George Lambert, 1st Viscount Lambert, PC (25 June 1866 – 17 February 1958) was a long-serving

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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).

Birth and education

Lambert was born in

South Tawton South Tawton is a village, parish and former manor on the north edge of Dartmoor, Devon, England. An electoral ward bearing the same name exists. At the 2011 census the population was 1,683. Historic estates Located in the parish of South Taw ...

in Devon, on 25 June 1866, the son of George Lambert Gorwyn and his wife, Grace Howard. George Lambert Gorwyn (1818–1885), who is remembered today as a quarrelsome and much disliked man, had inherited farms in

Spreyton Spreyton is a small rural village just north of Dartmoor in Devon, England. Spreyton is famous for its connection to the tale of “Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all” who came from, and is thought to be buried in Spreyton. Some believe that if U ...

and

Drewsteignton Drewsteignton is a village, civil parish and former manor within the administrative area of West Devon, England, also lying within the Dartmoor National Park. It is located in the valley of the River Teign, west of Exeter and south east of ...

. He dropped the surname Gorwyn in the 1870s, becoming known merely as George Lambert. His wife, Grace Howard, was the daughter of a farm labourer from South Tawton, who had been his housekeeper. They married in 1866. Lambert was educated at Spreyton School and

North Tawton North Tawton is a small town in Devon, England, situated on the river Taw. It is administered by West Devon Council. The population of the electoral ward at the census 2011 was 2,026. History Romans crossed the River Taw at what is now Newl ...

Grammar School. He left school after his father's death in 1885, and commenced farming.

Political career

Lambert served as a

County Councillor A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

for Devonshire, 1889–1912, and as a County Alderman, 1912–1952. He was first elected as

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP for

South Molton South Molton is a town in Devon, England. It is part of the North Devon local government district. The town is on the River Mole. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of South Molton had a population of 4,093, increasing to 5,108 at the ...

at a by-election in 1891. He was

Civil Lord of the Admiralty The Civil Lord of the Admiralty formally known as the Office of the Civil Lord of Admiralty also referred to as the Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty was a member of the Board of Admiralty who was responsible for managing the Royal N ...

, 1905–1915, "a post for which he had no obvious qualifications. 'A farmer sent to sea' was a jibe frequently heard in those days" (''The Times''). He lost his seat at the 1924 General Election to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Cedric Drewe, but regained it at the

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

general election. Although he began his parliamentary career as a Liberal, in 1931 Lambert had become a

National Liberal National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism). A seri ...

supporting the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, following a long period criticising

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

and opposition to the Labour Party. Lambert was made a Privy Councillor in 1912, and later the same year he was appointed to the

Royal Commission on Fuel and Engines The British Royal Commission on Fuel and Engines was established in the United Kingdom on 31 July 1912, and its remit was " report on the means of supply and storage of Liquid Fuel in peace and war, and its application to warship engines, whether ...

.''The Times'', ''loc. cit''. He was created

Viscount Lambert Viscount Lambert, of South Molton in the County of Devon, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1945 for George Lambert, who had been a Liberal Member of Parliament since 1891, with the exception for the 1924-1929 ...

when he stepped down as an MP in July 1945, after 48 years, 348 days in 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 ...

, the fifth longest-serving MP of the 20th century. His eldest son, the Hon. George Lambert, followed him as MP for South Molton, later Torrington, at the

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgarian ...

, and succeeded him as Viscount Lambert in 1958.

Personal life

Lambert was married on 30 August 1904 to Barbara Stavers, the daughter of George Stavers, a ship-owner of Morpeth, by whom he had two daughters and two sons.''Dod's Peerage'' (1954), p. 138. ''The Times'', ''loc. cit''. He died, aged 91 years, at his home, "''Coffins''" in Spreyton on 17 February 1958. Lambert "was a good shot, and was also fond of a round of golf."

Arms

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, George Lambert, George Lambert, 1st Viscount Lambert, George Lambert, 1st Viscount Lambert, George Lambert, 1st Viscount Lambert, George Lambert, 1st Viscount Lambert, George Lambert, 1st Viscount UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs who were granted peerages Lords of the Admiralty National Liberal Party (UK, 1931) politicians Viscounts created by George VI