The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-09-30
THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR

NlsCOuHC CuWdiu IIey, former MIN
lister Of foreign affairs, the newly.
appointed British ambassador to
Washington, who arrived at New
York last Saturday, is one of the most
conspicuous figures in British public
life, and is known chiefly by the
diplomatic efforts ne made to avert
the world war and by the fact that,
when he failed, and the conflict be-
came inevitable, he insisted that
Great Britain could not with honor
remain out of it.
John Morley, the historian, said of
Grey twenty-five years ago: THAT
young man will go far. He will be
prime minister of England some day"
Gladstone said Grey might be any
thing he chose-but that che chose
to go fishing"
ViscOunt Grey Of FallOdon, a title
to which he was elevated in 1916, was
born April rs, 1862, the son of Cap
tain George Grey, "a Grey of
Northumberland" from whose father
he inherited a baronetcy. Before
the war he was known as an aristo-
cratic democrat, a "silent pilot of
British diplomacy" and the greatest
living authority on fy-casting. Glad
stone, carrying his illusion further,
said of him in his early days in the
house Of commons: Il never knew in
a man such aptitude for political life
and such Discrimination for it." Wis
count Grey, according to the British
"WhOs Who" is the author of only
one book. 1t is entitled ely Fish
ing When Theodore Roosevelt Wis
tied the viscOunt, instead of talking
world politics they went on a foot
journey through rura ! England to
study English bird life, on which Wis
count Grey is an authority IS Roose-
welt was on American bird life.
The career Of the man who Of all
other Britons, it has been said, was
most cordially hated by the Germans
+ because he INCREASINGLY advocated
England's entrance into the war fOl
the preservation of the neutrality OF
Belgium, was quite unlike that Of al
most every other man in British pub
lie life. He is not a lawyer. II
fact, when he became under secre
tary Of state for foreign affairs, il
1892, a position he held for three
years, he was chairman of the boart
of directors of the Northeastern raj
way.
Educated at Winchester and Ba
1iOl College, Oxford, the prosperity
viscOunt was elected Liberal membe
from BerWick-On-TWeed to the hOus
Of commons at the age Of %, and hat
been repeatedly reelected from 1888
to 1916 when he was made a peer
An athlete at college, he won tn
Queens Club and other champion ter
mis- prizes. In 1912, as a mark of dis
tinction for his public services, Kin
George made him a member Of tn
Order of the Garter, the only con
mOner, it is said, so honored
ViscOunt Grey is noted as q fOrcefu
ful speaker. He is an Englishma
Of Englishmen, it is said, cold, RI
served and correct in speech and de
pertinent" His speeches in parli;
ment we're mainly plain, simple state
ments of fact, vigorously put withOu
any attempt on his part to be histr
Onic or eloquent. The new ambasss
dor, in other words, is said to posses
a logical mind
When Viscount Grey became Bri
ish foreign minister fourteen year
ago he sought to strengthen the tie
of friendship between his country an
other governments. The Anglo
French entente cordiale and tn
Anglo-Russian entente, which wa
brought about in 1907, were REGARDED
as the cornerstone of his foreign po
icy, and together they paved the wa,
for the entente alliance in the wal
In 1911 he supported President Taft
arbitration proposaIs and five year