generally assumed that Rosebery would grant their requests, give certain grounds for
believing that he was a member of their society.(14) If he was, he played little role in it
after 1900.
Two other men, both fabulously wealthy South Africans, may be regarded as members
of the society and probably initiates. These were Abe Bailey and Alfred Beit.
Abe Bailey (later Sir Abe, 1864-1940) was the largest landowner in Rhodesia, a large
Transvaal mine-owner, and one of the chief, if not the chief, financial supporters of the
Milner Group in the period up to 1925. These financial contributions still continue,
although since 1925 they have undoubtedly been eclipsed by those of Lord Astor. Bailey
was an associate of Rhodes and Alfred Beit, the two most powerful figures in South
Africa, and like them was a close friend of Milner. He named his son, born in 1900, John
Milner Bailey. Like Rhodes and Beit, he was willing that his money be used by Milner
because he sympathized with his aims. As his obituary in The Times expressed it, "In
politics he modeled himself deliberately on Rhodes as his ideal of a good South African
and a devoted Imperialist.... He had much the same admiration of Milner and remained to
the end a close friend of 'Milner's young men.'" This last phrase refers to Milner's
Kindergarten or The Association of Helpers, which will be described in detail later.
Abe Bailey was one of the chief plotters in the Jameson Raid in 1895. He took over
Rhodes's seat in the Cape Parliament in 1902-1907 and was Chief Whip in the
Progressive Party, of which Dr. Jameson was leader. When the Transvaal obtained self-
government in 1907, he went there and was Whip of the same party in the Legislative
Assembly at Pretoria. After the achievement of the Union of South Africa, in the creation
of which, as we shall see, he played a vital role, he was a member of the Union
Parliament and a loyal supporter of Botha and Smuts from 1915 to 1924. After his defeat
in 1924, he divided his time between South Africa and London. In England, as The Times
said at his death, he "took a close interest behind the scenes in politics." This "close
interest" was made possible by his membership in the innermost circle of the Milner
Group, as we shall see.
Certain others of Rhodes's chief associates cooperated with Milner in his designs after
Rhodes's death and might well be regarded as members of Rhodes's society and of the
Milner Group. Of these we might mention Alfred Beit, Dr. Starr Jameson and his
assistant R. S. Holland, J. Rochfort Maguire, and Lewis Loyd Michell.
Alfred Beit (1853-1906) was the business genius who handled all Rhodes's business
affairs and incidentally had most to do with making the Rhodes fortune. He was a Rhodes
Trustee and left much of his own fortune for public and educational purposes similar to
those endowed by Rhodes. This will be discussed later. His biography was written by
George Seymour Fort, a protege of Abe Bailey, who acted as Bailey's agent on the boards
of directors of many corporations, a fact revealed by Fort himself in a letter to The Times,
13 August 1940.
Leander Starr Jameson (later Sir Starr, 1853-1917) was Rhodes's doctor, roommate,
and closest friend, and had more to do with the opening up of Rhodesia than any other
single man. His famous raid into the Transvaal with Rhodesian police in 1895 was one of
the chief events leading up to the Boer War. After Rhodes's death, Jameson was leader of
his party in Cape Colony and served as Premier in 1904-1908. A member of the National
Convention of 1908-1909, he was also director of the British South Africa Company and
a Rhodes Trustee. He was a great admirer of Milner and, even before the death of
Rhodes, had given evidence of a desire to shift his allegiance from Rhodes to Milner. In
1898 he wrote to his brother: "Rhodes had done absolutely nothing but go backwards.... I
hate it all and hate the people more than ever; would clear out by the next boat, but have
not pluck enough to acknowledge myself beaten.... Milner is the only really healthy
personality in the whole crowd."(15) This feeling may have been only a temporary
reaction, resulting from the way in which Rhodes received news of the Jameson Raid, but
it is likely that more basic issues were concerned, since more than two years had elapsed
between the raid and these statements. At any rate, Milner and Jameson were able to
cooperate loyally thereafter. Jameson's biographical sketch in The Dictionary of National
Biography was written by Dougal Malcolm of Milner's Kindergarten.
Reginald Sothern Holland (now Sir Sothern) was private secretary to Dr. Jameson in
1904 and later for three years permanent head of the Prime Minister's Department (1905-
1908). He was secretary to the South African Shipping Freights Conference (1905-1906)
with Birchenough and succeeded Birchenough as His Majesty's Trade Commissioner to
South Africa (1908-1913). During the war he was in charge of supply of munitions, at
first in the War Office and later (1915) in the Ministry of Munitions. He was also on
various commissions in which Milner was interested, such as the Royal Commission on
Paper Supplies (with Birchenough), and ended the war as Controller of the Cultivation
Division of the Food Production Department (which was seeking to carry out
recommendations made by the Milner and Selborne Committee on Food Production). He
became a Rhodes Trustee in 1932.
Lewis Loyd Michell (later Sir Lewis, 1842-1928) was Rhodes's banker in South
Africa and after his death took over many of his interests. A Minister without Portfolio in
Jameson's Cabinet in the Cape Colony (1904-1905), he was also a director of the British
South Africa Company and a Rhodes Trustee. He published a two-volume Life of Rhodes
in 1910.
J. Rochfort Maguire (1855-1925), Fellow of All Souls, was an exact contemporary of
Milner's at Oxford (1873-1877) and Rhodes's most intimate friend in college. He worked
for Rhodes for the rest of his life. He obtained the original mining concession (which
became the basis of the British South Africa Company) from Lobengula in 1883, was
Rhodes's representative in the House of Commons for five years (1890-1895),(16) and
his personal representative in Rhodesia or London during Rhodes's absences from either
place. Director of the British South Africa Company for twenty-seven years (1898-1925),
he was president for the last two. His sketch in the Dictionary of National Biography was
written by Dougal Malcolm.
Of these six men whom Milner inherited from Rhodes, only one was young enough to
become an active member of the Milner Group. This was Sothern Holland, born 1876,
who did become a member, although perhaps not of the inner circle. The other five were
Milner's own age, with established positions and power of their own. They all knew
Milner well and cooperated with him. Even if they were initiates, they played no vital
role in the history of the Milner Group after 1905.
As we have indicated, the character of the secret society and its personnel were
changed after 1902. This was the result of the activities of Lord Milner. The death of
Rhodes and the elimination of Stead gave the organization a much less melodramatic
form while making it a much more potent political instrument. Moreover, as a result of
the personal ascendancy of Milner, the membership of the organization was drastically
changed. Of the initiates or probable initiates whom we have mentioned, Rothschild,