John Grimston, 6th Earl of Verulam (17 July 1912 – 15 April 1973), styled the Honourable John Grimston until 1960, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament (MP).
Early life and education
Verulam was born John Grimston on 17 July 1912 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, the second son of James Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam and his wife Lady Violet Constance Maitland Brabazon. He was educated at Oundle School and Christ Church, Oxford.
Verulam was a tobacco farmer in Southern Rhodesia for two years before becoming director and general manager of Enfield Rolling Mills in 1938.
Royal Air Force
Verulam joined the Royal Air Force Reserve of Officers in 1930 as a pilot and he was injured in an aircraft accident in 1933. In 1937 he joined the Auxiliary Air Force and served in Coastal Command during the Second World War as a pilot.
Political career
Verulam was elected to the House of Commons as MP for St Albans at the by-election in 1943, but was defeated at the 1945 general election by the Labour candidate Cyril Dumpleton. However, he re-took the seat at the 1950 general election, and held it until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1959 general election.
In 1960 Verulam succeeded his elder brother James in the earldom and entered the House of Lords.
Marriage and children
Verulam married in 1938 Marjorie Ray Duncan, daughter of Walter Atholl Duncan (son of Pre-Raphaelite painter Walter Duncan) and wife Clara Ray Parks, maternal aunt of Iona Campbell, Duchess of Argyll and sister-in-law of David Lockhart-Mure Renton, Baron Renton. The couple had five children:
- Lady Elizabeth Harriot Grimston (31 August 1939 - 1987), married (divorced 1972) John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough, with two children.
- Lady Hermione Frances Grimston (born 27 September 1941)
- Lady Romayne Bryony Grimston (born 18 August 1946)
- John Duncan Grimston, 7th Earl of Verulam (born 21 April 1951)
- Lady Iona Charlotte Grimston (born 25 October 1953), married Henry Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham, with one daughter.
Death
Verulam died in April 1973 at the age of 60 and was succeeded in the earldom and other titles by his only son, John
Notes
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 1)
- ^ "Earl of Verulam - Former Tory MP for St Albans". The Times. No. 58760. London. 17 April 1973. p. 18.
- New M.P. For St. Albans, The Times, Wednesday 6 October 1943; page 2
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) . British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 375. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- "UK General Election results February 1950". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
References
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
- Lundy, Darryl. "FAQ". The Peerage.
External links
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded bySir Francis Edward Fremantle | Member of Parliament for St Albans 1943 – 1945 |
Succeeded byCyril Dumpleton |
| Preceded byCyril Dumpleton | Member of Parliament for St Albans 1950 – 1959 |
Succeeded byVictor Goodhew |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded byJames Brabazon Grimston | Earl of Verulam 1960–1973 |
Succeeded byJohn Duncan Grimston |
- 1912 births
- 1973 deaths
- Deputy lieutenants of Hertfordshire
- Earls of Verulam
- Grimston family
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1935–1945
- UK MPs 1950–1951
- UK MPs 1951–1955
- UK MPs 1955–1959
- UK MPs who inherited peerages
- People educated at Oundle School
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- Royal Air Force officers
- English aviators
- Royal Air Force pilots of World War II