Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton

• Wikipedia contributors. "Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

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Turnour was first elected for Horsham in a by-election in 1904 at the age of just 21, the youngest Member of Parliament (MP) in the Commons, and remained an MP for the next 47 years. In 1907 he succeeded his father, becoming 6th Earl Winterton. This was an Irish peerage and did not disqualify him from remaining a member of the House of Commons. Sitting as a Conservative, Winterton would slowly rise through the ranks, later achieving ministerial office as Under-Secretary of State for India in 1922, a post he held until 1924. In 1924 he was sworn of the Privy Council and once again served as Under-Secretary of State for India from 1924 to 1929.

Winterton did not hold office in the National Governments headed by firstly Ramsay Macdonald and then Stanley Baldwin. However, when Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister in May 1937, Winterton was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In March 1938 he was promoted to the Cabinet and given the job of speaking in the House of Commons of behalf of the Secretary of State for Air Viscount Swinton, a member of the House of Lords. In this role he proved a noted failure, especially in a heated debate in May 1938 which led to Chamberlain concluding that the Secretary of State for Air must be an MP. In July 1938 he led the British delegation to the Evian Conference at which the problem of the Jewish refugees was debated. Thereafter, Winterton was increasingly sidelined. The following year he was dropped from the Cabinet and served in the marginal post of Paymaster-General before leaving the government altogether.

Winterton remained a Member of Parliament until 1951, by which time he was the MP with the longest continuous service. In 1952 he was created Baron Turnour, of Shillinglee in the County of Sussex, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which gave him a seat in the House of Lords.

He gained the title of 6th Earl Winterton. He was educated at Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, England.1 He was educated at New College, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Horsham between 1904 and 1918.1 He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, in Gallipoli, Egypt and the Hedaz.1 He gained the rank of officer in the service of the Sussex Yeomanry.1 He gained the rank of officer in the service of the Imperial Camel Corps.1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Horsham and Worthing between 1918 and 1945.1 He held the office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 1937 and 1939.1 He held the office of Paymaster-General between January 1939 and November 1939.1 He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.).1 He was decorated with the award of the Territorial Decoration (T.D.).1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Horsham between 1945 and 1951.1 He held the office of Father of the House of Commons.1 He was created 1st Baron Turnour, of Shillinglee, co. Sussex [U.K.] on 15 February 1952