John Hamilton Wedgwood
Encyclopedia
Sir John Hamilton Wedgwood, 2nd Baronet TD
(16 November 1907 - 9 December 1989), British politician and industrialist.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne
, Wedgwood was the son of Sir Ralph Wedgwood, 1st Baronet and his wife Iris Veronica Pawson
, daughter of Albert Henry Pawson. He was a great-great-great-grandson of the master potter Josiah Wedgwood
. His younger sister was the historian C.V. Wedgwood. Sir John was educated at Winchester College
, at Trinity College
, Cambridge and in Europe
, where he learnt several languages.
He married Diane Hawkshaw in 1933. She was the daughter of Oliver Hawkshaw, the granddaughter of Cecily Mary Wedgwood, and the great-granddaughter of Francis Wedgwood
(1800-1888), and Ruth Stewart Hodgson, granddaughter of William Forsyth QC
. He was the son of Ralph Wedgwood, grandson of Clement Wedgwood
, great-grandson of Francis Wedgwood
(1800-1888). This meant that they were second cousins
. They had four sons and one daughter.
He joined the family pottery firm
in 1931 and was appointed Deputy Chairman in 1955. He worked as a travelling salesman
and representative of the firm, a role which took him across the globe.
During the Second World War he served as a Military Intelligence
Staff Officer in the Arctic
and in Italy
. In 1948 he rejoined the Territorial Army and became the 2nd in command of the North Staffordshire Regiment
.
In 1982 he remarried the mediaeval art historian Pamela Tudor-Craig
.
His uncle Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood
had been a Liberal
and Labour
politician and cabinet minister. John Wedgwood stood for the Liberals
at the 1945 election, but was not elected. He then deserted the Liberals to become the Conservative Party's
candidate for Leek
, but was not elected there either. He did however serve as magistrate
for Stone, Staffordshire
.
Wedgwood had a love for outdoor pursuits, particularly cave diving
and mountain climbing. He was a life vice president of the British Sub Aqua Club
.
He inherited the Wedgwood Baronetcy
and title on the death of his father on 5 September 1956. On his own death in 1989 the Baronetcy passed to his son, the 3rd baronet Sir Martin Wedgwood
(born 1933; died 12 October 2010).
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
(16 November 1907 - 9 December 1989), British politician and industrialist.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, Wedgwood was the son of Sir Ralph Wedgwood, 1st Baronet and his wife Iris Veronica Pawson
Iris Wedgwood
Lady Iris Veronica Wedgwood , was a British author of novels and non-fiction works on the topography and history of England.-Life:...
, daughter of Albert Henry Pawson. He was a great-great-great-grandson of the master potter Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
. His younger sister was the historian C.V. Wedgwood. Sir John was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, at Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where he learnt several languages.
He married Diane Hawkshaw in 1933. She was the daughter of Oliver Hawkshaw, the granddaughter of Cecily Mary Wedgwood, and the great-granddaughter of Francis Wedgwood
Francis Wedgwood (1800-1888)
Francis Wedgwood a grandson of the English potter Josiah Wedgwood.Born in Tarrant Gunville, Dorset, Wedgwood was the son of the MP Josiah Wedgwood II...
(1800-1888), and Ruth Stewart Hodgson, granddaughter of William Forsyth QC
William Forsyth QC
William Forsyth QC was a Scottish lawyer and Conservative Member of Parliament . He was born at Greenock in Renfrewshire, son of Thomas Forsyth and Jean Campbell Hamilton. He died at Knightsbridge, Middlesex....
. He was the son of Ralph Wedgwood, grandson of Clement Wedgwood
Clement Wedgwood
Clement Francis Wedgwood partner in the Wedgwood pottery firm.The son of Francis Wedgwood and his wife Frances Mosley. He was a great-grandson of the potter Josiah Wedgwood...
, great-grandson of Francis Wedgwood
Francis Wedgwood (1800-1888)
Francis Wedgwood a grandson of the English potter Josiah Wedgwood.Born in Tarrant Gunville, Dorset, Wedgwood was the son of the MP Josiah Wedgwood II...
(1800-1888). This meant that they were second cousins
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
. They had four sons and one daughter.
He joined the family pottery firm
Wedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
in 1931 and was appointed Deputy Chairman in 1955. He worked as a travelling salesman
Vendor (supply chain)
A vendor, or a supplier, is a supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company. A vendor often manufactures inventoriable items, and sells those items to a customer.- History :...
and representative of the firm, a role which took him across the globe.
During the Second World War he served as a Military Intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
Staff Officer in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1948 he rejoined the Territorial Army and became the 2nd in command of the North Staffordshire Regiment
North Staffordshire Regiment
The North Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. It can date its lineage back to 1756 with the formation of a second battalion by the 11th Regiment of Foot, which shortly after became the 64th Regiment of Foot...
.
In 1982 he remarried the mediaeval art historian Pamela Tudor-Craig
Pamela Tudor-Craig
Pamela Tudor-Craig, Lady Wedgwood FSA is a British mediaeval art historian. Outside of academia she is best known for her contribution to the 1986 TV series The Secret Life of Paintings and its accompanying book of the same name with Richard Foster...
.
His uncle Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood
Colonel Josiah Clement Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood, DSO, PC, DL sometimes referred to as Josiah Wedgwood IV was a British Liberal and Labour politician who served in government under Ramsay MacDonald...
had been a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and cabinet minister. John Wedgwood stood for the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
at the 1945 election, but was not elected. He then deserted the Liberals to become the Conservative Party's
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate for Leek
Leek (UK Parliament constituency)
Leek was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, but was not elected there either. He did however serve as magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
for Stone, Staffordshire
Stone, Staffordshire
Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
.
Wedgwood had a love for outdoor pursuits, particularly cave diving
Cave diving
Cave diving is a type of technical diving in which specialized equipment is used to enable the exploration of caves which are at least partially filled with water. In the United Kingdom it is an extension of the more common sport of caving, and in the United States an extension of the more common...
and mountain climbing. He was a life vice president of the British Sub Aqua Club
British Sub Aqua Club
The British Sub-Aqua Club or BSAC has been recognised since 1954 by the Sports Council as the governing body of recreational diving in the United Kingdom....
.
He inherited the Wedgwood Baronetcy
Wedgwood Baronets
The Wedgwood Baronetcy, of Etruria in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1942 for Ralph Wedgwood, chairman of the World War II Railway Executive Committee...
and title on the death of his father on 5 September 1956. On his own death in 1989 the Baronetcy passed to his son, the 3rd baronet Sir Martin Wedgwood
Sir Martin Wedgwood, 3rd Baronet
Sir Martin Wedgwood was a British stockbroker and linguist.Wedgwood was the eldest son of Sir John Wedgwood, 2nd Baronet. He was a great-great-great-great-grandson of the master potter Josiah Wedgwood...
(born 1933; died 12 October 2010).
External links
- Canadian Trade—Handle With Care, an address by Sir John Wedgwood to The Empire Club of Canada, 2 April 1959
- The Economic Consequences of General de Gaulle, an address by Sir John Wedgwood to The Empire Club of Canada, 27 February 1964.