George Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley
| The Right Honourable The Viscount Ward of Witley PC | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of State for Air | |
|
In office 16 January 1957 – 28 October 1960 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Nigel Birch |
| Succeeded by | Julian Amery |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 November 1907 |
| Died | 15 June 1988 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
(1) Anne Capell (2) Barbara McNeill (d. 1980) |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
George Reginald Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley, PC (20 November 1907 – 15 June 1988), styled The Honourable George Ward until 1960, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Secretary of State for Air under Harold Macmillan from 1957 to 1960.
Background and education
Ward was the fourth and youngest son of William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, and Rachel, daughter of Charles Henry Gurney. William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley, was his elder brother.[1] He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
Political career
Ward served in the Second World War as an RAF Group Captain. At the 1945 general election he was elected to the House of Commons for Worcester,[2] a seat he held until 1960,[3] and served under Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden as Under-Secretary of State for Air from 1952 to 1955 and as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty from 1955 to 1957. When Harold Macmillan became Prime Minister in January 1957 he was appointed Secretary of State for Air, which he remained until October 1960. Ward was admitted to the Privy Council in 1957[4] and raised to the peerage as Viscount Ward of Witley, of Great Witley in the County of Worcester, in 1960.[5]
Family
Lord Ward of Whitley married firstly Anne Diana France Aysham, daughter of Boy Capel, in 1940. They had two children: the Hon. Anthony Giles Humble Ward (10 June 1943 – 4 May 1983) and the Hon. Georgina Anne Ward (b. 13 March 1941), an actress, but were divorced in 1951. He married secondly Barbara Mary Colonsay McNeill, daughter of Ronald Frank Rous McNeill and former wife of Michael Astor, in 1962. She died in 1980. Lord Ward of Witley died in June 1988, aged 80. His only son had predeceased him (without issue) and as a result his title became extinct on his death.[1]
References
- 1 2 thepeerage.com George Reginald Ward, 1st and last Viscount Ward of Witley
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 284. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
- ↑ leighrayment.com Privy Counsellors 1915-1968
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 42190. p. 7630. 11 November 1960.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by George Ward
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Greene |
Member of Parliament for Worcester 1945–1960 |
Succeeded by Peter Walker |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Nigel Birch |
Under-Secretary of State for Air 1952–1955 |
Succeeded by Christopher Soames |
| Preceded by Allan Noble |
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty 1955–1957 |
Succeeded by Christopher Soames |
| Preceded by Nigel Birch |
Secretary of State for Air 1957–1960 |
Succeeded by Julian Amery |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Ward of Witley 1960 – 1988 |
Extinct |