Arthur Desmond Colquhoun Gore, 9th Earl of Arran (born 14 July 1938), styled Viscount Sudley between 1958 and 1983, is a British peer and Lord Temporal in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

, sitting with the

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 ...

Biography

Early life

Lord Arran was born in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, the eldest son of The 8th Earl of Arran and the former Fiona Colquhoun, first daughter of Sir Iain Colquhoun of Luss, 7th Baronet. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and Balliol College, Oxford.

Career

He served in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, gaining the rank of second lieutenant. He was the assistant manager of the '' Daily Mail'', then assistant general manager of the '' Daily Express'' and the '' Sunday Express'' in the 1970s. He was a director of

Waterstone's Waterstones, formerly Waterstone's, is a British book retailer that operates 311 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and also other nearby countries. As of February 2014, it employs around 3,500 staff in the UK and Europe. An average-sized Wa ...

(1984–87). He succeeded as 9th Earl of Arran of the Arran Islands on 23 February 1983, upon the death of his father. In the Lords, Lord Arran has played an active role for the Conservative Party, serving in several junior ministerial roles.

Marriage and children

On 28 September 1974, Arran married Eleanor van Cutsem, daughter of

Bernard van Cutsem Bernard Henry Richard Harcourt van Cutsem (23 January 1916 – 8 December 1975) was an English horsebreeder and racehorse trainer. Ancestry and early life The van Cutsem family are Roman Catholics, and of Dutch origin.Lady Margaret Fortescue, and granddaughter of

Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue Hugh William Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue, (14 June 1888 – 14 June 1958), styled Viscount Ebrington from 1905 until 1932, of Castle Hill in the parish of Filleigh, of Weare Giffard Hall, both in Devon and of Ebrington Manor in Gloucest ...

, and heiress of the Fortescue seat of Castle Hill, in Devon. She was appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire 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 ...

(MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2008. Lord and Lady Arran run the Fortescue family's stately home, Castle Hill House and gardens in Devon, as a venue for weddings and corporate hospitality. He has no son, but has two daughters: *Lady Laura Melissa Fortescue-Gore (born 14 June 1975), who married Major James Duckworth-Chad (maternal great-grandson of 7th Earl Spencer) on 16 October 2004. They have four children. *Lady Lucy Katherine Fortescue-Gore (born 26 October 1976)

Heir presumptive

Since Lord Arran has no sons by his wife, and all other lines of descent from the 4th Earl of Arran have died out, his

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

is currently his very distant cousin, William Henry Gore (born 1950), who lives in Australia, descended from the youngest brother of the 4th Earl.Debrett's Peerage, 2015, p.48 (son of Paul Annesley Gore (1921-2012))

Arms

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arran, Arthur Gore, 9th Earl 1938 births Living people Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford People educated at Eton College Grenadier Guards officers Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

Tennant family Northern Ireland Office junior ministers Earls of Arran (Ireland)