William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket

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William Lee Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket (19 December 1864 – 24 January 1920) was a British diplomat and administrator who served as Governor of New Zealand from 1904 to 1910.

He was born in Dublin, the son of William Plunket, 4th Baron Plunket, who was Archbishop of Dublin, and Anne Guinness. He studied at Harrow and Trinity College Dublin, then joined the Diplomatic Service. He worked as attaché in Rome (1889) and in Constantinople (1892) before leaving the service in 1894.

In 1897 he became the 5th Baron Plunket after his father’s death. He then served as private secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, first to Lord Cadogan and then to his successor Lord Dudley, until 1902.

Plunket received several royal honors: CVO in 1900 and KCVO in 1903. In 1904 he became Governor of New Zealand and was made a KCMG in 1905; he later advanced to GCMG in 1910. He was also made a KBE in 1918. He was a Freemason and served as Grand Master of New Zealand’s Grand Lodge (1906–1909). In 1907 he presented the Plunket Shield, a major New Zealand cricket trophy.

He married Lady Victoria Alexandrina Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood in 1894, and they had eight children. Plunket died in London in 1920 at the age of 55 and was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery. The Plunket Society in New Zealand, which promotes mothers’ and children’s health, was named after Victoria.