Sir

Henry Stephenson

GCVO KCB
Stephenson in 1896
Birth nameHenry Frederick Stephenson
Born(1842-06-07)7 June 1842
Broadstairs, Kent, England
Died16 December 1919(1919-12-16) (aged 77)
London, Middlesex, England
Branch Royal Navy
Service years1855–1904
RankAdmiral
Conflict(s)
Awards
Other workBlack Rod

Sir Henry Frederick Stephenson GCVO KCB (7 June 1842 – 16 December 1919) was a Royal Navy officer, courtier, and Arctic explorer.

Early life and career

Stephenson was the son of Henry Frederick Stephenson MP, (20 September 1790 – 30 July 1858, an illegitimate son of Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk)[1][2] and Lady Mary Keppel.[1] His eldest brother, Sir Augustus Keppel Stephenson, was a Treasury Solicitor, and the second person to hold the office of Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales.[3]

On 18 December 1855 Stephenson joined the Royal Navy, becoming a Naval Cadet in HMS St Jean d'Acre, commanded by his uncle Henry Keppel, and serving in the Black Sea during the Crimean War. From September 1856 to April 1857 Stephenson served under Keppel as a cadet in HMS Raleigh, serving in the East Indies and China during the Second Anglo-Chinese War, until his ship wrecked near Macau when it struck an uncharted rock. All the crew were saved.[4] In June 1857 he served as a Midshipman in HMS Pearl, serving with Pearl's Naval Brigade during the Indian Mutiny of 1857,[4] during which he was Mentioned in Despatches three times.[5][6][7] In June 1861 he was promoted lieutenant in HMS Emerald, serving in the Channel Squadron.

On 30 March 1866 Stephenson was the lieutenant-in-command of HMS Heron, serving in North America and the West Indies, and becoming the commanding officer of a gun-boat on the Canadian lakes during the Fenian raids of 1866. From 18 January 1867 to 26 April 1868 he served as a lieutenant in HMS Rodney, commanded by Algernon C. F. Heneage, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Henry Keppel, serving in China. Following the death of Commander John T. Swann, Keppel promoted Stephenson to commander on 26 April 1868; the promotion was confirmed by the Admiralty on 7 July 1868.[8] From September 1868 to August 1871 he served in HMS Rattler and HMS Iron Duke, serving in the Far East, and later in HMS Caledonia in the Mediterranean[4] During this period he also served in the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert.[9] Promoted to captain on 6 January 1875, from 15 April 1875 he commanded HMS Discovery for the British Arctic Expedition of 1875–6, led by George Strong Nares in HMS Alert,[10] as a result he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) (in the Civil Division) on 9 December 1876.[11] He was appointed Equerry-in-waiting to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII of the United Kingdom) on 5 July 1878[12] he held this post from time to time until 4 April 1893, when he was appointed an Extra Equerry.[13][14] On 15 September 1880 he became captain of HMS Carysfort.[4] He participated in the recapture of Ismaïlia,[15] and was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Osmanieh by the Khedive of Egypt in 1883.[16] He was appointed Aide-de-camp to the Queen on 1 January 1888.[17] He was additionally appointed CB in the military division on 23 May 1889.[18]

Later career

Vice Admiral Sir Henry Stephenson (second from left) Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron with Staff on board HMS Majestic 1896

On 4 August 1890 Stephenson was promoted rear admiral,[19] serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station from 4 May 1893 to 19 June 1896.[20] He was promoted vice admiral on 10 October 1896,[21] serving from 7 June 1897 to 20 December 1898 as Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 22 June 1897 during the celebrations of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee,[22] he flew his flag from HMS Majestic during the Spithead Naval Review marking the Jubilee on 26 June 1897.[23] On the accession of Edward the VII, he became an Extra Naval Equerry,[24] he was promoted admiral on 7 December 1901,[25] and from 28 March 1902 to 1904 he was the First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII.[26][27] He retired on 16 September 1904 with the rank of admiral.[28]

Stephenson was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list,[29] and was invested with the insignia by the King at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902.[30] On 24 July 1904 Stephenson was appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.[31][32] In this capacity he served at a number of important state occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament, the Coronation of George V,[33] the investiture of the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII of the United Kingdom) as a Knight of the Garter in 1911.[34] He was appointed an Extra Equerry to George V of the United Kingdom on 10 June 1910.[35]

Family

He married the Hon. Charlotte Elizabeth Eleanor Fraser on 5 December 1903. She died in 1923 and Stephenson died at home in London on 16 December 1919 aged 77.

References

  1. 1 2 Fisher, D. R. (2009). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820–1832 Cambridge: Cambridge Press
  2. ↑ Entry on Ancestry.co.uk
  3. ↑ The history of the Crown Prosecution Service : The CPS at www.cps.gov.uk
  4. 1 2 3 4 Partial transcript of Stephenson's service record, with some additional biographical information
  5. ↑ "No. 22130". The London Gazette. 23 April 1858. p. 1998.
  6. ↑ "No. 22142". The London Gazette. 21 May 1858. pp. 2513–2516.
  7. ↑ "No. 22154". The London Gazette. 18 June 1858. p. 2955.
  8. ↑ "No. 23399". The London Gazette. 10 July 1868. p. 3884.
  9. ↑ RN Officers' service records—Image details—Stephenson, Henry Frederick, RN Officers' service records—Image details—Stephenson, Henry Frederick, DocumentsOnline, The National Archives (fee usually required to view pdf of full original service record). Retrieved on 8 December 2008.
  10. ↑ Stephenson in the Archives Hub
  11. ↑ "No. 24393". The London Gazette. 12 December 1876. p. 6880.
  12. ↑ "No. 24602". The London Gazette. 5 July 1878. p. 3968.
  13. ↑ "No. 24993". The London Gazette. 5 July 1881. p. 3348.
  14. ↑ "No. 26388". The London Gazette. 4 April 1893. p. 2077.
  15. ↑ "No. 25145". The London Gazette. 8 September 1882. p. 4168.
  16. ↑ "No. 25189". The London Gazette. 16 January 1883. p. 280.
  17. ↑ "No. 25774". The London Gazette. 6 January 1888. p. 243.
  18. ↑ "No. 25939". The London Gazette. 25 May 1889. p. 287.
  19. ↑ "No. 26076". The London Gazette. 5 August 1890. p. 4282.
  20. ↑ Steaming on schedule time—Test of the Royal Arthur, new British flagship in the Pacific, Stephenson in The New York Times 12 April 1893
  21. ↑ "No. 26787". The London Gazette. 20 October 1896. p. 5724.
  22. ↑ "No. 26947". The London Gazette. 14 March 1898. pp. 1681–1682.
  23. ↑ "No. 26947". The London Gazette. 14 March 1898. p. 1618.
  24. ↑ "No. 27289". The London Gazette. 26 February 1901. p. 1417.
  25. ↑ "No. 27387". The London Gazette. 13 December 1901. p. 8838.
  26. ↑ "No. 27539". The London Gazette. 31 March 1903. p. 2145.
  27. ↑ "No. 27734". The London Gazette. 11 November 1904. p. 7263.
  28. ↑ "No. 27715". The London Gazette. 20 September 1904. p. 6044.
  29. ↑ "No. 27493". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 November 1902. p. 7161.
  30. ↑ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36955. London. 19 December 1902. p. 4.
  31. ↑ "No. 27706". The London Gazette. 23 June 1911. p. 4703.
  32. ↑ "No. 28385". The London Gazette. 17 June 1910. p. 4254.
  33. ↑ "No. 28535". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 September 1911. p. 7094.
  34. ↑ "No. 28507". The London Gazette. 19 August 1904. p. 5355.
  35. ↑ "No. 28383". The London Gazette. 10 June 1910. pp. 4074–4075.

Further reading

  • John Stephenson (ed.), A Royal Correspondence: Letters of King Edward VII and King George V to Admiral Sir Henry F. Stephenson (1938)
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