The political journal of John Wodehouse, first Earl of Kimberley (1862–1902) is one of the finest political diaries of the last half of the nineteenth century. Born into an old Tory family, Kimberley followed his forebears in attending Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, but shocked his neighbours by adopting Liberal principles. As Lord Clarendon's protege, he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Russia following the Crimean War, and under-secretary at the Foreign Office after his return (1859–61). With Lord John Russell's elevation to the peerage in 1861, Kimberley resigned, and shortly after began the journal that he regularly kept until his death in 1902. Uniquely placed as an observer, Kimberley was the only Liberal to serve in every Cabinet of the Gladstone/Rosebery era. The Kimberley Journal is replete with humorous anecdotes, information regarding policy development, and acute observations about politicians and political situations.
