William Brampton Gurdon
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.
Early life[edit]
Gurdon 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[edit]
Gurdon 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[edit]
At 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[edit]
In 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.
External links[edit]
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