Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Walter Grant Morden (20 July 1880 – 25 June 1932) was a Canadian-born British Unionist party politician and businessman, who served as

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 ...

for Brentford and Chiswick from 14 December 1918 - 27 October 1931.

Early life

Morden was born on the 20 July 1880 in Prince Edward County,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, the son of Capt W. H. Morden, of Great Lakes shipping, and Sarah Anne Morden. Morden was educated at Toronto Collegiate Institute and

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

, followed by the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, where he studied law.

Career

During the First World War, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel with the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

, serving on the Canadian

Remount Remount referred to the provision of fresh horses, particularly for military purposes. The word encompasses both the animals themselves and the means by which they were provided. In many cases, remounts were horses provided to replace those killed ...

Committee, and as honorary colonel of the 6th Royal Canadian Hussars.Lieutenant-Colonel Grant Morden. The Times (London, England), Monday, Jun 27, 1932; pg. 19; Issue 46170. (333 words) Morden's first business interest was a furniture factory in

Farnham, Quebec Farnham is a city in Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 10,149, making it the second most populated community in the RCM. History The city of Fa ...

. He later became involved with finance, moving to England to set up an office in London. Morden built up a large business empire, becoming involved with over 35 companies in the UK, and many others in Canada. Morden was director of the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company, the Mexican Mahogany and Rubber Corporation, the New Orleans and Grand Isle Railway Light and Power Co and Pacific Coast Coal Mines, and vice-president of Canada Securities Corporation, Montreal. He co-founded

Canada Steamship Lines Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) is a shipping company with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The business has been operating for well over a century and a half. Beginnings CSL had humble beginnings in Canada East in 1845, operating river boa ...

in 1913, through the merger of 11 smaller companies. He also co-founded the

British Commonwealth Union The British Commonwealth Union (BCU) was a protectionist organisation formed in the United Kingdom in 1916 to "found a solid business group in parliament" and to "press for the protective tariffs and restrictions on imports discussed at the Pari ...

in 1916. Together with

Trevor Dawson Commander Sir Arthur Trevor Dawson, 1st Baronet (1 May 1866 – 19 May 1931) was an English businessman who served as managing director of the armaments giant Vickers from 1906 to 1931. Early life and naval career Dawson was born in Dalkeith Hou ...

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the

armaments A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

giant

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

and a colleague involved with the British Commonwealth Union, Morden was criticised for speculating on the shares of

British Celanese British Celanese was a chemical company based in England. Formed in 1916, it survived as an independent company until 1957 when it became a subsidiary of Courtaulds. History The origins of the company lie with two brothers, Henri and Camille D ...

, seeking tax breaks and a monopoly over the manufacture of acetate, for the company using undue influence over

Reginald McKenna Reginald McKenna (6 July 1863 – 6 September 1943) was a British banker and Liberal politician. His first Cabinet post under Henry Campbell-Bannerman was as President of the Board of Education, after which he served as First Lord of the Admiral ...

, the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

and

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. He was notable for being the last Liberal-Conservative cabinet minister, until he was dismissed from his cabinet post ...

, the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Minister of Militia and Defence The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canadian militia units only, as the British Army wa ...

. Morden was elected MP for Brentford and Chiswick in the 1918 General Election, and was re-elected four times. He stood down at the October 1931 General Election, having been declared bankrupt in April that year. His financial difficulties towards the end of his life were attributed to the decline in share prices during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Personal life

Morden married Doris Henshaw, the daughter of Julia Wilmotte Henshaw, in Vancouver in 1909, and they had one son and three daughters. The family lived in

Heatherden Hall Heatherden Hall is a Grade II-listed, Victorian country house located in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. It stands in the grounds of Pinewood Studios and is used as offices, film sets, and as a wedding venue. It was purchased by Lieutenan ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. The negotiations for the ratification of the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

took place there while Morden was an MP. Morden died of heart disease on 25 June 1932, aged 51. Heatherden Hall was purchased by

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

shortly after his death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morder, Walter Grant 1880 births 1932 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Upper Canada College alumni UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1929–1931