George Richard Hodges Nugent, Baron Nugent of Guildford PC, JP (6 June 1907 – 16 March 1994),[1] known as Sir George Nugent, 1st Baronet between 1960 and 1966, was a British Conservative politician.
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Nugent was the son of Colonel George Roubiliac Hodges Nugent and his wife Violet Stella, daughter of Henry Theopphilus Sheppard.[2] He was educated at the Imperial Service College and went then to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.[3]
In 1926, Nugent was commissioned into the British Army, leaving it after three years.[3] He joined the County Council for Surrey in 1944 and became an alderman in 1951, representing the county later as a Justice of the Peace.[4] Nugent entered the British House of Commons in 1950, sitting as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Guildford until 1966.[5] He became Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1951, an office he held until 1957.[3] Subsequently he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport until October 1959.[3] Nugent was created a Baronet, of Dunsfold in the County of Surrey on 27 January 1960[6] and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1962.[4] He received a life peerage with the title Baron Nugent of Guildford, of Dunsfold, in the County of Surrey on 31 May 1966.[7]
In 1944, Nugent became a member of the National Farmers Union's executive council and in 1948 a vice-chairman of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs, occupying both posts until 1951.[4] He chaired the Thames Conservancy Board for fourteen years from 1960 and was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1962.[3] Two years later, he became chairman of the Animal Virus Research Institute until 1977.[4] Nugent became the first chairman of the National Water Council in 1973, resigning after five years.[4] He was president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and in 1981 he succeeded in introducing seat belt legislation through an amendment to the Transport Bill.[8]
On 29 July 1937, Nugent married Ruth Stafford, daughter of Hugh Granville Stafford.[2] He and his wife were both awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Surrey in December 1968.[9] Nugent died at Dunsfold in 1994.[4]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir John Jarvis, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Guildford 1950 – 1966 |
Succeeded by David Howell |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Arthur Champion The Earl of Listowel |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 1951–1957 With: The Lord Carrington 1951–1954 The Earl St Aldwyn 1954–1957 Harmar Nicholls 1955–1957 Bill Deedes 1955–1957 |
Succeeded by The Earl St Aldwyn Joseph Godber as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
| Preceded by Hugh Molson John Profumo |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport 1957–1959 With: Airey Neave 1957–1959 John Hay Jan – Oct 1959 |
Succeeded by John Hay The Lord Chesham |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Dunsfold) 1960 – 1994 |
Extinct |