GORDON, SIR ARTHUR HAMILTON, first Baron Stanmore (1829-1912) was born in London, the son of the 4th Earl of Aberdeen. Educated at Cambridge (where he graduated in 1851), he was president of the Union. He was private secretary to his father (1852-55) and Liberal member for Beverley (1854-57), and in 1858 went to the Ionian islands as private secretary to Gladstone, then Lord High Commissioner. He received the C.M.G. in 1859.

In 1861 Gordon was appointed lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, and he published many of his experiences in a volume entitled Wilderness Journeys in New Brunswick 1866-70. He was appointed to Trinidad in 1866, and to Mauritius in 1871 and was the first governor of Fiji in 1875. Having inaugurated the government of the new colony, he was appointed in 1877 to the additional post of High Commissioner and Consul-general for the Western Pacific. In this capacity he did much to control the traffic in native labour and to cultivate good relations with the small kingdoms of the Pacific.

On 7 Aug 1880 Gordon was appointed Governor of New Zealand, still retaining his duties as High Commissioner. This was his first governorship under the responsible system and was marked by differences of opinion with his ministry, for which he was not entirely to blame. A dispute within the ministry as to the policy to be adopted towards Te Whiti had brought about the retirement of Bryce, and matters were moving along smoothly when after the session of 1881 Gordon left on an official visit to Fiji. A few days after his departure the ministry came to an important decision, reversing its native policy and adopting the strong hand towards Te Whiti. Bryce rejoined the cabinet. Volunteers were called out and an expedition mobilised for the arrest of the leaders at Parihaka. A credit of £100,000 was asked for the extraordinary expenditure. Hearing of these events when at Levuka (through his private secretary), Gordon hurriedly returned to New Zealand, landing in Auckland on the evening when the administrator (Prendergast) issued the proclamation giving the Maori leaders fourteen days to accept the Government's terms and appointing Bryce to the ministry. Not being a party to the measures that were being taken, Gordon called upon the Government for a statement of the reasons for its change of policy. Meanwhile, he felt that he must accept the advice of his ministers and approve their military measures, especially as he believed that 90 per cent. of the people of the Colony at the time would support the Government. A minority of intellectual and experienced people in New Zealand seemed to him to have doubts as to the methods of disposing of the confiscated lands, but his present advisers were responsible for the decision to enforce obedience and sincerely desired a conciliatory settlement of the long standing dispute. For his part, he could see no justification for the change in policy and complained of the discourtesy of the ministry towards himself. He believed there would be loss of life unless Te Whiti showed forbearance—which in the event he did. Nevertheless Gordon felt that he would be misusing his powers if he refused to sign the proclamation and called for new advisers. In his despatch of 3 Dec 1881 he says: 'For my part, the more attentively I study the West Coast question, and the better I become acquainted with its history, the more cause do I perceive for doubts as to the soundness of the popular view.' At the moment he wrote popular approval of the Government's action was being recorded at the polls in a general election.

Gordon's relations with the ministry thereafter were not pleasant. For some years after his departure (on 23 Jun 1882) he was engaged in a controversy with Bryce, through the medium of the Colonial Office, Bryce having complained, with obvious justification, of the part played by Gordon in regard to the libel upon him in Rusden's history of New Zealand. In 1883 Gordon assumed the government of Ceylon where, during the crisis caused by the failure of the Oriental Bank Corporation, he took strong action, against the advice of his council, in extending the guarantee of the Government to the note issue of the bank, thereby preventing much distress among the poorer classes and probable rioting.

Gordon retired from the colonial service in 1890 with a fine record as a conscientious administrator, who laid down lasting principles for dealing with a native race. His personal action as regards Bryce in the case referred to will hardly bear scrutiny. After his retirement he devoted himself to literary pursuits, publishing in 1893 a life of his father; in 1897 records of private and public life in Fiji; and in 1906 a memoir of Sydney Herbert, Lord Herbert of Lea. He was created K.C.M.G. in 1871; G.C.M.G. in 1878 and Baron Stanmore in 1893. Stanmore was an active member of House of Lords committees, was president of the Ceylon Association in London and chairman of the Bank of Mauritius. As a churchman he remained throughout life a member of the house of laymen of the province of Canterbury. He married (1865) Rachel Emily, daughter of Sir John Shaw-Lefevre. He was a personal friend of Charles Kingsley, Roundell Palmer and Samuel Wilberforce. He died on 30 Jan 1912.

N.Z.P.D., App. H.R., 1881 A8, 1882 A4, A5 A8, A8a, 1883 A4, 1884 sess ii, A5; 1888 A1, 1889 A1; Gisborne (p); Sir R. Stout (in Aust. Rev. of Rev., viii, 164-85); Des Voeux i; Rusden; Saunders; Gordon, op. cit.; Keith; Egerton; Scholefield, Pacific; The Times, 31 Jan 1912. Portrait: Government House, Wellington.

Reference: Volume 1, page 171

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