William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield

William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield, KCMG (3 January 1883 – 20 November 1969) was a British Conservative Party politician, Governor of Victoria and Administrator of Australia.

Early life
Born in Gatton, Queensland, Australia. He was the son of Hon. William Arcedeckne Vanneck and Mary Armstrong. He was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, whereafter he joined the 13th/18th Hussars reaching the rank of captain. He succeeded his uncle in 1915 as 5th Baron Huntingfield of Heveningham Hall and 7th Baronet Vanneck of Putney.

He married Margaret Eleanor Crosby (d. 1 March 1943) and had four children:
 * Hon. Sara Carola Vanneck (25 September 1913 – 2001), married David Arthur Peel on 14 April 1936
 * Gerald Vanneck, 6th Baron Huntingfield (1915–1994)
 * Hon. Anne Margaret Theodosia Vanneck (20 May 1918 – 2000), married Peter Moro, the architect, on 2 March 1940 and had issue; divorced 1984.
 * Hon. Sir Peter Vanneck (1922–1999)

Political career
Between 1923 and 1929 he was member for Eye, Suffolk in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. He was successively Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the Home Office 1926–7, and then to the President of the Board of Trade between 1927–8.

Governorships
In 1934 William Vanneck became the Governor of Victoria, Australia. His term expired in 1939. He served as Administrator of Australia between March 1938 and September 1938.

Although he was offered the post of Governor of Southern Rhodesia in 1942 he did not take up the position due to ill-health.

Freemasonry
He was a freemason. He was initiated to the craft in 1919, in the United Lodge No. 1629. He became a member of the United Service Lodge No. 330 in Victoria as a Past Master in 1934. Shortly after that, in 1935, he became Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Victoria. After his return to England, in 1940, he was appointed Senior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England.

Honours and later life
He was invested as a Knight Commander, Order of St Michael and St George in 1934. He was Colonel of the 58th Battalion, Company of London Home Guard during World War II. He was given the rank of Honorary Air Commodore in No. 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. Finally he was invested as a Knight of Grace, Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

His first wife having died in 1943, he married Muriel Mary Georgina Duke (d. 13 May 1953) and had one daughter:
 * Hon. Katherine Grace Vanneck (b. 10 August 1954), married Nicholas John Bacon on 2 December 1976 and had issue