On This Day
07 January 1826
Birth of John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley, Foreign Secretary 1894-5
Born in Baker Street, London into a prominent Liberal family, Kimberely held office in every Liberal administration from 1852 to 1895. He was Colonial Secretary (1870-1874) at a time of the great diamond discoveries in southern Africa, and the town of Kimberley in the Cape Colony was named after him. He was Foreign Secretary under Rosebery and as elder statesman ‘Uncle Kim’ served two stints as Liberal leader in the House of Lords 1891-94 and from 1896 until his death in 1902.