Editing Ronald Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar

{{Short description|British politician and colonial administrator}}
{{British barrelled name|Munro Ferguson|Ferguson}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = The Viscount Novar
| honorific-suffix    = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KT|GCMG|PC}}
| image               = Ronald Munro Ferguson (Barnett-02).jpg
| office1             = [[Secretary for Scotland]]
| primeminister1      = [[Bonar Law]] (1922–23)<br />[[Stanley Baldwin]] (1923–24)
| term_start1         = 24 October 1922
| term_end1           = 22 January 1924
| predecessor1        = [[Robert Munro, 1st Baron Alness|Robert Munro]]
| successor1          = [[William Adamson]]
| order               = 6th
| office              = Governor-General of Australia
| term_start          = 18 May 1914
| term_end            = 6 October 1920
| monarch             = [[George V]]
| primeminister       = [[Joseph Cook]] (1914)<br />[[Andrew Fisher]] (1914–15)<br />[[Billy Hughes]] (1915–20)
| predecessor         = [[Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman|Lord Denman]]
| successor           = [[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster|Lord Forster]]
| constituency_MP2    = [[Leith Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Leith Burghs]]
| term_start2         = 21 August 1886
| term_end2           = 1 February 1914
| predecessor2        = [[William Ewart Gladstone]]<br />Never took seat
| successor2          = [[George Welsh Currie]]
| constituency_MP3    = [[Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross and Cromarty]]
| term_start3         = 11 August 1884
| term_end3           = 19 December 1885
| predecessor3        = [[Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Matheson, Bt]]
| successor3          = [[Roderick Macdonald (politician)|Roderick Macdonald]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1860|3|6|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], Scotland
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1934|3|30|1860|3|6|df=y}}
| death_place         = Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland
| spouse              = {{Marriage|Helen Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood|1889}}
| party               = [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
| caption             = Ferguson {{circa}} 1910s
}}
'''Ronald Craufurd Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KT|GCMG|PC}} (6 March 1860 – 30 March 1934) was a British politician who served as the [[List of Governors-General of Australia|sixth Governor-General of Australia]], in office from 1914 to 1920.

Munro Ferguson was born in [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], Scotland. He attended the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], and initially pursued a military career. Munro Ferguson was elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in 1884, defeated a year later, and re-elected in 1886. A [[Liberal Imperialist]], he was an ally of [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery|Lord Rosebery]] and served as a [[Lords Commissioners of the Treasury|Junior Lord of the Treasury]] in his government. Munro Ferguson was overlooked for ministerial office by [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]] and [[H. H. Asquith]], but in 1914 was appointed Governor-General of Australia. He was politically influential, forming a close bond with Prime Minister [[Billy Hughes]], and was committed to his role as nominal [[commander-in-chief]] during World War I. His six years in office was a record until being surpassed by another wartime governor-general, [[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Lord Gowrie]]. Munro Ferguson was raised to the [[viscount]]cy once his term ended, and from 1922 to 1924 returned to politics as [[Secretary of State for Scotland]] under [[Bonar Law]] and [[Stanley Baldwin]]. In retirement he held various company directorships.

==Background and education==
Munro Ferguson was born Ronald Craufurd Ferguson at his family home in the [[Raith, Fife|Raith]] area near [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], Scotland, the son and eldest child of Lieutenant-Colonel [[Robert Munro-Ferguson|Robert Ferguson]], a wealthy member of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|Commons]] of old Scottish descent.  His mother was Emma Eliza, daughter of James Henry Mandeville of Merton, Surrey.  He was a grandson of General Richard C. Ferguson. In 1864 his father inherited the baronies of Novar in [[Ross-shire]] and [[Barony of Muirton|Muirton]] in [[Morayshire]], and took the additional surname Munro.<ref name=bio>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Dictionary of Australian Biography|title=Ronald Munro Ferguson|url=http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks15/1500721h/0-dict-biogMu-My.html#munro-ferguson1|quote=eldest son of Colonel Robert Munro-Ferguson, M.P., for Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and his wife, Emma, daughter of J. H. Mandeville, was born on 6 March 1860. He was educated principally at home, and at the age of 15 joined the Fife light horse.  He subsequently studied at Sandhurst, and in 1880 became a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards...|access-date=5 October 2010|archive-date=26 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726211818/http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks15/1500721h/0-dict-biogMu-My.html#munro-ferguson1|url-status=live}}</ref>

Educated at the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], he pursued a military career until 1884.<ref name=bio/> Ferguson joined the 1st Fife Light Horse in 1875: a militia regiment of gentlemen.  Three years later, he entered RMA Sandhurst.  On the officer's course for a year, he was gazetted to the Grenadier Guards with a commission.  He served in the army for a short service limited commission, leaving in 1884 on returning from India.  Ferguson joined the Oswald of Dunnikier Lodge 468 on 24 December 1888.<ref name=bio/>

==Political life, 1884–1914==
[[File:Ronald_Munro_Ferguson.jpg|thumb|right|Ronald Munro Ferguson c1895]]

In 1884, Munro Ferguson was elected to the House of Commons but was defeated at the general election of November 1885 by a [[Highland Land League|Crofter]] candidate in [[Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross and Cromarty]].  One historian had accused him of scheming with the Duke of Argyll to corrupt the electoral process.<ref>Ian Fraser Grigor, "Highland Resistance: The Radical Tradition in the Scottish North",</ref> He was defeated again the following year in [[Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Dunbartonshire]].  But at a by-election in July 1886 he secured the nomination at [[Leith Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Leith Burghs]], principally on the advice of Lord Rosebery.  Gladstone had won two unopposed seats but, on refusing Leith to prevent a suspected Unionist Michael Jacks, it became vacant.  In August a by-election was held and Home Rule candidate Munro Ferguson was elected.<ref>Jenkins, R, (1995) "Gladstone", Macmillan, 557 and 557n.</ref>

Gladstone appointed him private secretary to [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery|Lord Rosebery]], a leading [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]. Like Rosebery, Munro Ferguson would become a [[Liberal Imperialist]], and a personal friend of the colourful earl.<ref>Rosebery even provided marriage advice:  Letter Rosebery to Ferguson on 5 August 1889, Rosebery NLS 10017.</ref> He accompanied Rosebery and his wife, Hannah, on a tour of India in 1886-7 and again in 1892-4.  When Rosebery became Prime Minister, Ferguson was promoted in the Treasury department as a junior whip with responsibilities for Scotland. Ferguson continued to urge radicalism to bring Home Rule for Scotland on his friend, whom he supported in 1887 for the Liberal Party leadership.<ref>Ferguson to Rosebery on 1 April 1887; and Rosebery to Ferguson on 5 April 1887, Rosebery NLS 10017.</ref>

He supported the imperial policies of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government during the [[Second Boer War]], which made him highly unpopular with the radical, anti-war wing of the Liberal Party.  Matters came to a head when he was threatened by Grey in a letter on 18 October 1900.  The Liberals had lost another general election to the 'Khaki' Conservatives and so Ferguson disgusted by the derision and division "chucked it" in resigning as Scottish whip.   A member of the [[Liberal Imperialist Council]], he was disaffected by the bad treatment of his mentor Rosebery.  Nonetheless, he was compelled to work with 'Limps', derisively dubbed by republicans, on "lines of speeches" for "the Asquith Committee" which now controlled the party's Imperialist wing now renamed [[The Liberal League]].  Grey, Haldane and the rest seized control of the organization and its administration: the preface to which was Rosebery's remarkable volte face over the South African War, leaving his friend forced to admit to Munro Ferguson "should an Asquith Government be formed he might go abroad."<ref>Rosebery to MF, May 1901; Koss, p.&nbsp;61</ref>

He, therefore, had little hope of Cabinet office in the governments of [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman|Campbell-Bannerman]] or [[H. H. Asquith|Asquith]], despite his obvious talents.  In December 1905, he requested the new Liberal cabinet make him [[Governor of Bombay]] but was refused. Instead, he had to be content with [[Provost (civil)#Scotland|provost]] of Kirkcaldy. He nursed a burning resentment against "over genial" plebeian Asquith.<ref>Letter to Rosebery, 15 May 1906; Koss, p.&nbsp;82</ref> Increasingly, his job in government and liaison of his group had been taken over by [[R B Haldane]] when he made it clear in 1907 his decided opposition "to keep Asquith out of the leadership....He has come to be quite unreliable...." But "the political disaster" that he called Asquith's succession made his political career untenable.<ref>Letter to Loreburn, 21 December 1907; Koss, pp.&nbsp;87–8</ref> He was a property owner in Asquith's constituency, a neighbour of Haldane, and just like him had gained the patronage of Lord Morley; they were idealists for social reform.

==Governor-General of Australia, 1914–1920==
In February 1914, therefore, Munro Ferguson was happy to accept the post of [[Governor-General of Australia]] (he had refused the [[Governor of South Australia|governorship of South Australia]] in 1895 and [[Governor of Victoria|that of Victoria]] in 1910). He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (GCMG) prior to his appointment on 18 May 1914.<ref>E M Andrews, "The Anzac Illusion", (Cambridge University Press, 1993), 66–9.</ref> His political background, his connections with the Liberal government in London and his imperialist views made him both better equipped and more inclined to play an activist role in Australian politics than any of his predecessors.  At the same time, he had enough sense to confine his activism to behind the scenes influence.  He was described as ''an active Imperial supervisor'' by the journalist, [[Keith Murdoch]],<ref>Novar Papers, ANL 696/1351-2</ref> using his own cipher to signal London.<ref>C.G.T.Steward, Cunmeen, "King's Men", 140-1</ref>

During the [[First World War]], which broke out in August 1914, the reciprocal power of the Australian High Commission was severely restricted and Government House had a furious falling out with Governor of New South Wales, [[Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland|Sir Gerald Strickland]]. They grew to hate one another and the latter was jealous of Melbourne's superior power and location of governance. The British Government underfunded the federal government and ignored the huge debts spent by State Governors on public works<ref>Letter to Andrew Bonar Law, Novar Papers, ANL, AA 7823/1 14/18/349.</ref><!--cited from manuscript materials in archive by a secondary source; it is therefore not opinion if published by peer-reviewed authors.  --> but it was the most active government since federation;<ref>Cunmeen, "King's Men", 124-6, 130</ref> and Munro-Ferguson its most active ambassador.<ref>Cunmeen, "King's Men", 110-11.</ref>

He developed close friendships with two judges of the [[High Court of Australia]]: [[Samuel Griffith|Sir Samuel Griffith]] (the Chief Justice, and former [[Premier of Queensland]]) and [[Edmund Barton|Sir Edmund Barton]] (former [[Prime Minister of Australia]]). He consulted Griffith and Barton on many occasions, including on the exercise of the [[reserve powers]] of the Crown.<ref>[[Donald Markwell]], "Griffith, Barton and the early governor-generals [sic]: aspects of Australia's constitutional development", ''Public Law Review'', 1999.</ref>

===Strickland===
Although 'a genial host and brilliant controversialist'[[Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland|Sir Gerald Strickland]] 'his tactlessness caused some uneasiness'.  The new Governor-General found himself in a struggle over precedence.  The post of New South Wales Governor was the oldest in Australia and had long been considered the most powerful.  But, by law, the royal appointment to [[Government House, Sydney|Government House]] held sway.  During the First World War, the strain{{clarify|date=June 2017}} began to show in the London Liberal government. Ferguson was desperate to keep secrecy, and maintain control over policy access to London.  On 3 June 1916, the Colonial Secretary informed Ferguson that a coalition{{clarify|date=June 2017}} was pending.  Strickland, having snubbed the Government{{clarify|date=June 2017}} in Melbourne, went over the Governor-General's head directly to London.  Strickland worked up{{clarify|date=June 2017}} an ANZAC day annual memorial, which proved very popular – but{{clarify|date=June 2017}} which Strickland claimed was a national celebration.  On 1 May 1917, Munro Ferguson confessed to Lord Stamfordham that he had under-estimated the deep emotional loyalty{{clarify|date=June 2017}} of ordinary Australians.<ref name="ReferenceA">Munro Ferguson to Lord Stamfordham, ANL MS 696/281. ''The Anzac Illusion'', 91</ref> Press belief{{clarify|date=June 2017}} that Anzacs were the spearhead elite and shocktroops among dominions gave a status{{clarify|date=June 2017}} in the British Empire's armies they sustained throughout the war.<ref>Ferguson to Lord Stamfordham, 28 August 1918, Novar Papers, 696/321-2.</ref>

===Australian federal election, 1914===
It was advantageous that Munro Ferguson was politically experienced because he arrived in Melbourne, then the site of the [[Parliament of Australia]], to find himself in the midst of a political crisis. The [[Commonwealth Liberal Party|Liberal]] government of [[Joseph Cook]] had a one-seat majority in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], but the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] had a majority in the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] and had used it systematically to frustrate the government.  Cook was now determined to force a [[double dissolution]] election under Section 57 of the [[Constitution of Australia|Constitution]].<ref name=bio/>

On 2 June 1914, barely three weeks after Munro Ferguson had taken office, Cook formally requested a double dissolution.  Munro Ferguson had several things to consider.  The Parliament elected in 1913 still had two years to run. Cook had not been defeated in the House of Representatives.  His sole reason for wanting a dissolution was that he did not control the Senate. This was a situation without precedent in the United Kingdom, where the upper house, the [[House of Lords]], is unelected.<ref name=bio/>

When Munro Ferguson granted Cook a double dissolution, he was furiously denounced by the Labor Party: who maintained that Cook was manipulating the Constitution to gain control of the Senate.  Munro Ferguson, influenced by the British House of Lords crisis of 1910, took the view that the lower house should prevail. Paradoxically, it was Cook's Liberal Party who argued that the Governor-General should always take the advice of his Prime Minister, while Labor argued that he should exercise his discretion.

In the middle of the campaign for the [[1914 Australian federal election|1914 election]], news arrived of the outbreak of the First World War.  This caused an acute crisis in Australian government.  Parliament had been dissolved and the government was in [[Caretaker government of Australia|caretaker]] mode. Furthermore, Australia in 1914 did not have the right to independent participation in international affairs, and so its politicians were completely inexperienced in such.

In these circumstances, Munro Ferguson was the only man with both the constitutional authority and the confidence to act. It was he who convened the Cabinet, implemented the mobilisation plan and communicated with the Cabinet in London. Cook's manoeuvring backfired when Labor won the September election and [[Andrew Fisher]] was returned to office.<ref name=bio/>

===Australia at war===
The Inspector-General [[William Bridges (general)|William Bridges]] was given the task of creating an expeditionary force of 20,000 men.  Bridges and [[Brudenell White|General White]] admired the fact that [[George Pearce]], the Minister for Defence in 1914, had been already converted by the 1911 [[1911 Imperial Conference|Imperial Defence Conference]] to a British world view.  There was to be one Corps, this led to a second Australian Corps, and even the possibility of a full army recruited solely from Australia.  In 1914, Bridges was replaced by the British Indian Army [[William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood|General William Birdwood]].

Munro-Ferguson was an enthusiastic supporter of Australian soldiers.  He indicated to Colonial Secretary [[Bonar Law]], that [[Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton|General Hamilton]] had made tactless remarks about officer's class breeding during the Dardanelles campaign.  Yet Bonar Law had earlier mentioned Hamilton's praise for the Australians by letter on 24 Aug 1915.<ref>Munro-Ferguson to Bonar Law, 6 Oct 1915, Novar Papers, ANL 696/2658-13; Bonar Law to Munro-Ferguson, 24 May 1915</ref> [[Winston Churchill]] did not help when hinting 'wastage' could be made up from former wounded Australians, and communicating the idea to Munro-Ferguson.  A journalist [[Keith Murdoch]] tried to take documents from the imperial base at Egypt to London, to meet PM Asquith and Lord Northcliffe of ''The Times''.  He was intercepted ''en route'' by British intelligence, under orders from General Hamilton.  Bonar Law remained critical of the policy and joined [[David Lloyd George]] to bring about a Coalition.<ref>Bonar Law Papers, 25 Sept 1915, box 51, folder 3, sheet 21, 51/3/21; and also CO 676/53, 59, 63.</ref>

[[William Morris Hughes|Billy Hughes]] was the driving force behind the war effort and the policy of conscription.<ref>ANL (Australian National Library), 8 Nov 1915, Letter to Bonar Law, MS 696/3328.3482</ref> The incoming Labor Premier formed a close relationship with Munro Ferguson, who recognised his ability.<ref>8 Nov 1915, Munro-Ferguson to Bonar Law (ANL MS 696/3328)</ref> Munro Ferguson saw his role in wartime as an agent of the British war effort, not just a representative of the Crown. He openly supported those who were committed to the war, and opposed those who were not.<ref name=bio/> Munro-Ferguson sent secret memos to London.

Against the advice, he warned New Zealand against German cruiser ''Emden''.<ref>Novar Papers ANL 696/95837-5, 9675, 9702, 12, 70, 74, 263–4, 297, 428–9</ref> In the Pacific, Japan were allies; but their naval expansionary plans worried.  The Colonial Secretary adopted a policy similar to Conservative [[Sir Stafford Northcote]], Governor-General (1904–8).  Munro Ferguson was actively travelling the country reviewing troops, meeting dignitaries, and seeing munitions factories. Through an active correspondence with General Birdwood, his influence was felt over senior military appointments.  His authority firmly stamped on the Dominion, he favoured [[Brudenell White|Gen Brudenell White]] over [[John Monash|Gen Monash]], the eventual commander of AIF.<ref>1 June 1915, Bonar Law Papers, box 50, folder 1, item 3.</ref>

In October 1915, Fisher resigned and was succeeded as Prime Minister by Hughes.  Munro Ferguson recognised Hughes's qualities as a war leader and supported him privately and publicly, in a way that stretched constitutional propriety.  Hughes was convinced that only the introduction of [[conscription]] would allow Australia to maintain its commitment to the war effort and Munro Ferguson gave him every encouragement.  Hughes' answer was to call-up 50,000 more men – but without planning ahead.  Hughes refused to call a debate in the Federal parliament.<ref>Novar Papers, ANL MS 696/42-3, 398, 780.</ref>

Munro Ferguson regarded the defeat of the conscription [[plebiscite]]s in October 1916 and December 1917 as disasters for Australia and the war effort.  He also believed that the empire needed an integrationist bluewater policy that mixed Canadian and British troops with Australians in the regimental system.  The Governor made it clear that the war was simply and justly a big fight:  ''The absence of carping here over the premature bombardment, and the postponed list casualties is beyond all praise'', he wrote of the ANZAC at Gallipoli.  In Munro-Ferguson's opinion the press was a victim of hyperbole on Australian soldiers: ''big-noting ...tale of heroism that thrilled the world''.<ref>Munro-Ferguson to Bonar Law, 8 Nov 1915, Novar Papers, ANL, 696/767</ref>

When Hughes was expelled from the Labor Party after the [[Australian plebiscite, 1916|first plebiscite]], Munro Ferguson allowed him to stay in office as a minority Prime Minister, supported by Cook's Liberals.  He encouraged Hughes and Cook to form a new party on a "win the war" platform. This party, the [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]], was formed later in 1916 with Hughes as leader and Cook as deputy leader. During the [[Australian plebiscite, 1917|second plebiscite]] campaign, Hughes pledged to resign if it were not carried.  The plebiscite lost, and Hughes followed through on his promise to resign.  However, there were no alternative candidates, and Munro Ferguson used his reserve power to promptly recommission Hughes—thus allowing Hughes to stay in office while fulfilling his promise to stand down.<ref name=bio/>

When David Lloyd George became Prime Minister in Britain, Hughes communicated directly with him (sometimes in [[Welsh language|Welsh]]), causing Munro Ferguson to complain that he was being denied his proper role as the medium of communication between London and Melbourne.  Despite Munro Ferguson's vigorous assertion of his rights as Governor-General, he could not in the long run halt the decline in the influence of the office.

Once Australia gained the right to independent participation in international affairs, which it did in 1918, Munro Ferguson's days of influence were over.<ref name=bio/>

Alone among the Dominion forces, the Defence Force Act 1903 (Cth) reserved the power to confirm a death sentence passed by Australian courts-martial not to the commander-in-chief of the theatre, but to the Governor-General of Australia. Munro Ferguson refused to confirm the sentence on any of the 113 Australian soldiers condemned by courts-martial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/book-reviews/116-wfa-members-publications/2896-bad-characters-sex-crime-mutiny-murder-and-the-australian-imperial-force.htm|access-date=31 August 2014}}{{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref>

==Post-war==
After the war, trade was restored with Britain, but protectionist and isolationists Conservative policies threatened the Liberal Imperialist vision of unity.<ref>Ferguson, 1 May 1919, Novar Papers, ANL 696/2194-2022.</ref> In May 1919, Munro Ferguson advised London of his desire to resign. He was pressed to stay on to oversee the Australian tour of the [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales]] in 1920.  Ferguson left Australia as her most successful Governor-General to date. Australia had played an integral and significant military role in supporting the imperial war effort, but Hughes continued to disrupt imperial unity: the people were now calling for more democracy.  He finally departed in October 1920, after more than six years in post.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

On his return home, he was raised to the peerage as '''Viscount Novar''', of Raith in the County of Fife and of Novar in the County of Ross<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32159|date=10 December 1920 |page=12190 }}</ref> on 6 December, named for Novar House, Raith which was the ancestral seat of the Ferguson family. The Liberal PM Lloyd George appointed Novar to be vice-President of the Committee of Council of Education. He was a close political friend of [[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon|Sir Edward Grey]], and took an active part in the business of the Lords.  As Vice-President of the Council on Education he was responsible for oversight in 1922.

===Later career===
On the collapse of the Coalition he was adopted by another Scot, Bonar Law, who made Novar Secretary of State for Scotland.  Following an official ceremony, he received the Freedom of Edinburgh in 1923; he took an interest in the history and traditions of his homeland. After the brief interlude of the Labour government he left the Scottish office, and was appointed as Chairman of the Political [[Honours Committee]]. Whereas in Scotland he became a Member of the [[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]] and Construction. He remained a Liberal under the new leadership, and was invited to the Board of Trust of National Liberals of Scotland. Taking on directorships he was Chairman of the [[North British and Mercantile Insurance|North British and Mercantile Insurance Company]]. He was a Director of the Rail Passengers Insurance Company, and of the Union Bank of Scotland: executive posts he held until his death.<ref>The Times, Obit., 31 March 1934; The Complete Peerage, XIII (1940) eds., Doubleday and de Walden, (1901), vol. 38, London</ref> Novar was granted further honours when he was appointed a [[Order of the Thistle|Knight of the Thistle]] (KT) in 1926.<ref name=bio/>

==Personal life and death==
[[File:President Lady Helen Munro Ferguson.png|thumb|upright|Lady Helen Munro Ferguson during the First World War]]
Lord Novar married [[Helen Munro Ferguson, Viscountess Novar|Lady Helen Hermione]] (1863 – 9 April 1941), daughter of [[Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava|Lord Dufferin]], in 1889.  The union was childless.<ref>Peter Stanley, Bad Characters: Sex, Crime, Mutiny, Murder and the Australian Imperial Force, (Sydney Pier 9, 2010)</ref> They lived at 18 Portman Square, when in London.  He was a member of the Athenaeum and Reform Clubs.

Lady Novar's work for the [[British Red Cross Society]], which included converting the ballroom of Melbourne's Government House for this purpose, earned her appointment as a Dame Grand Cross of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (GBE) in 1918.

Lord Novar died at his home on 30 March 1934, aged 74, the title Viscount Novar dying with him as he left no issue. The titles Baron of Novar and Baron of Muirton became dormant. His papers are an extremely important source for historians of Australian politics and Australia's role in the First World War.<ref name=bio/> He was a close friend of [[Cecil Spring Rice|Sir Cecil Spring Rice]], with whom he corresponded for many years.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sir Cecil Spring Rice » 12 Oct 1929 »|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/12th-october-1929/23/sir-cecil-spring-rice|url-access=subscription|access-date=2022-02-11|website=The Spectator Archive|archive-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617024229/http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/12th-october-1929/23/sir-cecil-spring-rice|url-status=live}}</ref> Lady Novar died in 1941.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Oppenheimer |first1=Melanie |authorlink1 = Melanie Oppenheimer|title=Ferguson [née Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood], Helen Hermione Munro, Viscountess Novar (1865–1941), vicereine, nursing and community advocate, and Red Cross leader |journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |date=9 September 2021 |doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.60197|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
* [[Novar Gardens, South Australia]] were named in 1921 in honour of Viscount Novar.<ref>[http://www.wtcc.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=588 Novar Gardens] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321190132/http://www.wtcc.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=588 |date=21 March 2012 }}, West Torrens City Council, Adelaide, South Australia</ref> 
* A Sydney Harbour ferry, ''[[Lady Ferguson]]'' (built 1914), was named after Lady Novar, as a continuation of a naming convention whereby ferries were named after wives of [[Governor-General of Australia|Governors-General of Australia]] and [[Governor of New South Wales|Governors of NSW]].

==Arms==
{{Emblem table
| name = Sir Ronald Craufurd Munro-Ferguson<ref>{{cite book |title=Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage And Companionage |date=1923 |page=703, NOVAR, VISCOUNT. (Munro-Ferguson) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.108796/page/n828/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=28 June 2022}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
| image = Novar CoA.svg
| imagesize = 
| notes = 
| year_adopted = 
| coronet = 
| crest = A demi-[[Lion (heraldry)|lion]] [[Tincture (heraldry)#Proper|proper]] holding between the paws a [[buckle]] [[gules]].
| torse = 
| helm = 
| escutcheon = [[Argent]], a lion [[Attitude (heraldry)#Rampant|rampant]] [[Azure (heraldry)|azure]], between three buckles gules, a [[Chief (heraldry)|chief]] [[Variation of the field#Chequy|chequy]] of the first and second.
| supporters = ''[[Dexter and sinister|Dexter]]'', an [[emu]], ''[[Dexter and sinister|sinister]]'', an [[Eagle (heraldry)|eagle]], both proper.
| compartment = 
| motto = {{lang|la|Virtutis fortuna comes}} ([[Fortune favours the bold|Fortune is the companion of virtue]])
| orders = 
| other_elements = 
| bannerimage = 
| banner = 
| badgeimage = 
| badge = 
| symbolism = 
| previous_versions = 
| other_versions = [[Achievement (heraldry)|Full achievements]]: [[File:Novar achievements.png|100px]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

;Bibliography
* {{cite book | last=Andrews | first= E. M. | title=The Anzac Illusion: Anglo-Australian Relations during World War One |date= 1993 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9780521419147}}
* {{cite book | first=Roy | last= Jenkins | author-link = Roy Jenkins |title=Asquith : portrait of a man and an era| url=https://archive.org/details/asquithportraito0000jenk | url-access=registration | place=London | date=1964 }}
* {{cite book | last=Koss | first=Stephen E. | author-link = Stephen Koss |title=Asquith |date=1976|publisher=A. Lane |location=London |isbn=9780713908978 }}
* {{cite journal | author= Donald Markwell | author-link= Donald Markwell | title=Griffith, Barton and the early governor-generals [sic]: aspects of Australia's constitutional development  | journal=Public Law Review | date= 1999 }}
* {{cite book | first=Leo | last=McKinstry | title=Rosebery : statesman in turmoil| publisher=John Murray |location=London | date=2010|isbn=9780719565861}}
* {{cite book | last=Torrance | first= David | title=The Scottish Secretaries  | publisher=Birlinn |location=Edinburgh| date=2006|isbn=9781841584768 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ronald Munro-Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar}}
* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-ronald-munro-ferguson | Ronald Munro Ferguson }}
* [http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/book-reviews/116-wfa-members-publications/2896-bad-characters-sex-crime-mutiny-murder-and-the-australian-imperial-force.htm Profile], westernfrontassociation.com
* [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/munro-ferguson-sir-ronald-craufurd-7688 Profile], adb.anu.edu.au

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{{Succession box
  | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross and Cromarty]]
  | years  = [[1884 Ross and Cromarty by-election|1884]]–[[1885 United Kingdom general election|1885]]
  | before = [[Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Matheson, Bt]]
  | after  = [[Roderick Macdonald (politician)|Roderick Macdonald]]}}
{{Succession box
  | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Leith Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Leith Burghs]]
  | years  = [[1886 Leith Burghs by-election|1886]]–[[1914 Leith Burghs by-election|1914]]
  | before = [[William Ewart Gladstone]]
  | after  = [[George Welsh Currie]]}}
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{{Succession box| before=[[Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman|The Lord Denman]] | title=[[Governor-General of Australia]] | after=[[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster|The Lord Forster]] | years=1914–1920}}
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{{Succession box| title=[[Secretary for Scotland]] | before=[[Robert Munro, 1st Baron Alness|Robert Munro]] | after=[[William Adamson]] | years=1922–1924}}
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{{S-ttl|title=[[Viscount Novar]]|years=1920–1934}}
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{{Governors-General of Australia}}
{{Secretaries of State for Scotland}}
{{Bonar Law Ministry}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Novar, Ronald Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount}}
[[Category:1860 births]]
[[Category:1934 deaths]]
[[Category:Nobility from Fife]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Australia|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Scottish Liberal Party MPs|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1880–1885|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1886–1892|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1892–1895|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1895–1900|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1900–1906|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1906–1910|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1910|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1910–1918|Munro Ferguson, Ronald]]
[[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society]]
[[Category:Viscounts created by George V]]
[[Category:Secretaries for Scotland]]