Sir Godfrey Nicholson, 1st Baronet (9 December 1901 – 14 July 1991) was a British

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 ...

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 of ...

(MP).

Early life and education

A member of the family which founded

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based gin distillers J&W Nicholson & Co, Nicholson was a younger son of Richard Francis Harrison and a grandson of politician, William Nicholson. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and graduated from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1925.

Political and military career

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, he contested and won

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

and held the seat until

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

. Two years later, he contested and won

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

in a by-election and on 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 opposin ...

in 1939, he served with

The Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

until 1942. He was subsequently a captain in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

and as MP criticized that an issue of pikes to the Home Guard made during a shortage of rifles "if not meant as a joke, was an insult".

Personal life

On 20 March 1958, Nicholson was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and retired from politics in 1966. On 30 June 1936, he had married Lady Katharine Lindsay (a younger daughter of the 27th Earl of Crawford) and they had four daughters: *Rose Helen (b. 13 May 1937), married The Lord Luce. *Laura Violet (18 January 1939 - 2 June 2021), married Sir John Montgomery-Cuninghame of Corsehill, 12th Baronet. * Emma Harriet (b. 16 October 1941), married Sir Michael Harris Caine. *Harriet Mary (b. 29 June 1946), married Charles Hugh Flower (a maternal great-great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Abercorn). Sir Godfrey was a favourite at the London Gliding Club where they appreciated his passing of favourable laws regarding gliding. As Nicholson had no sons from his marriage, his title became extinct upon his death in 1991.

References

External links

*
British Army Officers 1939−1945
1901 births 1991 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army personnel of World War II Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Royal Fusiliers officers 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 British Army officers British Home Guard officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Morpeth {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1900s-stub