John Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale
Major John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale TD, DL (16 December 1906 – 25 May 1996), was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician. An MP from 1942 to 1965, he notably served as Chairman of the 1922 Committee between 1955 and 1964.
Background
Morrison was the son of Hugh Morrison and Lady Mary Leveson-Gower, daughter of the Liberal statesman Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville. James Morrison was his great-grandfather.[1] The family seat is the Fonthill estate in southern Wiltshire. Morrison was educated at Eton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge and served in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry in the Second World War, until recalled in order to stand for election to Parliament.[2]
Political career
Morrison was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1938.[3] In 1942 he was elected Member of Parliament for Salisbury,[4] a seat he held until 1965,[5] and served as Chairman of the 1922 Committee between 1955 and 1964.[6] On 1 January 1965 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Margadale, of Islay in the County of Argyll,[7] in recognition of his "political and public services".[6] He was also Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire between 1969[8] and 1981. In January 1983, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Wiltshire, together with Mary Salisbury.[9]
Other interests
Morrison began owning and breeding horses in 1952, and established the Fonthill Stud in 19th-century stables on his estate,[10] which has produced winners of several classic races.[11] He also led a reorganisation of the Jockey Club.[2]
From 1967 to 1975, he was President of the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust.[12]
Family
Lord Margadale married the Honourable Margaret Smith, daughter of William Smith, 2nd Viscount Hambleden and Lady Esther Gore, on 16 October 1928. They had one daughter and three sons, the two younger of whom became Conservative politicians:
- James Morrison, 2nd Baron Margadale (17 July 1930 – 6 April 2003).
- Hon. Sir Charles Andrew Morrison (25 June 1932 – 9 May 2005).
- Hon. Dame Mary Anne Morrison, GCVO (b. 17 May 1937), Woman of the Bedchamber to HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1960.[13]
- Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Morrison (2 June 1944 – 13 July 1995).
Lady Margadale died in 1980. Lord Margadale was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, James.[1]
References
- 1 2 thepeerage.com Major John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale
- 1 2 Cosgrave, Patrick (29 May 1996). "Obituary: Lord Margadale". The Independent. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34494. p. 1838. 18 March 1938. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 35632. p. 3101. 14 July 1942.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 1)
- 1 2 The London Gazette: no. 43502. p. 10227. 27 November 1964.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 43538. p. 83. 1 January 1965.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 44928. p. 9016. 2 September 1969.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 49236. p. 693. 17 January 1983.
- ↑ Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H (1987). Crowley, D.A., ed. "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 13 pp155-169 – Fonthill Gifford". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ↑ "Stud". The Fonthill Estate. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ↑ Colin Johns, Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust 1967-2007 (2007), Appendix 1
- ↑ "The Hon. Mary Morrison, GCVO," debretts.com, accessed 17 January 2014.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Margadale
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Despencer-Robertson |
Member of Parliament for Salisbury 1942–1965 |
Succeeded by Michael Hamilton |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Derek Walker-Smith |
Chairman of the 1922 Committee 1955–1964 |
Succeeded by Sir William Anstruther-Gray, Bt |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Pembroke |
Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire 1969–1981 |
Succeeded by Hugh Trefusis Brassey |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Margadale 1965–1996 |
Succeeded by James Morrison |