Stormont Mancroft Samuel Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft (27 July 1914 – 14 September 1987), born Stormont Mancroft Samuel, was a

British Conservative The Conservative and Unionist Party, commonly the Conservative Party and colloquially known as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. The party sits on the Cent ...

politician.

Early life

Mancroft was the son of

Arthur Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft Arthur Michael Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft (6 December 1872 – 17 August 1942) was a British Conservative politician. Background Born in Norwich, Lord Mancroft was the eldest son of Benjamin Samuel, of Norwich (19 April 1840 – 16 April 1890 ...

, and Phoebe Fletcher. In 1925 he assumed by

deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract, because it binds only one party. Etymology Th ...

the surname "Mancroft". 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 ...

, Kingsgate House (K),

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 ...

, obtaining a law degree, and

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

University, where he studied music. In 1938 he became a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. He served in the

Second World War 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 ...

as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, was twice

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

and awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

Political career

After the war, he served in the Conservative administrations of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...

as a

government whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline (that members of the party vote according to the party platform rather than their constituents, individual conscience or donors) in a legislature. Whips a ...

from 1952 to 1954 and as

Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department This article lists past and present parliamentary under-secretaries of state serving the home secretary of the United Kingdom at the Home Office. Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782–present *April 1782: Evan Nepean *Apri ...

from 1954 to 1957. When

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...

became Prime Minister in January 1957, Mancroft was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Duncan Sandys Duncan Edwin Duncan-Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys (; 24 January 1908 – 26 November 1987), was a British politician and minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a son-in-law of Winston Churchill and played a ...

, a post he held until June the same year, and was then

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

from 1957 to 1958.

Writing

He was a frequent contributor of humorous articles to Punch magazine and other publications. Three books of his articles have been published: *"Booking the Cooks", 1969. *"A Chinaman in My Bath, and Other Pieces", 1974. *"Bees in some Bonnets", 1979. Over half of the third book consists of material published in the previous two books.

Family

Lord Mancroft married Diana Lloyd, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Horace Lloyd, on 8 May 1951. They have three children: *Hon. Victoria Lucinda Mancroft (7 March 1952), married Prince Frederick Nicholas of Prussia (son of Prince Frederick of Prussia) on 27 February 1980. *Hon. Jessica Rosetta Mancroft (10 May 1954), married Simon Dickinson on 15 October 1983. * Benjamin Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft (16 May 1957), married Emma Louisa Peart on 20 September 1990. Diana Lloyd was married before to Richard Bridges St. John Quarry. They have two daughters: Venetia, Mrs Frederick Barker, then Viscountess Wimborne (born 1942), and Miranda, Countess of Stockton (1947–2020).

Arms

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mancroft, Stormont Mancroft Samuel Mancroft, 2nd Baron 1914 births 1987 deaths Politicians from London British people of Jewish descent British Ashkenazi Jews 2 Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting People educated at Winchester College Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II Jewish British politicians 20th-century British politicians 20th-century British businesspeople Ministers in the third Churchill government, 1951–1955 Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957 Ministers in the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments, 1957–1964