John Henniker-Major, 8th Baron Henniker

John Patrick Edward Chandos Henniker-Major, 8th Baron Henniker KCMG CVO MC (19 February 1916-29 April 2004), known as Sir John Henniker-Major from 1965 to 1980, was a British peer, civil servant and diplomat.

Henniker was the eldest son of John Ernest de Grey Henniker-Major, 7th Baron Henniker, and Molly Burnet. He was educated at Stowe and Trinity College, Cambridge, and entered the Foreign Office in 1938. He served in the Second World War as a Major in the Rifle Brigade, and was awarded the Military Cross. After the war he returned to the diplomatic service and served at the British Embassy in Belgrade from 1945 to 1946, as Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin from 1946 to 1948, at the Foreign Office from 1948 to 1950 and at the British Embassy in Buenos Aires from 1950 to 1952. From 1953 to 1960 he was Head of the Personnel Department at the Foreign Office.

In 1960 Henniker was appointed Ambassador to Jordan, a post he held until 1962, and was then Ambassador to Denmark from 1962 to 1966. He served as Assistant Under-Secretary of State from 1966 to 1967 but declined the ambassadorships to Brazil and the Republic of Ireland as he wanted to stay in England. In 1968 he became Director-General of the British Council, which he remained until 1972. Henniker devoted the later part of his life to charitable causes. In 1980 he succeeded as eighth Baron Henniker on the death of his 97-year old father. He was made a CMG in 1956, a CVO in 1960 and a KCMG in 1965.

Lord Henniker married, firstly, Margaret Osla, daughter of James William Benning, in 1946. They had two sons and one daughter. After his first wife's death in 1974 he married, secondly, Julia Poland (née Mason), daughter of George M. Mason, in 1976. He died in April 2004, aged 88, and was succeeded in his titles by his son Mark.

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage" (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
* [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/ Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040503/ai_n12787347 The Independent Obituary]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&targetRule=10&xml=/news/2004/05/04/db0403.xml Daily Telegraph Obituary]