Eugene Joseph Squire Hargreaves Ramsden, 1st Baron Ramsden

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(2 February 1883 – 9 August 1955), known as Sir Eugene Ramsden, Bt between 1938 and 1945, was a Conservative Party politician in the

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Background

Ramsden was the son of James Ramsden, of The Wheatleys in Gomersal,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, and Mary Jane (née Hargreaves). He was head of James Ramsden Ltd. He also fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was appointed an

in 1919.thepeerage.com Eugene Joseph Squire Hargreaves Ramsden, 1st and last Baron Ramsden
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Political career

Ramsden stood unsuccessfully for the Spen Valley constituency in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

at the 1923 general election, held by the senior Liberal John Simon. He came third, with 22% of the votes, behind Labour. He did not stand again in Spen Valley, and at the 1924 general election he contested the marginal seat of Bradford North, where the Liberal Walter Rea had been elected in 1923 with a majority of only 173. Ramsden won the seat with a majority of 2,017, but was defeated at the 1929 general election by Labour's

Norman Angell Sir Ralph Norman Angell (26 December 1872 – 7 October 1967) was an English Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was a lecturer, journalist, author and Member of Parliament for the Labour Party. Angell was one of the principal founders of the Union ...

. The Labour vote collapsed at the 1931 general election after

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

split his party and formed a National Government. Ramsden stood again in Bradford North, ousting Angell with a majority of over 18,000 votes. He held the seat comfortably at the 1935 election, and represented Bradford North until he retired from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

at the 1945 general election. Ramsden was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1933 and made a Baronet, of Birkenshaw in the West Riding of the County of York, in 1938. After leaving the House of Commons in 1945, he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Ramsden, of Birkenshaw in the West Riding of the County of York. Ramsden was a council member of the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

, and is named in the council's charter, granted in 1940. He was described in 1927 as a "whole-hearted and keen Imperialist". dispatch from the Australian High Commission in London
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Personal life

Lord Ramsden married Margaret Enid, daughter of Frank Eugene Withey and widow of Major George Wells Farwell, in 1919. He died in August 1955, aged 72, after which the baronetcy and barony became extinct.

Arms

References

* * * * Biography and Genealogy Master Index. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, Cengage Learning. 1980- 2009. *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsden, Eugene 1st Baron Ramsden Ramsden, Eugene J Ramsden, Eugene J Ramsden, Eugene J Ramsden, Eugene J Ramsden, Eugene J Ramsden, Eugene J UK MPs who were granted peerages Politicians from Bradford Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire