Sturgis, Sir Mark Beresford Russell Grant- (1884–1949), civil servant and diarist, was born 10 July 1884 in London, one of four sons of Julian Russell Sturgis (1848–1904), author and barrister, of Boston, Mass., and London, and his wife Mary Maud, daughter of Col. Marcus de la Poer Beresford. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he served as assistant private secretary to H. H. Asquith as chancellor of the exchequer (1906–8) and as one of Asquith's private secretaries when he was prime minister (1908–10). Later Sturgis became associated with the Lloyd George wing of the Liberal party and served as special commissioner of income tax (1910) and chairman of the treasury selection board (1919–20). In mid 1920, after a critical report by Sir Warren Fisher, head of the British civil service, on the state of the Dublin Castle administration, the British administration in Ireland was revamped with the introduction of senior British civil servants Sir John Anderson (qv) as joint under-secretary and Alfred ‘Andy’ Cope (qv) as assistant under-secretary. Sturgis was also sent to Ireland and acted in effect as a joint assistant under-secretary, although he was not officially given this title for fear of upsetting Cope. He acted as liaison between Dublin Castle and the viceregal lodge, deputised for Anderson during the latter's trips to London, worked to break the munitions strike by dockers and railwaymen (May–December 1920), and was involved in unsuccessful peace initiatives with Lady Greenwood, wife of the chief secretary, Fr Michael O'Flanagan (qv), and labour leaders. The failure of such initiatives stemmed from his inability to understand Sinn Féin, who in turn saw him as ‘a dilettante, lacking authority, and one not to be taken seriously’ (Wheeler-Bennett, 71). While Anderson was in London during the treaty negotiations, Sturgis remained in Dublin with responsibility for overseeing the maintenance of the truce. Returning to London in 1922 he served as assistant under–secretary for Irish services (1922–4) and was knighted with a KCB in the 1923 new year honours list for his services in Ireland. He finished his civil service career in the treasury. While in Dublin Castle he kept a diary of events, running to five volumes, which was intended for contemporary publication but was only published (edited and abridged) in 1999, although it was previously available to researchers in the PRO, London. The diaries, written in a witty style which has made them a popular source for quotation by historians, reveal much about the efforts of the British administration to seek a peace settlement and also illustrate the author's condescending attitude to Irish nationalists, dislike of unionists, and low opinion of the chief secretary, Sir Hamar Greenwood (qv). His charming personality, and interest in socialising, motoring, and horse-racing – while in Dublin, he taught Anderson how to ride – also come across in the diaries. In 1935 he changed his name by deed poll to Grant-Sturgis when he inherited the Hillersdon estate from a relative, Johnnie Grant. In 1936 he joined the British Eugenics Society, serving as a fellow (1936, 1937), council member (1937), and finance committee member (1937), but resigned in September 1939 after the start of the second world war. He died from tuberculosis 29 April 1949 in London.
He married (9 July 1914) Lady Rachel Montagu-Stuart-Wortley, daughter of the 2nd earl of Wharncliffe. They had one daughter, Pamela, and two sons, Patrick and Robin Julian; the latter was killed 16 February 1944 while serving with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Sturgis lived at Hillersdon House, Cullompton, Devonshire, and 1 Manson Place, Queen's Gate, London SW7, where he was a member of the Brook's and Beefsteak clubs. His manuscript diaries are in the PRO, London, and his personal papers in the possession of his grandson Robin Grant-Sturgis.