary-General.
Building the Secretariat
One of Drummond's biggest achievements was creating a permanent, international staff. This was called the Secretariat. No such international team had ever existed before. Many people thought it would be impossible to unite staff from different countries.
But by August 1920, the Secretariat was fully set up. Its staff came from over 30 countries. They spoke different languages and had different backgrounds. But they all worked for the League, not their home countries. This was a big change from older national organizations.
The Secretariat had seven main sections. These included areas like mandates (governing former colonies), economics, transit, social issues, and legal matters. Drummond made sure that staff were loyal to the League itself. He did not want countries to send their own national staff to work there.
Drummond's Leadership Style
Drummond was a careful leader. He didn't try to make the office about his own personality. He focused on setting up the League's administrative parts. He chose senior staff carefully, often picking people from powerful countries who supported their governments.
He took his job very seriously. He read everything that came to his desk. He held regular meetings to discuss issues. He built trust with politicians around the world. This gave him access to important information.
Drummond preferred to work behind the scenes. He avoided the public spotlight. But he was very active politically in private. He often had to make decisions that pleased different nations. This was because he often lacked strong support from many governments. For example, he couldn't publicly criticize Benito Mussolini's policies. Britain and France did not back him up.
Drummond worked hard to keep world peace. He often tried to keep nations happy, even if it meant not strictly following international law. He had a lot of freedom in how he ran the office. He became a central figure in the League. He would often handle the most important issues himself and give smaller tasks to his staff.
Challenges and Crises
During Drummond's time, the League of Nations faced many challenges. The League's Council relied on member countries to use their militaries to keep peace. Many problems involved border disputes after World War I. Drummond was key in talks and negotiations during these crises.
He was involved in disputes in places like Latin America, the Baltics, and China. Drummond was an idealist, but he also used his political connections. He avoided the public eye but was very active behind the scenes. He often had to make compromises because governments didn't always support him.
For example, he couldn't publicly criticize Mussolini's actions in the 1920s. This was because Britain and France didn't support him. He wanted to keep good relations with Italy.
Drummond's faith also played a role in his decisions. As a Catholic, he strongly pushed for a vote in the Polish–Lithuanian War. Most Poles were Catholic, and this could help resolve the conflict. He also helped find a solution for the crisis between Russia and Finland.
He was also praised for going beyond his role during the Chaco War. He acted as a helpful mediator, doing more than his position usually allowed.
The Mukden Incident
One of Drummond's most difficult moments was the Mukden Incident. In 1931, China claimed Japan blew up a railroad. Japan then used this as an excuse to invade Manchuria. China asked the League for help against Japan.
Drummond's first reaction was like a careful official. He looked to Britain and the United States for help. But these powerful nations said they were "too busy" to deal with the crisis.
He wanted to be active in solving the crisis. But he was often outmaneuvered by other powerful figures. He resigned in 1933. His deputy, Joseph Avenol from France, took over his role.
British Ambassador in Rome
After leaving the League, Drummond was considered for the British ambassador job in Washington. But the Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, said no. This was possibly because Drummond had become a Roman Catholic.
Instead, he became the British ambassador to Rome in October 1933. He served there until April 1939. He retired from foreign politics a month later.
During his time in Rome, Drummond found it hard to get close to Mussolini. He noted that Mussolini needed to be handled "with great caution."
The Italian foreign minister, Galeazzo Ciano, thought Drummond (now Earl of Perth) believed France was too harsh on Italy. Perth also tried to convince Italians that the British government was "conciliatory." He even seemed to defend Italian policy. Ciano's diaries suggest Perth, who was against the Fascist government at first, became a "sincere convert" who "understood and even loved Fascism."
However, some historians say Drummond was not always good at judging situations. For example, in 1935, he told the Foreign Office that Italy had "no aggressive intentions" towards Ethiopia. He was later criticized for his weak protest when Italy invaded Ethiopia.
Later Life and Legacy
During World War II, Drummond worked for the Ministry of Information. After the war, he served as a deputy leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords until his death.
Drummond's Impact
Drummond's role in the League's security efforts is seen as limited, especially later on. This was due to powerful countries like Britain and France often working against the League's goals. But his practical approach did lead to some early successes. For example, he helped resolve the Greek–Bulgarian Conflict in 1925 and the Colombia–Peru War in 1932-1933.
His most lasting positive impact was in setting up the League's organization. This included dealing with refugees and supervising "technical organizations and committees." He helped create international standards for health and labor. He also promoted sharing information and a spirit of international cooperation. These ideas became a model for future international groups like the United Nations.
His time as ambassador to Fascist Italy is seen as a more difficult period. He failed to see the full picture, and Britain's policy of trying to keep fascist regimes happy (appeasement) also played a role. The failure to stop the Ethiopian Crisis weakened the League. It also sent the wrong message to leaders like Mussolini and Hitler.
Historians Gordon Craig and Felix Gilbert noted that while his approach to political tasks was cautious, he was brave when the League's authority was at stake. His careful style helped avoid disappointments and built the League's reputation. Historian Susan Pederson described Drummond as "highly organized, meticulous, good at selecting staff)... and able to mediate disputes."
Titles and Honours
King George V gave Drummond several important titles for his work:
- Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1914.
- Knight Commander Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1916.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1934.
See also
- United Kingdom and the League of Nations
Sources
- Barros, James. Office Without Power: Secretary-General Sir Eric Drummond 1919–1933 (Oxford 1979).
- Chapman, Michael E. Fidgeting over Foreign Policy: Henry L. Stimson and the Shenyang Incident, 1931. Oxford Journals: Diplomatic History, Volume 37, Issue 4 (2013).
- Craig, Gordon A., and Gilbert, Felix. eds. The Diplomats 1919–1939 (Princeton University Press, 1994).
- Dykmann, Klaas & Naumann, Katja, eds. Changes from the "Margins": Non-European Actors, Ideas and Strategies in International Organizations (Leipzig, 2014).
- Lloyd, Lorna. "The League of Nations and the Settlement of Disputes" World Affairs. Vol. 157, No. 4, Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations: Part One (Spring 1995).
- Lorna Lloyd. "Drummond, (James) Eric, seventh earl of Perth (1876–1951)," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed, January 2011 accessed 7 October 2014
- Macfadyen, D.; Davies, M.; Carr, M.; Burley, J. 2019. Eric Drummond and his Legacies: The League of Nations and the Beginnings of Global Governance. Palgrave, 2019 online
- Walters, F. P., A History of the League of Nations, Oxford University Press, 1952. (available online)
- Yearwood, Peter J. Guarantee of Peace: The League of Nations in British Policy 1914–1925. Oxford Scholarship Online (2009)
