Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe

The Right Honourable
The Lord Clitheroe
KCVO KStJ PC JP DL
The Right Honourable The Lord Clitheroe KCVO KStJ PC JP DL
	The Lord Clitheroe in 1956
Member of the House of Lords
	Lord Temporal
	In office; 21 June 1955 – 18 September 1984
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	The 2nd Baron Clitheroe
Member of Parliament; for Blackburn West
	In office; 23 February 1950 – 6 May 1955
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of Parliament; for City of London
	In office; 31 October 1945 – 3 February 1950
Preceded by	George Broadbridge; Andrew Duncan;
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of Parliament; for Rushcliffe
	In office; 26 July 1934 – 15 June 1945
Preceded by	Henry Betterton
Succeeded by	Florence Paton
Personal details
Born	Ralph Assheton; 24 February 1901
Died	18 September 1984 (aged 83)
Spouses	Sylvia Benita Frances Hotham (m. 1923)
Children	4

Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe, KCVO, KStJ, PC, JP, DL (24 February 1901 – 18 September 1984), was an English aristocrat and politician.

Biography

Assheton was born on 24 February 1901.^[1] His father was Sir Ralph Assheton, 1st Baronet (1860–1955), and his mother, Mildred Estelle Sybella Master (1884–1949).^{[citation needed]} He was educated at Summer Fields School and Eton College.^[2]

Assheton was Member of Parliament (MP) for Rushcliffe from 1934 to 1945, for the City of London from 1945 to 1950, and for Blackburn West from 1950 to 1955. In the wartime government under Winston Churchill, he was Minister of Supply in 1942, and Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1942 to 1944. He was sworn of the Privy Council in the 1944 New Year Honours,^[3] and served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1944 to 1946.

After retiring from the House of Commons at the 1955 general election, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Clitheroe, of Downham in the County Palatine of Lancaster, on 21 June 1955.^[4] He succeeded his father as 2nd Baronet three months later.

He was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire on 16 November 1955,^[5] and later served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, from 1971 to 1976. He was appointed a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (KStJ) in February 1972,^[6] and appointed to the Royal Victorian Order as a Knight Commander in 1977 on his retirement from the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.^[7]

Family

He married Hon. Sylvia Benita Frances Hotham, daughter of Frederick Hotham, 6th Baron Hotham (1863–1923), on 24 January 1924.^{[citation needed]} They had four children:^{[citation needed]}

Anne Assheton (born & died 22 December 1924)
Hon. Bridget Assheton (born 20 August 1926, died 22 May 2004). Married Sir Marcus Worsley, Bt, brother of Katharine, Duchess of Kent.^[8]
Ralph John Assheton, 2nd Baron Clitheroe (born 3 November 1929)
Hon. Nicholas Assheton, CVO (born 23 May 1934, died 27 November 2012); Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1998 to her death in 2002.^[9]

Lord Clitheroe died in 1984.^[10]

References

^ National Portrait Gallery
^ Usborne, Richard (1964). A Century of Summer Fields. Methuen. p. 105.
^ "No. 36309". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1943. p. 1.
^ "No. 40517". The London Gazette. 21 June 1955. p. 3593.
^ "No. 40638". The London Gazette. 22 November 1955. p. 6584.
^ "No. 45601". The London Gazette. 17 February 1972. p. 2005.
^ "No. 47221". The London Gazette. 24 May 1977. p. 6421.
^ "Obituary: Lady Worsley". The Daily Telegraph. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
^ "Obituaries: Nicholas Assheton". Daily Telegraph.
^ England & Wales, Death Index, 1837-2005.

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Ralph Assheton

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Henry Betterton	Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe 1934–1945	Succeeded by Florence Paton
Preceded by George Broadbridge Sir Andrew Duncan	Member of Parliament for City of London 1945–1950 With: Sir Andrew Duncan	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Blackburn West 1950–1955	Constituency abolished
Political offices
Preceded by Harry Crookshank	Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1942–1944	Succeeded by Osbert Peake
Party political offices
Preceded by Thomas Dugdale	Chairman of the Conservative Party 1944–1946	Succeeded by Lord Woolton
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Lord Rhodes	Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire 1971–1976	Succeeded by Sir Simon Towneley
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Clitheroe 1955–1984 Member of the House of Lords (1955–1984)	Succeeded by Ralph Assheton
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Ralph Assheton	Baronet of Downham 1955–1984	Succeeded by Ralph Assheton

[1] National Portrait Gallery

[2] Usborne, Richard (1964). A Century of Summer Fields. Methuen. p. 105.

[3] "No. 36309". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1943. p. 1.

[4] "No. 40517". The London Gazette. 21 June 1955. p. 3593.

[5] "No. 40638". The London Gazette. 22 November 1955. p. 6584.

[6] "No. 45601". The London Gazette. 17 February 1972. p. 2005.

[7] "No. 47221". The London Gazette. 24 May 1977. p. 6421.

[8] "Obituary: Lady Worsley". The Daily Telegraph. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 20 December 2012.

[9] "Obituaries: Nicholas Assheton". Daily Telegraph.

[10] England & Wales, Death Index, 1837-2005.

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Authority control databases
International	VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany