Sir Godfrey Lushington, GCMG KCB

From wikipedia - Godfrey Lushington

Sir Godfrey Lushington GCMG KCB (8 March 1832 – 5 February 1907) was a British civil servant. A promoter of prison reform, Lushington served as Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Home Office of the United Kingdom from 1886 to 1895.

Lushington was born in Westminster, London, in 1832 to Stephen and Sarah Grace (née Carr) Lushington; his twin brother was Vernon Lushington, Q.C., a county court judge. Educated at
Rugby School, Lawrence Sheriff Street, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 5EH 52.3675, -1.2611 and Balliol College, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BJ 51.7547, -1.2578, he later became a fellow of All Souls College, High Street, Oxford OX1 4AL 51.753279, -1.253041 and the President of the Oxford Union, Frewin Court, Oxford, OX1 3JB 51.75306, -1.25972. He married Beatrice Anne Shore Smith (born 3 June 1865), daughter of barrister Samuel Smith.

With his brother Vernon, he advocated positivist philosophy, motivated by the ideas of Auguste Comte. A supporter of labour movements, he, and fellow positivist intellectuals A.J. Mundella, Edward Spencer Beesly, Henry Crompton, and Frederic Harrison, played a leading role in the acceptance of trades’ union legitimacy.

Influenced by Frederick Denison Maurice, Lushington joined his brother, and Frederic Harrison, as a teacher at the Working Men's College, and became a benefactor and member of the College governing corporation.

He rose to Permanent Under-Secretary at the Home Office in 1885, and was knighted in 1892. During his Home Office tenure the Whitechapel Murders gripped attention and imagination; a Jewish and Anarchist connection was seriously considered. The chalked Goulston Street message was seen by Commissioner Charles Warren to have potential for increased religious tension; Warren explained to Lushington that reason for the immediate removal of the message.

He retired from the civil service in 1895 and became an alderman of London County Council, a position held until 1898 when he became one of the British Government delegates to the Rome Anti-Anarchist Congress, (24 November to 21 December 1898) with Sir Philip Currie and Sir C. Howard Vincent.

After retirement, Lushington gave evidence to the Gladstone Committee on prison reform: “I regard as unfavourable to reformation the status of a prisoner throughout his whole career; the crushing of self-respect, the starving of all moral instinct he may possess, the absence of all opportunity to do or receive a kindness, the continual association of none but criminals, the forced labour, and the denial of all liberty. I believe the true method of reforming a man, of restoring him to society, is exactly in the opposite direction to all these.”

From British Newspaper Archive: Reading Mercury Monday, 12 March 1832 Page 3 Births

Births. — On Thursday, 8 March 1832 [inst.] in Great George Street, Westminster, the lady of Dr. Lushington, M.P. of two sons.

From Newspapers: The Morning Post Tuesday, 21 March 1854 Page 5

In connection with Rugby school, it may be interesting to our readers to state, that the high reputation the Rugberians have maintained at Oxford for a Long series of years, has, during the last twelve months, been on the increase; for, during that time they have carried off more university prizes and honours than in any former year. They are as follows: ...

Mr. Godfrey Lushington, commoner of Balliol College, first class in classical moderations;

From The Brecon County Times Saturday, 17 July 1869 New Trades' Union Bill

On Saturday a conference of barristers and others interested in the settlement of the trades' union question, among whom were Mr. Frederic Harrison, Mr. Wright, Mr. Godfrey Lushington, and Mr. R. Applegarth (secretary of the Amalgamated Carpenters' and Joiners' Society), was held in chambers at the Temple, for the purpose of framing a bill, to be introduced into Parliament this Session, to protect the funds of trades' unions. ... The result of the conference was that a bill, containing one clause protecting the funds of trades' unions and making embezzlement of them punishable, was framed ... with a view to its passing into law this Session.

From Letters and Papers of Sir Godfrey Lushington

Sir Godfrey Lushington, GCMG, KCB (1832-1907), British civil servant and promoter of prison reform, was Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Home Office, 1886-1895. He was born in Westminster, London, in 1832, to Stephen and Sarah Grace (nee Carr) Lushington; he was twin brother to Vernon Lushington. Educated at Rugby School and Balliol College, Oxford, he later became a fellow of All Souls and the President of the Oxford Union. He married Beatrice Anne Shore Smith (born Saturday, 3 June 1865), daughter of barrister Samuel Smith of Combe House, Surrey. She was a sister in law of A H Clough. They had no children.

Lushington died unexpectedly on Tuesday, 5 February 1907 at his London home, 34 Old Queen Street, Westminster, and was buried at St Katherine's Church, Savernake Forest.

Author of A Manual of Naval Prize Law: Founded Upon the Manual Prepared in 1866, by Sir Godfrey Lushington and Sir Thomas Erskine Holland Published 1888

From FreeBMD - Registration of marriage of Beatrice Anne Shore Smith in 1865 and FreeBMD - Registration of marriage of Godfrey Lushington in 1865

• April to June 1865: Registration of marriage of Godfrey Lushington; in Kingston (Volume 2a, Page 345)
• April to June 1865: Registration of marriage of Beatrice Anne Shore Smith; in Kingston (Volume 2a, Page 345)

From British Newspaper Archive: British Standard Friday, 9 June 1865 Page 8 Marriages

Marriages: Lushington — Smith. — Saturday, 3 June 1865 at St John's Church, Grove Lane, Kingston upon Thames, London KT1 2SU 51.4031, -0.3008, Kingston Vale, Surrey, by the Very Rev. the Dean of Westminster, Godfrey Lushington, of Lincoln's-inn, barrister-at-law, son of the Right Hon. Stephen Lushington, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty and Dean of the Arches, to Beatrice Anne Shore Smith, third daughter of Samuel Smith, of Combe Hurst, Surrey, Esq.

From MyHeritage: Godfrey Lushington: 1901 England & Wales Census

31 March 1901 Census for residents of [Stokke House, 148 Stokke Common, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire SN8 3PH 51.3771313, -1.6209341], England

• Godfrey Lushington, head, married, male, aged 69 [born about 1832], in St Margarets, Westminster, London; Retired civil servant, Somerset; Permanent under-secretary of state for the Home department
• Beatrice Lushington, wife, married, female, aged 66 [born about 1835], in Ashway[?] Lea Hurst, Derbyshire
• Margherita Ritter, servant, widow, female, aged 43 [born about 1858], in Darmstadt, Germany (German subject); Cook Domestic
• Sarah Brewer, servant, single, female, aged 29 [born about 1872], in Toddington, Bedfordshire; Lady's Maid Domestic
• Margaret Toves, servant, single, female, aged 29 [born about 1872], in Llandudno[?], Caernarfonshire; Housemaid Domestic Llanddeiniolen
• Amy Sweby, servant, single, female, aged 27 [born about 1874], in Harpenden[?], Hertfordshire; Parlourmaid Domestic
• Florence Newsome, servant, single, female, aged 20 [born about 1881], in Wellow, Somerset; Kitchenmaid Domestic
• Mary Day, servant, single, female, aged 18 [born about 1883], in Great Staughton, Huntingdonshire; Under House Parlourmaid Domestic
• Eliza Hastings, servant, married, female, aged 38 [born about 1863], in Camberwell, Surrey; Under Laundry maid Domestic
• Raymond Humble, servant, single, male, aged 19 [born about 1882], in Hull, Yorkshire; Groom Domestic
• Gilbert Clarke, servant, single, male, aged 24 [born about 1877], in Wakefield, Yorkshire; Under Gardener Domestic

From FreeBMD - Registration of death of Godfrey Lushington in 1907

January to March 1907: Registration of death of Godfrey Lushington; aged 74 [born about 1833]; in St George Hanover Square, London (Volume 1a, Page 382)

From Newspapers: The Guardian Wednesday, 6 February 1907 Page 12 Death of Sir Godfrey Lushington

The "Times" announces the death, at his London residence early yesterday morning, Tuesday, 5 February 1907, of Sir Godfrey Lushington.

Sir Godfrey Lushington, who was born in 1832, was educated at Rugby and at Balliol College, Oxford, and was afterwards a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1858, he was appointed counsel to the Home Office in 1869. In 1876 he was appointed Assistant Under Secretary at the Home Office, and from 1885 to 1895 he held the office of Permanent Under Secretary. He received the K.C.B. in 1882, and seven years later was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

From MyHeritage: Probate index 1907

22 March 1907 probate of Sir Godfrey Lushington of [34 Old Queen Street, Westminster, London SW1H 9HP 51.5009117, -0.1314577], who died 5 February 1907, probate granted at London on 22 March 1907 to Dame Beatrice Anne Shore Lushington, widow, and Thomas Lister Coltman, solicitor. Effects £57060 7s. 1d.