Sir William Brampton Gurdon KCMG CB JP (5 September 1840 – 31 May 1910)[1][2] was a British civil servant who became a Liberal Party politician.
Sir William Brampton Gurdon | |
|---|---|
 William Brampton Gurdon | |
| Member of Parliament for North Norfolk | |
| In office 1899 – January 1910 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Cozens-Hardy |
| Succeeded by | Noel Noel-Buxton |
| Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk | |
| In office 1907–1910 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Hervey, 3rd Marquess of Bristol |
| Succeeded by | Courtenay Warner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 September 1840 |
| Died | 31 May 1910 (aged 69) |
| Spouse |
Lady Eveline Camilla Wallop
(m. 1888; died 1894) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | 1st Baron Colborne (maternal grandfather) Robert Gurdon, 1st Baron Cranworth (brother) 5th Earl of Portsmouth (father-in-law) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Early life
editGurdon was the youngest son of Brampton Gurdon (MP for West Norfolk) of Letton, Norfolk and his wife Henrietta Susanna, daughter of the 1st Baron Colborne.[3] He was educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1863 with a BA degree.[4] His elder brother, Robert, would also enter politics and served as an MP 1880-1895.[2]
Career
editGurdon entered the Treasury as a clerk in 1863, and became private secretary to William Ewart Gladstone when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1865 to 1866 and when Prime Minister from 1868 to 1874.[3] In 1879 he served as a special commissioner in South Africa following the Anglo-Zulu War, and then in 1881 on the Royal Commission appointed to draw up the Pretoria Convention.[2]
Parliament
editAt the 1885 general election Gurdon stood unsuccessfully in South West Norfolk.[5] He was unsuccessful again at Rotherhithe in 1886[6] and in Colchester at a by-election in 1888.[7]
He finally entered Parliament on his fourth attempt, when he was elected at a by-election in March 1899 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk.[8] He held the seat for 11 years, until he stood down at the January 1910 general election.[8] His major achievement as an MP was successfully bringing the Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 through Parliament; this had been a controversial proposal for over seventy years. [2]
He was also a Justice of the Peace (JP) for Suffolk, and a member of East Suffolk County Council.[3] He was sworn as a Privy Counsellor in July 1907,[9] and became Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk in October 1907.[10]
Personal life
editIn 1888 he married Lady Eveline Camilla Wallop, daughter of the 5th Earl of Portsmouth.[11] She died in 1894.[11] There is a memorial to them both in the church of St Edmund in Assington, Suffolk.
References
edit- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 2)
- ^ a b c d Obituary, London Evening Standard]
- ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1901. London: Dean & Son. 1901. p. 61.
- ^ "Gurdon, William Brampton (GRDN859WB)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 356. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
- ^ Craig, page 48
- ^ Craig, page 98
- ^ a b Craig, page 353
- ^ "No. 28038". The London Gazette. 9 July 1907. p. 4681.
- ^ "No. 28072". The London Gazette. 25 October 1907. p. 7123.
- ^ a b "Election Intelligence. Norfolk (Northern Division).-Result". The Times. London. 18 March 1899. pp. 14, col C.