William Dudley Ward PC (14 October 1877 – 11 November 1946) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

sportsman and

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 ...

politician.

Early life

Dudley Ward was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, the son of William Humble Dudley Ward and the great-grandson of

William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward (1781 – December 6, 1835) was a clergyman who succeeded to the Dudley Barony. He was the son of Humble and Susannah Ward. He was the father of William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley. References {{DEFAU ...

. His mother was the Honourable Eugenie Violet Adele Brett, daughter of

William Brett, 1st Viscount Esher William Baliol Brett, 1st Viscount Esher, PC (13 August 181524 May 1899), known as Sir William Brett between 1868 and 1883, was a British lawyer, judge, and Conservative politician. He was briefly Solicitor-General under Benjamin Disraeli and ...

. He was educated at Eton and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. At Cambridge, he was secretary of the

Pitt Club The University Pitt Club, popularly referred to as the Pitt Club, the UPC, or merely as Club, is a private members' club of the University of Cambridge, with a previously male-only membership but now open to both men and women. History The ...

Sporting activities

Dudley-Ward William Vanity Fair 1900-03-29

Dudley Ward rowed for

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

in the

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

in 1897, when Oxford won and as President of Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) he rowed in the winning Cambridge crews in the 1899 and 1900 Boat Races. At Henley Royal Regatta he was runner up in

Silver Goblets The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing club A rowing club ...

(pairs' event) in 1900 with Raymond Etherington-Smith. His crew won the Stewards' Challenge Cup in 1901. In 1902 he won the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing ...

, the Stewards' Challenge Cup again, and the

partnering Claude Taylor. In 1903 his crew won the Stewards' and Grand again. In the 1908 Summer Olympics Dudley Ward was a crew member of the British boat ''Sorais'' which won the bronze medal in the 8-metre class.

Political career

Dudley Ward was returned to Parliament for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in 1906, a seat he held until 1922, and served under

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Mar ...

from 1909 to 1912. During

World War I 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 ...

he was a Lieutenant Commander in the

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...

, though this may have been a cover for his counter-espionage work for Admiral Sir William Reginald Hall, Director of Naval Intelligence. He served under

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 ...

as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1917 to 1922. In 1922 he was admitted to the Privy Council.

Personal life

Dudley Ward reportedly "had a liking for the fleshpots and was known, on occasions, to turn up for training still dressed in white tie and tails."R. Burnell & G. Page, The Brilliants: A History of the Leander Club, p. 82 He married Winifred May "Freda" Birkin (better known under her married name of Freda Dudley Ward), daughter of Colonel Charles Wilfred Birkin, in 1913. She was a socialite and became a mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales. The marriage produced two daughters, of whom the elder, Penelope Dudley-Ward, was a leading actress in the 1930s and 1940s. The couple were divorced in 1931. After retiring from politics he divided his time between England and Canada, where he was custodian of Edward, Prince of Wales's Alberta properties, primarily the E.P. Ranch, the royal's cattle ranch near Pekisko west of Calgary. An old sandstone building on Stephen Avenue where he had his offices is known as the Glanville/Ward Block. Dudley Ward died in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

in November 1946, aged sixty-nine, after an operation, and is buried in the city's Union Cemetery. Freda remarried in 1937 and died in March 1983, aged eighty-eight.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley Ward, William 1877 births 1946 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Cambridge University Boat Club rowers English male rowers British sportsperson-politicians British male sailors (sport) Sailors at the 1908 Summer Olympics – 8 Metre Olympic sailors of Great Britain Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in sailing Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Treasurers of the Household

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...