Sir Godfrey Nicholson, 1st Baronet (9 December 1901 – 14 July 1991) was a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP).

Early life

Nicholson was born on 9 December 1901. he was a younger son of Richard Francis Harrison (1865–1940) and Helen Violet ( Portal) Nicholson (1867–1927). Through his father, he was a member of the family which founded

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

-based

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

distillers J&W Nicholson & Co. His paternal grandparents were William Nicholson and the former Isabella Sarah Meek. Among his paternal family were uncles, William Graham Nicholson and John Sanctuary Nicholson. His maternal grandparents were Helen Mary Charlotte ( Soulsby) Portal and Rev. George Raymond Portal (a brother of Sir Wyndham Portal, 1st Baronet), the President of the Oxford Union who served as rector of

Albury, Surrey Albury is a village and civil parish in central Surrey, England, around east of Guildford. It is in the Surrey Hills National Landscape and the Guildford (borough), Borough of Guildford. The civil parish covers an area of and includes the se ...

and of Burghclere. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

and graduated from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

in 1925.

Career

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, he contested and won Morpeth and held the seat until

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

. Two years later, he contested and won

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

in a by-election and on the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1939, he served with The Royal Fusiliers until 1942. He was subsequently a captain in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

and as MP criticized that an issue of pikes to the Home Guard made during a shortage of rifles "if not meant as a joke, was an insult". On 20 March 1958, Nicholson was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and retired from politics in 1966.

Personal life

On 30 June 1936, he had married Lady Katharine Lindsay (1912–1972), a younger daughter of David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford, and the former Constance Lilian Pelly (a daughter of Sir Henry Pelly, 3rd Baronet). Together, they had four daughters: * Rose Helen Nicholson (b. 1937), who married Richard Luce, Baron Luce, a son of Margaret (née Napier) and Sir William Luce. * Laura Violet Nicholson (1939–2021), who married Sir John Montgomery-Cuninghame, 12th Baronet, the youngest son of Sir Thomas Montgomery-Cuninghame, 10th Baronet and, his second wife, Nancy Macaulay Foggo, in 1964. * Emma Harriet Nicholson (b. 1941), who married Sir Michael Harris Caine, in 1987. * Harriet Mary Nicholson (b. 1946), who married Charles Hugh Flower (a maternal great-great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Abercorn). Sir Godfrey was a favourite at the London Gliding Club where they appreciated his passing of favourable laws regarding gliding. As Nicholson had no sons from his marriage, his title became extinct upon his death in 1991.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, vol. 1, p. 995.

Arms

References

External links

*
British Army Officers 1939−1945Nicholson, Sir Godfrey, (1901-1991), 1st Baronet, politician
at the

National Archives (United Kingdom) The National Archives (TNA; ) is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its parent department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the ...

1901 births 1991 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army personnel of World War II Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Royal Fusiliers officers UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 British Home Guard officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Morpeth {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1900s-stub