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
In
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, politicianat 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
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