William Humble Eric Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley, MC TD (30 January 1894 – 26 December 1969), known as Viscount Ednam until 1932, was a British Conservative Party politician.

Early life

Lord Dudley was the eldest son of

William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, (25 May 1867 – 29 June 1932) was a British aristocrat, politician, and military officer who served as the List of Governors-General of Australia, fourth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 190 ...

, and his wife

Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

(née Gurney) CBE. Among his siblings was George Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley, Lady Gladys Honor Ward (wife of Maj. Percival Cunningham Allan Bridgeman) and Lady Morvyth Lillian Ward (wife of Constantine Evelyn Benson, a grandson of Robert Stayner Holford). His paternal grandparents were

William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley (27 March 1817 – 7 May 1885), known as The Lord Ward from 1835 to 1860, was an English landowner and benefactor. Background and education Ward was born on 27 March 1817 at Edwardstone, Boxford, Suffolk, En ...

and the former Georgina Elizabeth Moncreiffe (third daughter of

Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Baronet Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Baronet (9 January 1822 – 16 August 1879) was a Scottish first-class cricketer and British Army officer. The son of Sir David Moncreiffe and his wife, Helen Mackay, he was born at Moncreiffe House in Perthshi ...

and Lady Louisa Hay, the eldest daughter of

Thomas Hay-Drummond, 11th Earl of Kinnoull Thomas Robert Hay-Drummond, 11th Earl of Kinnoull (5 April 1785 – 18 February 1866), styled Viscount Dupplin between 1787 and 1804, was a Scottish peer. His titles were Earl of Kinnoull, Viscount Dupplin and Lord Hay of Kinfauns in the Peerage ...

). His maternal grandparents were Charles Henry

Gurney A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...

and Alice Prinsep Gurney (a daughter of

Henry Thoby Prinsep Henry Thoby Prinsep (15 July 1793 – 11 February 1878) was an English official of the Indian Civil Service, and historian of India. In later life he entered politics, and was a significant figure of the cultural circles of London. Early life P ...

of the

Bengal Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...

). His maternal aunt was Laura, Lady Troubridge. He was educated at Eton.

Career

Ward inherited a number of industrial concerns in the

Black Country The Black Country is an area of England's West Midlands. It is mainly urban, covering most of the Dudley and Sandwell metropolitan boroughs, with the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton. The road between Wolverhampto ...

region of England, notably the

Round Oak Steelworks The Round Oak Steelworks was a steel production plant in Brierley Hill, West Midlands (formerly Staffordshire), England. It was founded in 1857 by Lord Ward, who later became, in 1860, The 1st Earl of Dudley, as an outlet for pig iron made in th ...

and

Baggeridge Colliery Baggeridge Colliery was a colliery located in Sedgley, West Midlands England. Colliery History The Baggeridge Colliery was an enterprise of the Earls of Dudley, whose ancestors had profited from mineral extraction in the Black Country area o ...

. In 1937, he set up

Dudley Zoo Dudley Zoo & Castle (previously Dudley Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within a 200-acre densely-wooded site located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England. The zoo ope ...

within the grounds of

Dudley Castle Dudley Castle is a ruins, ruined castle, fortification in the town of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Originally, a wooden motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman Conquest, it was rebuilt as a stone fortifica ...

, once the seat of the Barons of Dudley.

Military service

Dudley was commissioned into the Worcestershire Yeomanry in 1912. In 1914 he transferred to the regular

10th Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince ...

. He was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1915 and ended the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, and had been awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. After the war, he joined the

Staffordshire Yeomanry The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a mounted auxiliary unit of the British Army raised in 1794 to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion. It continued in service after the Napoleonic Wars, frequently being called out ...

, becoming a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and receiving the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer O ...

. In 1933 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 51st (Midland) Medium Brigade, Royal Artillery.

Political career

Dudley sat as the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Hornsey Hornsey () is a district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Haringey. It is an inner-suburban, for the most part residential, area centred north of Charing Cross. It adjoins green spaces Queen's Wood to the west and Alexand ...

from 1921 to 1924 and for

Wednesbury Wednesbury ( ) is a market town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England; it was historically in Staffordshire. It is located near the source of the River Tame, West Midlands, River Tame and ...

from 1931 to 1932 and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the

Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India (and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 193 ...

, Lord Winterton, between 1922 and 1924. He also held the honorary post of

High Sheriff of Worcestershire This is a list of sheriffs and since 1998 high sheriffs of Worcestershire. The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest Secularity, secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but ove ...

in 1930. In 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 ...

, Dudley was notable for opposing the

Sexual Offences Act 1967 The Sexual Offences Act 1967 (c. 60) is an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It legalised homosexual acts in England and Wales, on the condition that they were consensual, in private and between two men who had attained the age of 21. ...

, which partially decriminalized male homosexuality. He stated, :"I cannot stand homosexuals. They are the most disgusting people in the world... Prison is much too good a place for them; in fact, that is a place where many of them like to go—for obvious reasons." Gay rights activist

Peter Tatchell Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is an Australian-born British human rights campaigner, best known for his work with LGBT social movements. Tatchell was selected as the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party's Parliament of the United Kingdo ...

said, "The Earl of Dudley's contribution in the Lords sums up the level of the opposition's argument o the bill"

Personal life

Dudley married firstly Lady Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1893–1930), only surviving daughter of

Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland (20 July 1851– 27 June 1913), styled Lord Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower until 1858, Earl Gower between 1858 and 1861 and Marquess of Stafford between 1861 and 1892, was a British ...

, on 8 March 1919. She died in a plane crash in 1930, aged 36. Their children were: * William Ward, 4th Earl of Dudley (1920–2013), who married Stella Carcano y Morra, a daughter of Don Miguel Angel Carcano, who was the Argentine Ambassador to the U.K. They divorced in 1960 and he married the Scottish actress and socialite

Maureen Swanson Maureen Ward, Countess of Dudley (25 November 1932 – 16 November 2011), was a British actress. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she was the daughter of James Swanson. As Maureen Swanson, she featured in British pictures during the 1950s and retired ...

. * John Jeremy Ward (1922–1929), who died in childhood. * Peter Alistair Ward (1926–2008), who married Claire Leonora Baring, a granddaughter of

Guy Baring Guy Victor Baring (26 February 1873 – 15 September 1916) was a British Army officer and politician. He became a Conservative member of the British House of Commons but was one of 22 Members killed in action in the First World War. Background ...

, in 1956. They had several children including the actress and environmentalist

Tracy Louise Ward Tracy Louise Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (née Ward; born 22 December 1958) is a British duchess, environmental activist, and former actress. She is usually known as Tracy Worcester, the married Style (form of address), style that she often ...

and actress

Rachel Ward Rachel Claire Ward (born 12 September 1957) is an English-Australian actress,

before divorcing. He married secondly Viscountess (Frances) Laura Long née Charteris (1915–1990), daughter of Guy Lawrence Charteris and former wife of

Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long Walter Francis David Long, 2nd Viscount Long (14 September 1911 – 23 September 1944), was a British peer and soldier. Early life The eldest son of Brigadier-General Walter Long (d. 1917) and Sibell Vanden Bempde-Johnstone, granddaughter ...

, on 25 February 1943. The marriage was childless and they were divorced in 1954. Laura went on to marry

Michael Temple Canfield Michael Temple Canfield (born Anthony Kerslake; August 20, 1926 – December 20, 1969) was an American diplomatic aide and secretary at the US Embassy in London during the Eisenhower administration who later worked in London as an editorial repre ...

in 1960 and, after his death in 1969, John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough shortly before his death. The Dowager Duchess of Marlborough died in 1990. In 1961, Dudley married thirdly to Grace Maria (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Kolin) Radziwill (1923–2016), daughter of Dr. Michael Kolin and Anna Tironi of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Grace was the former wife of Prince Stanislaus Radziwill (The Prince's third wife, Lee Radziwiłł, was formerly married to

, the third husband of Ward's second wife, Laura). This marriage was also childless. Dudley died in December 1969, aged 75, and was succeeded by his eldest son

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

. After his death, his widow lived with the American editor

Robert B. Silvers Robert Benjamin Silvers (December 31, 1929 – March 20, 2017) was an American editor who served as editor of ''The New York Review of Books'' from 1963 to 2017. Raised on Long Island, New York, Silvers graduated from the University of Chicag ...

for nearly four decades from 1975 until her death in 2016.

Other relationships

He is rumored to have fathered a daughter,

Judy Montagu Judith Venetia "Judy" Montagu (6 February 1923–1972) was an English socialite who was a close friend of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. Biography Montagu was born on 6 February 1923. Legally, she was the daughter of British politici ...

, in 1923 with the aristocrat and socialite

Venetia Stanley Venetia Anastasia, Lady Digby ( Stanley; December 1600 – 1 May 1633) was a celebrated beauty of the Stuart period (England), Stuart period and the wife of a prominent courtier and scientist, Sir Kenelm Digby. She was a granddaughter of Tho ...

, although the legal father was her husband

Edwin Samuel Montagu Edwin Samuel Montagu PC (6 February 1879 – 15 November 1924) was a British Liberal politician who served as Secretary of State for India between 1917 and 1922. Montagu was a "radical" Liberal and the third practising Jew (after Sir Herbe ...

. She grew up to befriend

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

during

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 ...

and marry the American photographer Milton Gendel, with whom she created an artistic salon in Italy."A Six-Decade Roman Holiday". ''Vanity Fair'' November 2011.

Mandy Rice-Davies Marilyn Foreman (21 October 1944 – 18 December 2014), better known as Mandy Rice-Davies, was a Welsh model and showgirl best known for her association with Christine Keeler and her role in the Profumo affair, which discredited the Conservativ ...

claimed that the Earl was one of the customers at Murray's Cabaret Club, where she worked as a showgirl, and that he proposed to her when she was 17. "I could have been a dowager duchess by the time I was 22." she said.

Notes

References

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, William Ward, 3rd Earl of 1894 births 1969 deaths Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 3 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs who inherited peerages People educated at Eton College British Army personnel of World War I 10th Royal Hussars officers Recipients of the Military Cross High sheriffs of Worcestershire

Worcestershire Yeomanry officers Staffordshire Yeomanry officers English industrialists Zoo owners 20th-century English businesspeople