Weetman Harold Miller Pearson, 2nd Viscount Cowdray, (18 April 1882 – 5 October 1933), styled The Honourable Harold Pearson between 1910 and 1927, was a British peer and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician.

Background

Cowdray was the son of

Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, (15 July 1856 – 1 May 1927), known as Sir Weetman Pearson, Bt between 1894 and 1910, and as Lord Cowdray between 1910 and 1917, was an English engineer, oil industrialist, benefactor and Lib ...

, and his wife Annie, daughter of Sir John Cass.

Political career

Cowdray was elected as Member of Parliament for

Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

at a by-election April 1906, and held the seat until the 1918 general election, which he did not contest. In 1927 he succeeded his father in the viscountcy and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He was also a major in the

Sussex Yeomanry The Sussex Yeomanry is a yeomanry regiment of the British Army dating from 1794. It was initially formed when there was a threat of French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. After being reformed in the Second Boer War, it served in the World Wa ...

and a Deputy Lieutenant of Sussex. He was the Chairman of the Hurlingham Club Polo Committee until his death.

Polo

He learnt to play polo at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

and his love of the sport resulted in the grounds being laid out at Cowdray House in 1910. Chukkas started in April, although most competitions coincided with the festival of racing at nearby Goodwood in late July - the principal cup being the Cowdray Park Challenge Cup, still played for today. When Harold acquired the estate in 1919, he renamed his 'Capron House' team (named after his former residence) to '

Cowdray Park Cowdray Park refers to * Cowdray Park, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa *Cowdray Park, West Sussex The park lies near Easebourne, West Sussex, in the South Downs National Park. The estate belongs to Viscount Cowdray, whose famil ...

' accordingly. The yellow of their team shirts was their signature colour to match the Liberal Party, which he and his father supported.

Family

Easebourne StMary 2ndViscountCowdray grave

Lord Cowdray married Agnes Beryl, daughter of Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, in 1905. They had one son and five daughters who included

Angela Pearson Hon. Angela Pearson became Angela Murray and Angela Campbell-Preston (27 February 1910 – 1981) was a British businessperson, landowner, and conservationist. She managed her families estates and houses, hospitals and newspapers. She was a support ...

. He died in October 1933, aged 51, and was succeeded by his only son, Weetman. Lady Cowdray died in February 1948, aged 66.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowdray, Harold Pearson, 2nd Viscount 1882 births 1933 deaths

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

Deputy lieutenants of Sussex Harold Sussex Yeomanry officers Pearson, Harold Pearson, Harold Pearson, Harold Pearson, Harold UK MPs who inherited peerages