Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe

Lord Clitheroe in 1956

Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe, KCVO PC JP DL (24 February 1901 – 18 September 1984),^{[citation needed]} 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 on 21 September 1955.^{[citation needed]} He was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire on 16 November 1955.^[5] He later served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, from 1971 to 1976. He was appointed to the Royal Victorian Order as a Knight Commander in 1977 on his retirement from the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.^[6]

Family[]

He married Hon. Sylvia Benita Frances Hotham, daughter of Frederick William 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^{[citation needed]}
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.^[7]

Lord Clitheroe died in 1984.^{[citation needed]}

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. 47221". The London Gazette. 24 May 1977. p. 6421.
^ "Obituaries: Nicholas Assheton". Daily Telegraph.

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	Succeeded by Ralph Assheton
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Ralph Assheton	Baronet (of Downham, Lancashire) 1955–1984	Succeeded by Ralph Assheton

[nationalportrait-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. 47221". The London Gazette. 24 May 1977. p. 6421.

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

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