Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Earl of Rosebery
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 23 May 1945 – 26 July 1945
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Thomas Johnston
Succeeded by	Joseph Westwood
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 21 May 1929 – 31 May 1974 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	The 5th Earl of Rosebery
Succeeded by	The 7th Earl of Rosebery
Member of Parliament for Midlothian
In office 8 February 1906 – 10 February 1910
Preceded by	Alexander Murray
Succeeded by	Alexander Murray
Personal details
Born	8 January 1882 (1882-01-08)
Died	31 May 1974 (1974-06-01) (aged 92)
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal National Liberal
Spouses	Dorothy Grosvenor ​ ​ (m. 1909; div. 1919)​ Eva Strutt ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	3, including Ronald and Neil
Parents	Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Hannah de Rothschild
Cricket information Batting Right-handed Bowling Right-arm fast Career statistics Competition First-class Matches 102 Runs scored 3,551 Batting average 22.47 100s/50s 2/19 Top score 138 Balls bowled 131 Wickets 3 Bowling average 33.33 5 wickets in innings 0 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 2/16 Catches/stumpings 50/– Source: CricketArchive, 8 May 2022

Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose (born January 8, 1882 – died May 31, 1974) was a British politician. He was known as Lord Dalmeny until 1929. He was a member of the Liberal Party.

He briefly served as the Secretary of State for Scotland in 1945. Before that, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian from 1906 to 1910. In 1929, he became the Earl of Rosebery and Midlothian. This made him a member of the House of Lords until he passed away.

Early Life and Education

Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose was born on January 8, 1882. His birthplace was Dalmeny House, which is west of Edinburgh in Scotland.

His father was Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. He was a Liberal politician and even served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1894 to 1895. His mother was Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery, who came from the famous Rothschild family.

Albert had two siblings: a brother named Neil Primrose and a sister named Lady Sybil Grant, who was a writer.

He went to school at Eton. After that, he received military training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Military Service

Lord Dalmeny began his military career in 1902. He joined the Grenadier Guards as a Second lieutenant.

During the First World War, he served in France from 1914 to 1917. He worked as a Camp Commandant and an ADC for General Allenby. Later, he served in Palestine as Allenby's Military Secretary.

Cricket and Horse Racing

Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose was also a very good cricketer. He was known as Lord Dalmeny during his cricket career.

• He played two first-class matches for Middlesex in 1902.
• From 1905 to 1907, he was the captain of Surrey.
• In total, he played in 102 first-class matches.
• He scored 3,551 runs and made two centuries (scores of 100 runs or more).
• His highest score was 138 runs against Leicestershire in 1905.

Besides cricket, Rosebery was also famous for owning racehorses. He had horses that won major races like The Derby. These horses were bred at his own stables, called Mentmore and Crafton Studs.

Political Career and Later Life

Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose started his political journey in 1906. He was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP). He represented the area of Edinburghshire in Scotland. This area is now known as Midlothian. His family had owned land there for a long time.

He was one of nearly 400 Liberal MPs elected in the big 1906 election. He left the House of Commons in January 1910.

When his father passed away in 1929, Rosebery became a member of the House of Lords. In the same year, he was made Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian. This was a special role representing the King in Midlothian, and he held it until 1964.

During the Second World War, in February 1941, he was given an important job. He became the Regional Commissioner for Civil Defence in Scotland. This meant he helped organize protection for people during air raids.

In 1945, Winston Churchill formed a temporary government. Rosebery was part of this government. He was appointed to the Privy Council and became the Secretary of State for Scotland. This was a very important role in the Scottish government. However, his time in this job was very short, from May to July 1945.

In 1947, King George VI made him a Knight of the Order of the Thistle. This is a very high honor in Scotland. Rosebery was also the President of the National Liberal Party from 1945 to 1957. He was also the president of the Cockburn Association, a group that works to protect Scotland's heritage.

He passed away on May 30, 1974, at Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire.

Family Life

In 1909, Harry Primrose married Dorothy Alice Margaret Augusta Grosvenor. They had a son, Archibald Ronald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny (1910–1931), and a daughter, Lady Helen Dorothy Primrose (1913–1998). They later divorced in 1919.

Harry Primrose married again in 1924. His second wife was Dame Eva Isabel Marian Strutt. They had one child, Neil Archibald Primrose, who was born in 1929. Neil became the 7th Earl of Rosebery after his father's death on May 31, 1974.