Sir Edward John Harding GCMG KCB (22 March 1880[1] – 4 October 1954) was a prominent British civil servant and diplomat and former High Commissioner to South Africa.
Although born in Essex, the family, consisting of Edward, his parents and his older sisters Eleanor and Evelyn, moved early in his life to Beckenham where his father became the parish vicar.
He became Secretary of the Royal Commission on the Natural Resources, Trade and Legislation of Certain Portions of His Majesty's Dominions in December 1912 and accompanied the commission on all of its overseas visits: Australia and New Zealand (1913), South Africa (1914) and Canada (1914 and 1916).
[6] The long, informal letters he wrote to members of his family during these visits constituted a diary and are held as the "Dominions Royal Commission diary letters" by Cambridge University Library (Royal Commonwealth Society Library).
[8] After leaving the Dominions Office Harding was appointed the British High Commissioner to South Africa in which capacity he served from 1940 until 1941.