Identity:

George Earl Buckle was a lawyer, journalist, author and editor of the Times. He was the eldest son of Rev. George Buckle, the rector of Weston-super-Mare and canon and precentor of Wells Cathedral, and his wife, Mary Hamlyn Earle, who was the sister of the philologist John Earle. He had three brothers.

In 1885 Buckle married Alicia Isobel, the third daughter of the novelist James Payn. They had one son and one daughter. Following Alicia's death in 1898, Buckle married his first cousin Beatrice Anne (d. 1938), the second daughter of John Earle, in 1905.

Life:

Buckle studied at New College, Oxford. From 1877 to 1885 he was a fellow of All Souls. He was called to the Bar in November 1880. From 1884 to 1912 he was the editor of the Times. He was also responsible for the completion of the last four of the six volumes of Life of Benjamin Disraeli, following the death of W. F. Monypenny. He was also involved in selecting and editing the Letters of Queen Victoria, which had been worked on up to 1861 by A. C. Benson and Viscount Esher. He also contributed to the first volume of the History of The Times (1935). He received honorary degrees from St. Andrews University (1899) and Oxford (1932).

Bibliography:

Richmond, Bruce L., 'George Earl Buckle', 1949, Dictionary of National Biography Online, Oxford, 1997 (accessed 12 January 2003).