Robert Hugh Turton, Baron Tranmire, (8 August 1903 – 17 January 1994) was a British Conservative Party politician.

Biography

The son of Major R B Turton of Kildale Hall,

Kildale Kildale is a village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-east from Great Ayton, within the North York Moors National Park and on the Cleveland Way National Trail. The parish occupies ...

, North Riding of Yorkshire, Turton was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and at Balliol College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1926. Turton joined the 4th Battalion of the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and served as Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General 50th (N) Division, AAG GHQ MEF. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

in 1942.

Parliamentary career

At the 1929 general election, Turton was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for

Thirsk and Malton Thirsk and Malton is a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Kevin Hollinrake, a Conservative. History 2010-date Anne McIntosh, a Conservative, elected for Vale of York in ...

, a seat which he held continuously until his retirement from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at the February 1974 general election. Turton was Father of the House from 1965 to 1974. He attributed his election as an MP at the unusually young age of 25 to the death of his predecessor and kinsman

Sir Edmund Turton, 1st Baronet Sir Edmund Russborough Turton, 1st Baronet, JP, DL (1 November 1857 – 8 May 1929) was a British Conservative Party politician. Life He was the eldest child of Edmund Henry Turton of the 3rd Dragoon Guards and his wife Lady Cecilia Mary Leeson, ...

three weeks before polling day and the local Conservative association not wanting to waste its "Vote For Turton" posters. Turton held ministerial office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Insurance from 1951 to 1953, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance from 1953 to 1954, and as Joint

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is a vacant junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affai ...

from October 1954 to December 1955. From December 1955 to January 1957 Turton served in Sir Anthony Eden's Ministry as

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

, a post then outside of the Cabinet but of Cabinet rank, and was appointed a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

in 1955. In Parliament Turton was Chairman of the Select Committee on Procedure from 1970 to 1974. He was opposed to British membership of the EEC.

Honours

Turton was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the

1971 Birthday Honours The 1971 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in supplemen ...

and on 9 May 1974, he was created a Life Peer as Baron Tranmire, of

Upsall Upsall is a hamlet in and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately four miles north-east of Thirsk. Upsall is part of the Upsall and Roxby estates owned by the Turton family. The populat ...

in the North Riding of Yorkshire. He was appointed as Justice of the Peace in 1936 and a Deputy Lieutenant for the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1962.

Family

Turton is the uncle of

Peter Bottomley Sir Peter James Bottomley (born 30 July 1944) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1975 when elected for Woolwich West, serving until it was abolished before the 1983 general election. ...

, who became Father of the House after the 2019 general election.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turton, Robin 1903 births 1994 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Tranmire, Robin Turton, Baron Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Green Howards officers Recipients of the Military Cross Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs who were granted peerages People from Hambleton District Deputy Lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire British Army personnel of World War II Ministers in the third Churchill government, 1951–1955 Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957 Life peers created by Elizabeth II