Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, (born 29 July 1925) is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 nobleman, who served for approximately a decade as Lord Steward of the Household.

The Honourable Matthew Ridley, as he was styled from birth, was educated at Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 before joining the Coldstream Guards and serving in Normandy and Germany in 1944-45. Later he joined the Territorial Army, reaching the rank of Brevet

Brevet (military)

In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

 Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 in the Northumberland Hussars

Northumberland Hussars

The Northumberland Hussars is a Squadron of The Queen's Own Yeomanry is an armoured Squadron of the British Territorial Army. It is part of a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, equipped with the FV107 Scimitar and FV103 Spartan type armoured reconnaissance vehicles...

: he became Honorary Colonel of that unit in 1979).

In 1948 Ridley graduated from Balliol College, Oxford

Balliol College, Oxford

Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....

 before serving as an aide-de-camp

Aide-de-camp

An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...

 to the Governor of Kenya. He was Chairman of Northumberland County Council from 1967 to 1979. He chaired several companies and societies, before serving as Chancellor of the University of Newcastle from 1988 to 1999, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland from 1984 to 2000 and Lord Steward of the Household from 1989 to 2001. He was succeeded by James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, KG , is the current Duke of Abercorn in the Peerage of Ireland, having succeeded his father in June 1979. The son of James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn, and Lady Mary Crichton...

 as Lord Steward in 2001.

Ridley succeeded his father as Viscount Ridley in 1964, and married Lady Anne Katharine Gabrielle Lumley (1928–2006), daughter of the 11th Earl of Scarbrough

Lawrence Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough

Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough, KG, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC, DL TD was a British Conservative statesman....

, in 1953.

His younger brother Nicholas Ridley

Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale

Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Personal life:...

 was a prominent Conservative Party

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...

 politician who served as a government minister for nearly all of Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

's years as Prime Minister.

Ridley's son and heir is science writer Matt Ridley

Matt Ridley

Matthew White Ridley, FRSL, FMedSci is an English journalist, writer, biologist, and businessman.-Career:...

, who was also chairman of Northern Rock

Northern Rock

Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007.  Having failed to find a commercial buyer for...

 Bank, until the financial scandal which forced him to step down.

The Honourable Matthew Ridley is a grandson of Sir Edwin Lutyens

Edwin Lutyens

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...

.