Brigadier General The Right Honourable The Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC |
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10th Governor-General of Australia | |
In office 23 January 1936 – 30 January 1945 |
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Monarch |
Edward VIII (1936) George VI (1936–45) |
Prime Minister |
Joseph Lyons (1936–39) Sir Earle Page (1939) Robert Menzies (1939–41) Arthur Fadden (1941) John Curtin (1941–45) |
Preceded by | Sir Isaac Isaacs |
Succeeded by | HRH The Duke of Gloucester |
27th Governor of New South Wales | |
In office 15 January 1935 – 23 January 1936 |
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Monarch |
George V (1935–36) Edward VIII (1936) |
Premier | Bertram Stevens |
Lieutenant | Sir Philip Street |
Preceded by | Sir Philip Game |
Succeeded by | Sir David Anderson |
20th Governor of South Australia | |
In office 14 May 1928 – 26 April 1934 |
|
Monarch | George V |
Premier |
Richard Butler (1928–30, 1933–34) Lionel Hill (1930–33) Robert Richards (1933) |
Preceded by | Sir George Bridges |
Succeeded by | Sir Winston Joseph Dugan |
Personal details | |
Born |
Windsor, Berkshire |
6 July 1872
Died | 2 May 1955 Shipton Moyne, Gloucestershire |
(aged 82)
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | British Army |
Years of service | 1889–1928 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar Mentioned in Despatches (7) |
Viceregal styles of The Earl of Gowrie |
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Reference style | His Excellency |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Alternative style | Sir |
Brigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC (/ˈhɔər ˈrɪvɛn/; 6 July 1872 – 2 May 1955) was a British soldier, governor of South Australia, then New South Wales before being appointed tenth Governor-General of Australia. Serving for 9 years and 7 days, he is the longest-serving governor-general in Australia's history. Prior to his appointment in Australia he was a British Army officer who was the recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Alexander Hore-Ruthven was born on 6 July 1872 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, as the second son of Walter Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Ruthven of Gowrie (1838–1921), the 9th Lord Ruthven of Freeland, and Lady Caroline Annesley Gore (1848–1914), the daughter of Philip Gore, 4th Earl of Arran. After attending Winton House School in Winchester (not Winchester College as is stated in some sources) as a boarder from 1884 to 1885, Hore-Ruthven spent most of his early education at Eton College and then Haileybury and Imperial Service College, where he stayed until 1888, when he was withdrawn owing to eyesight problems and sent into business by his parents. He first worked in a tea merchant's office in Glasgow and then traveled to India to work on a tea plantation in Assam. Hore-Ruthven, however, soon succumbed to malaria and he returned to England in 1892.