Sir Edward Percy Rugg (14 January 1906 – 7 September 1986) was a

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politician, who served as the last leader of the Conservative Party on

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

, and the party's first leader on the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. Rugg was educated at the

Leys School The Leys School is a co-educational private school in Cambridge, England. It is a boarding and day school for about 565 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen. The head is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. ...

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. He qualified as a solicitor in 1929, and in 1940 was elected to

Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England. The council was created in 1889. It is responsible for a wide range of public services in the county, including social c ...

. Although he was not re-elected in 1945, he remained politically active, chairing the

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

Conservative Association from 1948, and winning election to

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Rural District Council A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the adm ...

in 1949, serving as its chair until 1954. Rugg subsequently refocused his attention on London, and was appointed to London County Council as an

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in 1958. The following year, he was chosen as leader of the Conservative Party group on the council, and thereby became the leader of the opposition. He switched to become a councillor in 1961, representing Chelsea. In 1964, the council was abolished, but Rugg was elected to its replacement, the Greater London Council, representing Kensington and Chelsea, and he continued as leader of the opposition until 1966. Rugg stood down from the council in 1970, but remained active in the East Hertfordshire and Chelsea Conservative Associations into the 1980s, when he moved to

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in Kent. He was

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in 1959, and remained an active solicitor throughout his political career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugg, Percy 1906 births 1986 deaths Members of Hertfordshire County Council Conservative Party (UK) councillors People educated at The Leys School English solicitors Members of the Greater London Council Members of London County Council Knights Bachelor 20th-century English lawyers Deputy lieutenants of Greater London