Sir Hamar Greenwood

Sir Hamar Greenwood
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Name	Hamar Greenwood
Honorific prefix	Sir
Birth date	28 February 1870
Birth place	Ripon, Yorkshire, England
Death date	21 December 1948
Death place	Beverly Hills, California, United States
Nationality	British
Occupation	Barrister, Politician
Party	Conservative Party
Offices	Chief Secretary for Ireland (1920–1922)
Alma mater	Royal Military College, Sandhurst; Inner Temple

Sir Hamar Greenwood

Hamar Greenwood was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician who served as Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1920 to 1922. A Member of Parliament during the Parliament of the United Kingdom and later ennobled in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, he was involved in the turbulent final years of British rule in Ireland and later served in imperial and domestic roles connected to the First World War, Irish War of Independence, and interwar politics. Greenwood's career intersected with figures such as David Lloyd George, Bonar Law, Winston Churchill, Edward Carson, and institutions like the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the British Cabinet.

Early life and education

Born in Ripon, Yorkshire, Greenwood was the son of a Canadian father linked to Ontario politics and an English mother with ties to Yorkshire society. He attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and later read law at the Inner Temple, qualifying as a barrister and joining legal circuits that connected him with contemporaries from the Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn, and legal figures active in the High Court of Justice. Greenwood's formative years placed him among networks involving the City of London, York, Leeds, and the social milieu of late-Victorian Britain that also produced statesmen such as Arthur Balfour and Joseph Chamberlain.

Legal and political career

After being called to the bar, Greenwood practised on the North-Eastern Circuit and rose through connections with solicitors in Manchester and Liverpool, attracting clients from Canada, United States, and the British colonies including Australia and New Zealand. He entered parliamentary politics as a Conservative, winning a seat in the House of Commons where he served alongside MPs like Stanley Baldwin, Bonar Law, and Andrew Bonar Law. Greenwood held junior posts under prime ministers including Arthur Balfour and was later promoted during the wartime coalition led by David Lloyd George. His legal background drew him into debates with figures such as Roderick MacLeod and Edward Carson over legislation related to Ireland, and he engaged with parliamentary institutions including the Treasury, Board of Trade, and the Colonial Office.

Chief Secretary for Ireland (1920–1922)

Appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1920, Greenwood assumed responsibility during the escalation of the Irish War of Independence and the imposition of Martial law policies enforced by the Royal Irish Constabulary, Auxiliary Division, and Black and Tans. His tenure overlapped with military figures like Sir Nevil Macready, political leaders including Michael Collins, Eamon de Valera, and Arthur Griffith, and constitutional events such as the enactment of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and the negotiations that led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Greenwood coordinated with the British Cabinet, notably David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, while dealing with Irish unionists represented by Edward Carson and nationalists in the Dáil Éireann. Controversies during his office included accusations raised in the House of Commons and reports circulated by journalists in publications linked to The Times, Daily Mail, and The Manchester Guardian. Military and police actions in counties such as County Cork, County Tipperary, and Dublin became focal points for debates involving the War Office and the Adjutant-General.

Peerage, later life and honours

Following his departure from Ireland and his standing as a Unionist MP, Greenwood was elevated to the peerage as Baron Greenwood, later advanced to a viscountcy, connecting him to the Peerage of the United Kingdom and peers who sat in the House of Lords such as Viscount Northcliffe and Lord Curzon. He received knighthoods and honours associated with the Order of the British Empire and had interactions with imperial institutions like the Dominion Office and the Imperial Conference. Greenwood spent later years abroad in places including France and the United States, moving within expatriate circles that included figures from Hollywood and transatlantic politics, while corresponding with statesmen from the League of Nations era and engaging with debates about the Commonwealth.

Personal life and family

Greenwood married into families connected with transatlantic and imperial commerce, linking him by marriage to social networks in London', Toronto, and New York City. His family included children who served or were active in public life and who associated with institutions such as the Royal Navy, the British Army, and philanthropic organizations tied to Christie's and Oxford University. Relations and in-laws participated in cultural and charitable circles connected to establishments like the Royal Opera House, Victoria and Albert Museum, and British Red Cross.

Legacy and historical assessment

Historians assessing Greenwood place him within contested narratives of late Imperial administration, Irish historiography, and debates over civil liberties during the Irish War of Independence. Scholarly works in journals and monographs compare Greenwood's role to contemporaries such as Henry Wilson and John French and examine archival collections held by institutions like the British Library, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, and university archives at Oxford and Cambridge. Evaluations note his influence on policy debates in the House of Commons and repercussions for Anglo-Irish relations culminating in the Irish Free State; commentators range from critics in nationalist historiography to defenders in conservative accounts linked to the Conservative Party and some imperial apologists. Greenwood's reputation remains debated in studies addressing civil authority, emergency powers, and the transition from imperial rule to dominion status within the Commonwealth of Nations.

Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Category:British peers Category:People from Ripon