Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham

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Lord Cobham (right) touring the National Art Gallery, 1958
St John the Baptist Church, Hagley, tomb of the 10th Viscount Cobham.

Charles John Lyttelton, 10. Viscount Cobham KG , GCMG , GCVO , TD , PC (born August 8, 1909 in Kensington , London , † March 20, 1977 in Marylebone , London) was a British nobleman . From 1957 to 1962 he was Governor General of New Zealand .

Origin and early years

Lyttelton was born the eldest son of John Lyttelton , the eldest son of the Viscount Cobham , and Violet Yolande Leonard . The jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton , who died in 2008, was his cousin. The family has historically grown ties to New Zealand . The city of Lyttelton on the South Island is named after the great-grandfather George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton .

He first visited the Eton College and then studied law at Trinity College of the University of Cambridge . Lyttelton can come from a family of good cricketers . From 1934 to 1939 he himself played more than 90 first-class games for Worcestershire , since 1936 as captain of the team .

During the Second World War , Lyttelton initially served as an artillery officer with the BEF in France during the western campaign in 1940 . He later commanded a naval artillery regiment .

In 1942 he married Elizabeth Alison Makeig-Jones , with whom he had four sons and four daughters. The eldest son John later inherited his nobility titles, which are now held by the second eldest son Christopher .

After the end of the war he aspired to a career in politics. The plans to run as a candidate of the Conservatives for a seat in the House of Commons were dashed in 1949, when Lyttelton inherited his father's title as 10th Viscount Cobham on the death of his father and thus moved into the House of Lords .

Like his father and grandfather before, he was President of the Marylebone Cricket Club , the highest authority in English cricket , in 1954/55 .

Governor General of New Zealand

In 1957 Lyttelton was appointed Governor General of New Zealand . He became the representative of Queen Elizabeth II in New Zealand and thus represented the head of state in the country. He was also awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1957.

He was popular in the country. Due to his varied sporting interests, in addition to cricket, among other things, golf and fly fishing , despite his aristocratic origins, he managed to establish many contacts with the residents. At the age of 51 he still played with a good personal performance in a first-class cricket game in a team he had put together against a team from the Marylebone Cricket Club .

Lyttelton was a good speaker who often used classical quotations. During his tenure there were no major political crises that he had to deal with, although the government changed twice. Contact with the respective prime ministers was good.

The Cobham Range and Lyttelton Peak in Antarctica are named in his honor .

Later years

After his tenure ended in 1962, Lyttelton returned to the UK. There he took on various management positions in the economy before he took over the office of Lord Steward of the Household , the Oberhofmarschall, at the court of Queen Elizabeth in 1967 . At the same time he became a member of the Privy Council . From 1963 to 1974 he was also Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire.

In 1964 Lyttelton was accepted as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter, of which he was Chancellor from 1972 until his death. In 1972 he also became the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order . Lyttelton died in Marylebone , London in 1977 .

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predecessor Office successor
Charles Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie Governor General of New Zealand
1957–1962 		Bernard Fergusson
John Lyttelton Viscount Cobham
1949-1977 		John Lyttelton
personal data
SURNAME Lyttelton, Charles, 10th Viscount Cobham
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cobham, Charles John Lyttelton 10. Viscount (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British nobleman and Governor General of New Zealand
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Kensington , London
DATE OF DEATH March 20, 1977
Place of death Marylebone , London