John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland

The Lord Pentland
Governor of Madras
In office
30 October 1912 – 29 March 1919
Governors‑GeneralThe Lord Hardinge of Penshurst
The Viscount Chelmsford
Preceded bySir Murray Hammick (acting)
Succeeded bySir Alexander Gordon Cardew (acting)
Secretary for Scotland
In office
10 December 1905 – 13 February 1912
Preceded byThe Marquess of Linlithgow
Succeeded byThomas McKinnon Wood
Member of Parliament
for Forfarshire
In office
1897–1909
MonarchsVictoria of the United Kingdom,
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Preceded byMartin White
Succeeded byJames Falconer
Member of Parliament
for Dunbartonshire
In office
1892–1895
MonarchVictoria of the United Kingdom
Preceded bySir Archibald Orr-Ewing, 1st Baronet
Succeeded byAlexander Wylie
Personal details
Born(1860-07-07)7 July 1860
Died11 January 1925(1925-01-11) (aged 64)
United Kingdom
Political partyLiberal Party
SpouseMarjorie Adeline Gordon
6 Moray Place, Edinburgh, birthplace of John Sinclair
Baron Pentland

John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland, GCSI, GCIE, PC (7 July 1860 – 11 January 1925) was a British politician in the Scottish Liberal Party, a soldier, peer, administrator and Privy Councillor who served as the Secretary of Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919.

Baron Pentland was born John Sinclair to George Sinclair (1826-1871) son of Sir John Sinclair, 6th baronet of Dunbeath. He studied in the United Kingdom and in 1892, entered the House of Commons as an elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunbartonshire. He was elected for a second term from Forfar in 1897 and served in the British Parliament from 1892 to 1895 and 1897 to 1909. He also served as an Aide-de-Camp and secretary to Lord Aberdeen. Sinclair was appointed to the Privy Council in 1905. He served as the Secretary for Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and as the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919. He died in 1925.

During his tenure as Governor of Madras, Pentland became popular in India for the interest he showed in the indigenous tradition and culture. At the same time, he is also remembered for his crackdown on Annie Besant and leaders of the Home Rule Movement.

A radical Liberal,[1] Sinclair was supportive of reforms aimed at promoting social justice. As noted by Veronica Strong-Boag

"As much as anyone in the new Cabinet after the 1905 election, he embodied the new liberalism of state intervention on the side of the weak. He was also a staunch proponent of legislation tailored to Scottish circumstances. His advocacy of the Scottish Education Act of 1908, which provided for improved teacher training and school facilities and meals for students, very much followed the spirit of Lord Aberdeen’s practices on his own estates. So, too, did Sinclair’s support for legislation to secure the land rights of Scottish crofters."[2]

  1. ^ Paterson, Lindsay (2003). Scottish Education in the Twentieth Century. ISBN 9780748615902.
  2. ^ Strong-Boag, Veronica (January 2015). Liberal Hearts and Coronets: The Lives and Times of Ishbel Marjoribanks Gordon and John Campbell Gordon, the Aberdeens. ISBN 9781442626027.