Henry Frederick Stephenson

{{Infobox military person

|width_style = person

|honorific_prefix = Sir

|name = Henry Stephenson

|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCVO|KCB}}

|image = Henry Frederick Stephenson 1896.jpg

|caption = Stephenson in 1896

|birth_name = Henry Frederick Stephenson

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1842|06|07|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Broadstairs, Kent, England

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1919|12|16|1842|06|07|df=yes}}

|death_place = London, Middlesex, England

|branch_label = Branch

|branch = {{navy|United Kingdom|size=20px}}

|serviceyears_label = Service years

|serviceyears = 1855–1904

|rank = Admiral

|battles_label = Conflict(s)

|battles = {{plainlist|

|awards = {{indented plainlist|

|laterwork = Black Rod

}}

Sir Henry Frederick Stephenson {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCVO|KCB}} (7 June 1842 – 16 December 1919) was a Royal Navy officer, courtier, and Arctic explorer.

Early life and career

Stephenson was the son of Henry Frederick Stephenson MP, (20 September 1790 – 30 July 1858, an illegitimate son of Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk)Fisher, D. R. (2009). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820–1832 Cambridge: Cambridge Press [http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/stephenson-henry-1790-1858][http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=freer&id=I40661&ti=5538 Entry on Ancestry.co.uk] and Lady Mary Keppel. His eldest brother, Sir Augustus Keppel Stephenson, was a Treasury Solicitor, and the second person to hold the office of Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales.[http://www.cps.gov.uk/about/history.html The history of the Crown Prosecution Service : The CPS] {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070205205701/http://www.cps.gov.uk/about/history.html |date=5 February 2007 }} at www.cps.gov.uk

On 18 December 1855 Stephenson joined the Royal Navy, becoming a Naval Cadet in HMS St Jean d'Acre, commanded by his uncle Henry Keppel, and serving in the Black Sea during the Crimean War. From September 1856 to April 1857 Stephenson served under Keppel as a cadet in HMS Raleigh, serving in the East Indies and China during the Second Anglo-Chinese War, until his ship wrecked near Macau when it struck an uncharted rock. All the crew were saved.[http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=1501 Partial transcript of Stephenson's service record, with some additional biographical information] In June 1857 he served as a Midshipman in HMS Pearl, serving with Pearl{{'}}s Naval Brigade during the Indian Mutiny of 1857, during which he was Mentioned in Despatches three times.{{London Gazette|issue=22130|page=1998|date=23 April 1858}}{{London Gazette|issue=22142|pages=2513–2516|date=21 May 1858|nolink=y}}{{London Gazette|issue=22154|page=2955|date=18 June 1858|nolink=y}} In June 1861 he was promoted to lieutenant in HMS Emerald, serving in the Channel Squadron.

On 30 March 1866 Stephenson was the lieutenant-in-command of HMS Heron, serving in North America and the West Indies, and becoming the commanding officer of a gun-boat on the Canadian lakes during the Fenian raids of 1866. From 18 January 1867 to 26 April 1868 he served as a lieutenant in HMS Rodney, commanded by Algernon C. F. Heneage, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Henry Keppel, serving in China. Following the death of Commander John T. Swann, Keppel promoted Stephenson to commander on 26 April 1868; the promotion was confirmed by the Admiralty on 7 July 1868.{{London Gazette|issue=23399|page=3884|date=10 July 1868|nolink=y}} From September 1868 to August 1871 he served in HMS Rattler and HMS Iron Duke, serving in the Far East, and later in HMS Caledonia in the Mediterranean During this period he also served in the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert.[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7894184 RN Officers' service records—Image details—Stephenson, Henry Frederick], [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7903077 RN Officers' service records—Image details—Stephenson, Henry Frederick], DocumentsOnline, The National Archives (fee usually required to view pdf of full original service record). Retrieved on 8 December 2008. Promoted to captain on 6 January 1875, from 15 April 1875 he commanded HMS Discovery for the British Arctic Expedition of 1875–6, led by George Strong Nares in HMS Alert,[http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/cgi-bin/deadsearch.cgi?serverid=VSPOKES-ead-scottpolar&bool=AND&numreq=1&fieldcont1=655&format=full&fieldidx1=docid&scanposition=middle&firstrec=1 Stephenson in the Archives Hub]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} as a result he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) (in the Civil Division) on 9 December 1876.{{London Gazette|issue=24393|page=6880|date=12 December 1876|nolink=y}} He was appointed Equerry-in-waiting to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII of the United Kingdom) on 5 July 1878{{London Gazette|issue=24602|page=3968|date=5 July 1878|nolink=y}} he held this post from time to time until 4 April 1893, when he was appointed an Extra Equerry.{{London Gazette|issue=24993|page=3348|date=5 July 1881|nolink=y}}{{London Gazette|issue=26388|page=2077|date=4 April 1893|nolink=y}} On 15 September 1880 he became captain of HMS Carysfort. He participated in the recapture of Ismaïlia,{{London Gazette|issue=25145|page=4168|date=8 September 1882|nolink=y}} and was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Osmanieh by the Khedive of Egypt in 1883.{{London Gazette|issue=25189|page=280|date=16 January 1883|nolink=y}} He was appointed Aide-de-camp to the Queen on 1 January 1888.{{London Gazette|issue=25774|page=243|date=6 January 1888|nolink=y}} He was additionally appointed CB in the military division on 23 May 1889.{{London Gazette|issue=25939|page=287|date=25 May 1889|nolink=y}}

Later career

File:stephenson-commanderinchief.jpg Sir Henry Stephenson (second from left) Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron with Staff on board {{HMS|Majestic|1895|6}} 1896]]

On 4 August 1890 Stephenson was promoted to rear admiral,{{London Gazette|issue=26076|page=4282|date=5 August 1890|nolink=y}} serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station from 4 May 1893 to 19 June 1896.[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1893/04/12/106819293.pdf Steaming on schedule time—Test of the Royal Arthur, new British flagship in the Pacific], Stephenson in The New York Times 12 April 1893 He was promoted vice admiral on 10 October 1896,{{London Gazette|issue=26787|page=5724|date=20 October 1896|nolink=y}} serving from 7 June 1897 to 20 December 1898 as Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 22 June 1897 during the celebrations of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee,{{London Gazette|issue=26947|pages=1681–1682|date=14 March 1898|nolink=y}} he flew his flag from {{HMS|Majestic|1895|6}} during the Spithead Naval Review marking the Jubilee on 26 June 1897.{{London Gazette|issue=26947|page=1618|date=14 March 1898|nolink=y}} On the accession of Edward the VII, he became an Extra Naval Equerry,{{London Gazette|issue=27289|page=1417|date=26 February 1901|nolink=y}} he was promoted admiral on 7 December 1901,{{London Gazette|issue=27387|page=8838|date=13 December 1901|nolink=y}} and from 28 March 1902 to 1904 he was the First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII.{{London Gazette|issue=27539|page=2145|date=31 March 1903|nolink=y}}{{London Gazette|issue=27734|page=7263|date=11 November 1904|nolink=y}} He retired on 16 September 1904 with the rank of admiral.{{London Gazette|issue=27715|page=6044|date=20 September 1904|nolink=y}}

Stephenson was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list,{{London Gazette|issue=27493 |supp=y|page=7161|date=7 November 1902|nolink=y}} and was invested with the insignia by the King at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court Circular |date=19 December 1902 |page=4 |issue=36955}} On 24 July 1904 Stephenson was appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.{{London Gazette|issue=27706|page=4703|date=23 June 1911|nolink=y}}{{London Gazette|issue=28385|page=4254|date=17 June 1910|nolink=y}} In this capacity he served at a number of important state occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament, the Coronation of George V,{{London Gazette|issue=28535 |supp=y|page=7094|date=26 September 1911|nolink=y}} the investiture of the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII of the United Kingdom) as a Knight of the Garter in 1911.{{London Gazette|issue=28507|page=5355|date=19 August 1904|nolink=y}} He was appointed an Extra Equerry to George V of the United Kingdom on 10 June 1910.{{London Gazette|issue=28383|pages=4074–4075|date=10 June 1910|nolink=y}}

Family

He married the Hon. Charlotte Elizabeth Eleanor Fraser on 5 December 1903. She died in 1923 and Stephenson died at home in London on 16 December 1919 aged 77.

Arms

{{Infobox coat of arms wide

| name = Sir Henry Frederick Stephenson {{Cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/bk16/pp229-306#h3-s15 |title=Additional officers {{!}} British History Online |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |language=en }}{{Cite journal |title=The arms of the earls of Radnor |journal=The Somerset Dragon, the journal of the Somerset heraldry society |last=Slater |first=Stephen |page= 10-14|url=http://www.somerset-heraldry.org.uk/Newsletters/SomersetHerSoc-SomersetDragon35Dec2016.pdf |issue=35}}

| image = Arms of Henry Frederick Stephenson.svg

| imagesize =

| notes =

| year_adopted =

| crest = On a wreath of the colours, a falcon with wings expanded argent, beaked and legged or, within a herald's collar of SS proper.

| escutcheon = Vert, a chevron between in chief two roses, and in base a lion sejant guardant all argent, on a canton of the last, a canton azure, thereon the letter "A" or, within a ring of the last, jemmed proper.

| motto = Sola Virtus Invicta

| orders =

| bannerimage =

| banner =

| badgeimage =

| badge =

| symbolism = The canton charged with the letter A within a gem ring is a supposed 'augmentation of honour' granted to Henry Frederick Stephenson was part of the mission to give the Garter to Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the crest is an allusions to his position as Falcon Herald Extraordinary.

| previous_versions =

}}