GEDDES, SIR AUCKLAND CAMPBELL, ,K.C.B., 1917, and G.C.M.G., 1922 (1879-- ), British politician, was born on June 21, 1879, the son of Auckland Campbell Geddes of Edinburgh and the younger brother of Sir Eric Geddes, and was educated at George Watson's college, Edinburgh, and Edinburgh university. He studied medicine, qualified as a practitioner, was at the London hospital for a time and later studied at Freiburg. He was a demonstrator and professor of anatomy first at Edin burgh, then at the Royal college of surgeons, Dublin, and after wards at McGill university, Montreal. He also had some military experience in the South African War and afterwards in the World War.
In 1916 Geddes became director of recruiting, and in Aug., minister of National Service, a seat in parliament being found for him at Basingstoke. After the Armistice Geddes be came president of the Local Government Board and minister of Reconstruction, and in May, 1919, president of the Board of Trade. At the Board of Trade he began the removal of the bar riers to British trade which the war had necessarily set up, and he had to deal with the difficulties which immediately arose in the coal industry. In this delicate task he was at least tempo rarily successful, and managed materially to reduce the price of domestic coal. In the same year an opportunity was afforded him to return to academic life by his election as principal of McGill university. He accepted the appointment, subject to its not being operative till the abatement of the coal crisis allowed of his leaving the Board of Trade. But during the delay the Government prevailed on him to accept instead the post of British ambassador in Washington. His tenure of the embassy (192o-3) was crowded with important negotiations in which he showed himself a successful diplomatist. On leaving Washington Geddes left the public service and became chairman of the Rio Tinto Company.