James Eric Drummond - Definition and Overview

Sir James Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth (August 17 1876 - December 15 1951) was a British diplomat and the first general secretary of the League of Nations.

The son of the 15th Earl of Perth, Drummond was born in North Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Eton and began his Foreign Office career in 1900. In 1906 became private secretary to Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice, the parliamentary undersecretary in the Foreign Office. In 1908 and again in from 1910 to 1911, he was précis writer for Sir Edward Grey, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

He served as the League of Nations general secretary from the organization's founding in 1919 until 1933 when he became Britain's ambassador to Italy. He succeeded to the earldom in 1937 upon his father's death and entered the House of Lords. In 1939, Drummond returned to Britain and served during the Second World War as chief advior on foreign publicity in the Ministry of Information. From 1947 until his death he served as deputy leader of the Liberal Party.