Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Viscount Ridley
| The Right Honourable The Viscount Ridley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| "Tariff Reform League" Viscount Ridley as caricatured in Vanity Fair, October 1910 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 December 1874 |
| Died | 14 February 1916 (aged 41) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Viscount Ridley, DL JP (6 December 1874 – 14 February 1916) was a British Conservative politician.
Ridley was the son and heir of Sir Matthew White Ridley, 1st Viscount Ridley and the Hon. Mary Georgiana Marjoribanks (1850 – 14 March 1909). He was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated as BA in 1897.[1]
He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge at the 1900 general election. His father had been raised to the peerage as Viscount Ridley that year so he sat under his courtesy title Baron Wensleydale until he vacated the seat on succeeding to his father's peerage in 1904. While in parliament he also served as parliamentary private secretary to the Home Secretary, Charles Ritchie from 1900 to 1902, and to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Austen Chamberlain from 1902 to 1904.[2] He was Chairman of the Tariff Reform League,[3] in succession to its founder, Arthur Pearson.
On 21 May 1901, he was appointed a DL of the County of Northumberland,[4] and in 1904 a JP.[2]
He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Northumberland Hussars in 1897,[5] was promoted Captain on 12 April 1902,[6] then Major in 1904,[7] becoming Lieutenant Colonel in command in 1913.[2] He was in command of the regiment in the early months of the First World War but did not go abroad[3] and relinquished command in 1915, remaining on the Territorial Force reserve of officers.[2] He was also honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers from 1910.[2]
Ridley died on 14 February 1916, aged 41.
Family
He married, on 8 February 1899, Rosamond Cornelia Gwladys Guest, daughter of Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne and Lady Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill. Through her mother, she was a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. The Viscountess Ridley was invested as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918, and died 2 December 1947. They had three children:
- Gwladys Marjorie Ridley (b. 17 September 1900 - d. 19??)
- Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Viscount Ridley (b. 16 December 1902 - d. 1964)
- Vivien Catherine Evelyn Ridley (b. 15 December 1906 - d. 19??)
References and External links
- ↑ The Complete Peerage, Volume XI. St Catherine's Press. 1949. p. 1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, 1916. Kelly's. p. 1249.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Complete Peerage, Volume XI. p. 2.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27317. p. 3562. 24 May 1901.
- ↑ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Official and Landed Classes, 1900. Kelly's. p. 1147.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27424. p. 2424. 11 April 1902.
- ↑ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Official and Landed Classes, 1906. Kelly's. p. 1275.
- Peerage.org
- Lineage
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Ridley
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tom Harrop Sidebottom |
Member of Parliament for Stalybridge 1900–1905 |
Succeeded by John Frederick Cheetham |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Matthew White Ridley |
Viscount Ridley 1904–1916 |
Succeeded by Matthew White Ridley |