Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Sir Ralph Harry Carr-Ellison, KCVO, TD (8 December 1925 – 26 August 2014) was an English landowner, businessman, public administrator and royal representative."Sir Ralph Carr-Ellison", ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 24 September 2014, p. 33. Born into the

landed gentry The landed gentry, or the ''gentry'', is a largely historical British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. While distinct from, and socially below, the British peerage, th ...

, he grew up on the family's Hedgeley estate in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. Following schooling at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, he served as an officer in the Army from 1944 to 1949, after which he served in the Territorial Army. He took management of the estate in the late 1950s and set about modernising it and entering the world of business. He was chairman of the Northumbrian Water Authority from 1973 to 1982, of the Tyne-Tees television network from 1974 to 1997, of the North of England Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association from 1976 to 1980, and of

The AA AA Limited, trading as The AA (formerly The Automobile Association), is a British motoring association. Founded in 1905, it provides vehicle insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps and other services. Th ...

from 1986 to 1995. A

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 i ...

in politics, he was active in the party's Northern Area association, serving as chairman from 1966 to 1969; he was then vice-chairman of the

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...

from 1969 to 1971, being

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 ...

for his political work in 1973, the same year he declined an offer from the party to stand as a

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 ...

."Sellors, Sir Patrick (John) Holmes"
''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'' (online ed.,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2021). Retrieved 11 October 2021. Carr-Ellison was Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear from 1984 to 2000 and was appointed a KCVO in 1999 for his services. He had previously been

High Sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

. He was twice married; his second wife was the widow of the AA Director General

Simon Dyer Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr-Ellison, Ralph 1925 births 2014 deaths English landowners English businesspeople British Army officers Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Bachelor People educated at Eton College Lord-Lieutenants of Tyne and Wear