Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster

Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster, GCMG, PC (31 January 1866 – 15 January 1936) was a British politician who served as the seventh Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1920 to 1925. He had previously been a government minister under Arthur Balfour, H. H. Asquith, and David Lloyd George.

Forster was born in Catford, Kent. He attended Eton College and New College, Oxford, and in his youth played first-class cricket – in later life he served a term as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club. Forster was elected to the House of Commons in 1892, representing the Conservative Party. He was a Junior Lord of the Treasury under Arthur Balfour from 1902 to 1905, and later Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1915 to 1919. Forster was raised to the peerage in 1919, and appointed Governor-General of Australia the following year. Unlike his predecessor, Ronald Munro Ferguson, he faced no constitutional challenges and had no influence on the political scene. Forster travelled widely while in office and was popular among the general public, mainly concerning himself with ceremonial duties. He retired to England at the end of his five-year term.

Henry William Forster was born at Southend Hall in Catford, the second son of Major John Forster, an officer in the British Army, and his wife Emily.^[1] He was educated at Eton College,^[2] where he played with little success for the college cricket team.^[3] He was keeper of rackets at Eton in 1884 and 1885.^[1] From there, he matriculated to New College, Oxford.^[4] At Oxford, he played cricket and excelled at tennis and fencing.^[5]

Forster's father was resident at Exbury in Hampshire.^[1] This made him eligible to play county cricket for Hampshire under residency rules. An all-rounder,^[3] he would make his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire shortly after he concluded his education at Eton in the summer of 1885, making two appearances against Somerset at Southampton and Kent at Tonbridge.^[6] During his first year at Oxford in 1886, he played one first-class match for Oxford University Cricket Club against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Oxford; he made a further first-class appearance during the season for I Zingari against the Gentlemen of England.^[6]

He featured prominently as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler in the Oxford team during the 1887 season, making seven appearances.^[6] In that years University Match against Cambridge University at Lord's, he made an unbeaten 60 runs in Oxford's first innings,^[7] with Oxford winning the match by seven wickets.^[1] He also made two appearances for the Gentlemen in the 1887 Gentlemen v Players fixtures, alongside playing once each for I Zingari and the MCC.^[6] Across the 1887 season, he took a total of 34 wickets at an average of 27.02, claiming five wickets in an innings on two occasions.^[8] The following season, he made seven first-class appearances for Oxford University and took part in the Scarborough Festival in August, where he played for I Zingari and the MCC.^[6] Across the season, he took 43 wickets at an average of 17.88.^[8] He claimed his career-best figures in 1888, taking 8 for 119 for Oxford University against the Gentlemen of England at Oxford.^[9] The 1889 season was to be his last at Oxford, with Forster making seven appearances for the university, including a third appearance in The University Match. In 22 matches for Oxford, he took 81 wickets at an average of 21.59, taking five wickets in an innings on five occasions and ten wickets in a match twice.^[10] He also played once for I Zingari in 1899, during the season-ending Scarborough Festival.^[6] Across the season, he took 25 wickets at an average of 19.08.^[8]

He played several first-class matches for a number of ad hoc teams in 1890, including for an Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present team against the touring Australians at Portsmouth.^[6] He played just one first-class match each in 1891 and 1892, and 1893. His 1891 and 1892 appearances both came for the Gentlemen of England against Oxford University, while his 1893 match was a second appearance an Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present team against the touring Australians in 1893.^[6] Hampshire had lost their first-class status following the 1885 season, despite this Forster continued to play second-class cricket for Hampshire, captaining the side in 1889.^[1] With Hampshire being re-elevated to first-class status in 1894, and admitted to the County Championship for the 1895 season, Forster would make two appearances in the county in the 1895 County Championship against Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Later in the 1895 season, he made his final appearance in first-class cricket for Hampshire against the MCC.^[6]

In his first-class career, he took a total of 135 wickets at an average of 21.65.^[11] As a batsman, he was described by Wisden as a "strong right-handed batsman" who scored mainly through off-drives and cuts. Wisden further opined that Forster was a strong batsman on hard pitches, but struggled on pitches affected by rain.^[3] He scored the majority of his first-class runs (358) for Oxford University, recording two half centuries.^[12] His overall first-class batting record was 807 runs at a batting average of 11.69.^[11] The Times remarked that he was a "sound" mid-off fielder,^[1] with Forster taking 43 catches during his career.^[11]

Forster served as the MCC's first post-war president in 1919, succeeding Lord Hawke.^[13] His secretary during his presidency was his former Hampshire captain Francis Lacey.^[3] Upon the end of his one-year tenure as president, he was succeeded by the 4th Earl of Ellesmere.^[13]

Forster entered the House of Commons as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Sevenoaks at the 1892 general election, defeating the Liberal Party candidate by 2,128 votes.^[14] He was returned unopposed in the 1895 general election,^[14] before defeating the Liberal candidate Murray Spencer Richardson by 4,812 votes in the 1900 general election.^[14] In 1902, he was appointed Lord Commissioner of the Treasury under the premiership of Arthur Balfour.^[15] Under the provisions of the Succession to the Crown Act 1707 and a number of subsequent Acts, MPs appointed to certain ministerial and legal offices were at this time required to seek re-election.^[16] His re-election campaign against the Liberal Beaumont Morice focussed on the recent Second Boer War and that the work of reform and improvement should be entrusted to those who had been responsible for the Army and Navy during the conflict.^[17] He was subsequently re-elected, albeit with a reduced majority of 891 votes.^[14] He was appointed a whip in the same year.^[5]

Forster remained Lords Commissioner until the Conservative defeat at the 1906 General Election,^[1][5] which saw the Liberals, led by Henry Campbell-Bannerman, elected; despite the Conservative defeat, Forster retained his seat with a narrowed majority of 364 votes.^[14] In opposition, he was tasked with opposing David Lloyd George's National Insurance Act, his criticism of which drew admiration from Lloyd George.^[1] A constitutional crisis caused by the Conservative-dominated House of Lords rejecting the People's Budget, triggered the 1910 General Election. He successfully defended his seat against the Liberal Frederic Lely in the January 1910 General Election, expanding his majority to 4,070,^[14] with the election ending in a hung parliament. In December, an election was called to establish a mandate for the Liberal Party to pass the Parliament Act 1911. He was re-elected, unopposed.^[14] An election should have been held in July 1914, with Forster defending his seat,^[18] but this was aborted by the outbreak of the First World War.

Forster seved in the wartime Asquith-led coalition as Financial Secretary to the War Office from May 1915, a responsibility he held in the subsequent Lloyd George-led coalition.^[5][1] Following the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, a general election was called the following month. Forster did not defend his Sevenoaks seat, instead being selected to contest the newly formed Bromley constituency, where he defeated the Liberal Holford Knight by 12,501 votes.^[19] In December 1919 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Forster, of Lepe in the County of Southampton.^[20][21] His elevation necessitated his resgination as an MP, and bought to an end his time as Financial Secretary to the War Office.^[1]

In June 1920, Forster was suggested to the Australian government by the Colonial Secretary, Lord Milner, as one of three candidates to succeed the outgoing Governor-General of Australia, Ronald Munro Ferguson.^[5] This approach was a break from tradition, and was the first time the Australian government had been consulted.^[22] Forster was preferred by the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes, seemingly because Forster was a man of modest reputation whom he thought he could control. His reputation as a sportsman was also seen an asset.^[22] Forster's acceptance was on the understanding that his appointment would be for two years only and that a personal allowance would be provided;^[22] however, he went on to serve a five-year term and drew from his own personal fortune to support himself.^[22][5] Shortly after accepting the role, he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George on 28 June 1920.^[23]

Forster arrived in October 1920 and was sworn in on 7 October in Melbourne.^[5] He found that the congenial atmosphere of pre-war Australian politics had been shattered by the bitter battles of the wartime period.^[1] Hughes's Nationalist Party dominated the political scene, whilst the Labor Party had moved to the left in opposition and was now anti-imperialist and pacifist, and more markedly socialist. During his five years in office, he played almost no direct role in Australian politics and saw only one change of government, when Hughes was replaced by Stanley Bruce in February 1923. Forster took no part in the manoeuvrings that led to the change. As Australia became more independent and more confident in its international relations, the role of the Governor-General as an overseer and intermediary declined in the post-war years.^[5]

Instead, his role evolved into that of a modern Governor-General: opening fetes, visiting and opening hospitals (the new "Rachel Forster Hospital for Women" in Redfern was named in Lady Forster's honour in 1925),^[24] attending sporting events, hosting balls and banquets. As a result, he became considerably more popular than most of his predecessors, but exercised less influence than any of them.^[5] Forster and his wife, Rachel, devoted themselves to charities, and he spent much time travelling to all the states and country areas, unveiling war memorials and making patriotic speeches.^[5] In 1924, he notably became the first Governor-General to visit the former German territory of New Guinea.^[1] His connection with cricket remained strong whilst he was in Australia, with Forster attending Test and Sheffield Shield matches.^[1] During the Third Test of the 1924–25 Ashes Series at the Adelaide Oval, he unveiled a painting of George Giffen.^[3] Forster's tenure as Governor-General came to an end on 7 October 1925.^[5]

Lord Forster married the Honourable Rachel Cecily Douglas-Scott-Montagu, daughter of the 1st Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, on 3 June 1890. After Forster's return from Australia, they settled near Southampton and lived quietly until Forster's death in 1936. Lady Forster was invested as a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1926 New Years Honours List. She was also invested as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He was also keen on yachting and horse-racing. In 1901, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Kent.^[25]

They had two sons, John Forster and Alfred Henry Forster, who were both killed in the First World War, and two daughters, Dorothy Charlotte Forster and Emily Rachel Forster who married George Pitt-Rivers (his first marriage). As Lord Forster had no surviving sons, the barony of Forster became extinct on his death.

Henry Forster died on 15 January 1936 in London, aged 69. Rachel, Lady Forster, GBE, died on 12 April 1962, aged 93.^[26]

• Foster, Joseph (1888–1891). Alumni Oxonienses: The Members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886 . London: Reeves and Turner. OCLC 1088110 – via Wikisource.
• Craig, Fred W. S (1969). British parliamentary election results, 1918-1949. Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0900178019. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
• Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 308. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.</ref> He held that seat until 1918,<ref>Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 2)

• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: Dean & Son. p. 380.
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Henry Forster
• Cricinfo profile: Henry Forster
• Lady Forster Kindergarten – Port Melbourne, Australia