Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury

The Right Honourable

The Viscount Soulbury

GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC DL
The Right Honourable; The Viscount Soulbury; GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC DL
Minister of Pensions
	In office; 30 July 1936 – 7 June 1939
Monarch	Edward VIII ; George VI
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin ; Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Robert Hudson
Succeeded by	Sir Walter Womersley, Bt
First Commissioner of Works
	In office; 7 June 1939 – 3 April 1940
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt
Succeeded by	The Earl De La Warr
President of the Board of Education
	In office; 3 April 1940 – 20 July 1941
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain ; Winston Churchill
Preceded by	The Earl De La Warr
Succeeded by	R. A. Butler
Governor-General of Ceylon
	In office; 6 July 1949 – 17 July 1954
Monarch	George VI ; Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore
Succeeded by	Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
Personal details
Born	6 March 1887
Died	30 January 1971 (aged 83)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative

Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC DL (6 March 1887 – 30 January 1971) was a British Conservative politician. He served as a government minister between 1931 and 1941 and served as Governor-General of Ceylon between the years 1949 and 1954.

Background[]

Ramsbotham was the son of Herwald Ramsbotham, of Crowborough Warren (son of James Ramsbotham and Jane Fielden), and Ethel Margaret Bevan.^[1]

He went to Uppingham School, Uppingham, Rutland, England.

Military career[]

Ramsbotham was commissioned a Temporary Lieutenant in 1915 and was promoted to temporary Captain later the same year. He was promoted to temporary Major by 1918 and received the Military Cross. He was appointed an OBE in 1919 and relinquished his commission that year.^{[citation needed]}

Political career[]

Ramsbotham was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Lancaster in 1929.^[2] In 1931 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education by Ramsay MacDonald, a post he retained when Stanley Baldwin became Prime Minister in June 1935, and then served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries between November 1935 and July 1936.^[3] In September 1936 he was made Minister of Pensions by Baldwin.^[4] He continued in this office when Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister in May 1937. In June 1939 he was appointed First Commissioner of Works^[5] and sworn of the Privy Council.^[6]

Ramsbotham entered the cabinet in April 1940 as President of the Board of Education. He remained in this office after Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940 but was succeeded by R. A. Butler in July 1941. In August he was raised to the peerage as Baron Soulbury, of Soulbury in the County of Buckingham,^[7] and made Chairman of the Assistance Board, a post he held until 1948.^[8] Chairman of the Soulbury Commission 1944–45. Between 1949 and 1954 he served as Governor-General of Ceylon. He was appointed a GCMG in 1949 and a GCVO on 20 April 1954. On 10 June of that year, he was further honoured when he was created Viscount Soulbury, of Soulbury in the County of Buckingham.^[9]

Family[]

Lord Soulbury died in January 1971 at the age of 83.

He was succeeded in the viscountcy by his elder son James Herwald Ramsbotham. His younger son Sir Peter Ramsbotham notably served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1974 to 1977.

Coat of arms of Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury hide
	Crest A Plate charged with a Ram's Head erased per pale Gules and Sable Escutcheon Sable on a Chevron Or between three Plates each charged with a Cross Patty Gules a Ram's Head erased of the first Supporters On either side a Raven proper charged with a Plate thereon a Cross Patty Gules

References[]

^ [1]
^ "No. 33508". The London Gazette. 21 June 1929. p. 4110.
^ Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,^{[page needed]}
^ "No. 34324". The London Gazette. 18 September 1936. p. 5999.
^ "No. 34635". The London Gazette. 13 June 1939. p. 3971.
^ "No. 34633". The London Gazette. 6 June 1939. p. 3852.
^ "No. 35241". The London Gazette. 8 August 1941. p. 4565.
^ "No. 35251". The London Gazette. 19 August 1941. p. 4808.
^ "No. 40232". The London Gazette. 16 July 1954. p. 4164.

External links[]

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Soulbury

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Robert Parkinson Tomlinson	Member of Parliament for Lancaster 1929–1941	Succeeded by Fitzroy Maclean
Political offices
Preceded by Sir Kingsley Wood	Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education 1931–1935	Succeeded by The Earl De La Warr
Preceded by The Earl De La Warr	Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 1935–1936	Succeeded by The Earl of Feversham
Preceded by Robert Hudson	Minister of Pensions 1936–1939	Succeeded by Walter Womersley
Preceded by Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt	First Commissioner of Works 1939–1940	Succeeded by The Earl De La Warr
Preceded by The Earl De La Warr	President of the Board of Education 1940–1941	Succeeded by R. A. Butler
Government offices
Preceded by Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore	Governor-General of Ceylon 1949–1954	Succeeded by Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Viscount Soulbury 1954–1971	Succeeded by James Herwald Ramsbotham
New creation	Baron Soulbury 1941–1971	Succeeded by James Herwald Ramsbotham

[1] [1]

[2] "No. 33508". The London Gazette. 21 June 1929. p. 4110.

[3] Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,^{[page needed]}

[4] "No. 34324". The London Gazette. 18 September 1936. p. 5999.

[5] "No. 34635". The London Gazette. 13 June 1939. p. 3971.

[6] "No. 34633". The London Gazette. 6 June 1939. p. 3852.

[7] "No. 35241". The London Gazette. 8 August 1941. p. 4565.

[8] "No. 35251". The London Gazette. 19 August 1941. p. 4808.

[9] "No. 40232". The London Gazette. 16 July 1954. p. 4164.

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Department for Education
Presidents of the Board of Education	Devonshire Londonderry Birrell McKenna Runciman Pease Henderson Crewe Fisher Wood Trevelyan Percy Trevelyan Lees-Smith Maclean Irwin Stanley Stanhope De La Warr Soulbury Butler
Ministers of Education	Butler Law Wilkinson Tomlinson Horsbrugh Eccles Hailsham Lloyd Eccles Boyle
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show v t Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions of the United Kingdom
Ministers of Pensions	Barnes Hodge Worthington-Evans Macpherson Tryon Roberts Tryon Roberts Tryon Hudson Ramsbotham Womersley Paling Hynd Buchanan Marquand Isaacs Heathcoat-Amory
Ministers of Social Insurance/National Insurance	Jowitt Hore-Belisha Griffiths Summerskill Peake
Ministers of Pensions and National Insurance	Peake Boyd-Carpenter Macpherson Wood Herbison
Ministers of Social Security	Herbison Hart
Secretaries of State for Social Services	Crossman Joseph Castle Ennals Jenkin Fowler Moore
Secretaries of State for Social Security	Moore Newton Lilley Harman Darling
Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions	Darling Smith Johnson Blunkett Hutton Hain Purnell Cooper Duncan Smith Crabb Green Gauke McVey Rudd Coffey

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The Right Honourable The Viscount Soulbury GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC DL


Minister of Pensions
In office 30 July 1936 – 7 June 1939
Monarch	Edward VIII George VI
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Robert Hudson
Succeeded by	Sir Walter Womersley, Bt
First Commissioner of Works
In office 7 June 1939 – 3 April 1940
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt
Succeeded by	The Earl De La Warr
President of the Board of Education
In office 3 April 1940 – 20 July 1941
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain Winston Churchill
Preceded by	The Earl De La Warr
Succeeded by	R. A. Butler
Governor-General of Ceylon
In office 6 July 1949 – 17 July 1954
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore
Succeeded by	Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke

Personal details
Born	6 March 1887 (1887-03-06)
Died	30 January 1971 (1971-01-31) (aged 83)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative

show v t ←Governors-general of Ceylon →
	Moore Viscount Soulbury Wijewardena Nagalingam Goonetilleke Gopallawa*
Italics indicate acting officeholder