Eugene Joseph Squire Hargreaves Ramsden, 1st Baron Ramsden

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

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

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politician in the

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Background

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

Gomersal Gomersal is a town in Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is south of Bradford, east of Cleckheaton and north of Heckmondwike. It is close to the River Spen and forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. History Gomersal was attested ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

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

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

at the 1923 general election, held by the senior

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 ...

John Simon. He came third, with 22% of the votes, behind

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

. He did not stand again in Spen Valley, and at the 1924 general election he contested the marginal seat of

Bradford North Bradford North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until it was abolished for the 2010 general election, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post sy ...

, 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. The Labour vote collapsed at the 1931 general election after

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

split his party and formed a

National Government A national government is the government of a nation. National government or National Government may also refer to: * Central government in a unitary state, or a country that does not give significant power to regional divisions * Federal governme ...

. 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 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 Bulgaria ...

. Ramsden was

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