Leonard Ropner
Colonel Sir Leonard Ropner, 1st Baronet, DL MC (26 February 1895 – 12 October 1977) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.
Ropner was the son of William Ropner, third son of Sir Robert Ropner, 1st Baronet. Leonard's grandfather, Sir Robert, had come from Germany in 1857 and founded a fleet of merchant ships; as MP he represented Stockton-on-Tees.
He was educated at Oatlands, Harrogate and Harrow, obtaining a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge and took a degree in Political Economy. He was a director of the family business of Sir R. Ropner and Co., the shipping company.
He enlisted in 1914 in the Royal Artillery and commanded a battery in France, being awarded the Military Cross in 1919.[1] After the war he commanded the Durham Heavy Brigade of the Royal Garrison Artillery in the Territorial Army in the rank of major, and was later appointed their Honorary Colonel.[2]
At the 1923 general election, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield in County Durham, with a majority of only 6 votes over the sitting Labour MP John Herriotts. Ropner held the seat at the 1924 general election with a more comfortable majority of 1,416, but lost to Herriotts at the 1929 general election.
He returned to the House of Commons at the 1931 general election, for the safe Conservative seat of Barkston Ash in West Yorkshire. He represented the constituency until he retired from Parliament at the 1964 general election, although his majority was cut to only 116 votes at the 1945 election. In 1937 he served as High Sheriff of Durham.[3]
In 1952 he was made a baronet of Thorp Perrow in the North Riding of the County of York.[4] The Thorp Perrow estate near Bedale had been bought by his father in 1927. Sir Leonard planted the 85-acre (34 ha) Thorp Perrow Arboretum.[5]
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31092. p. 29. 1 January 1919.
- ↑ Army Lists
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34381. p. 1819. 19 March 1937. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 39453. p. 642. 1 February 1952.
- ↑ "Gardens to visit: Thorp Perrow Arboretum, North Yorks". The Telegraph. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Leonard Ropner
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Herriotts |
Member of Parliament for Sedgefield 1923–1929 |
Succeeded by John Herriotts |
| Preceded by George Lane-Fox |
Member of Parliament for Barkston Ash 1931–1964 |
Succeeded by Michael Alison |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet 1952–1977 |
Succeeded by John Ropner |