Rt Hon John Adrian Louis Hope KT GCMG GCVO PC, 7th Earl of Hopetoun (1860–1908) was the first governor-general of Australia. Hopetoun inherited a huge Scottish estate at the age of thirteen, and there developed his lifelong and fearless enthusiasm for horseriding. He was appointed Conservative Whip in the House of Lords when he was twenty-three and in 1889, he was named governor of Victoria. A popular governor and supporter of Federation, he left Melbourne in 1895, returning in December 1900 to take up the post of governor-general. In the incident known as the ‘Hopetoun Blunder’, he immediately upon arrival invited New South Wales Premier Sir William Lyne to form a federal government. Lyne, however, had opposed Federation and other politicians would not accept him as leader. Hopetoun was sworn in as governor-general on 1 January 1901 and commissioned Edmund Barton’s ministry the same day. One of his sons became Viceroy of India.
Gift of Mr Ronald Walker 2001
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