Richard Long, 3rd Viscount Long
Encyclopedia
Richard Eric Onslow Long, 3rd Viscount Long DL
TD
(22 August 1892 – 12 January 1967) was a British
Conservative Party
politician. He married Gwendoline Hague-Cook in 1916, and they had three sons, including Richard Long, and one daughter.
In 1922 he was initiated into Freemasonry
in the Chaloner Lodge No. 2644, meeting at Melksham
. Later he also joined the Lodge of Assistance No. 2773, meeting in central London. He became a Justice of the Peace
in 1923.
He was elected to the House of Commons
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Westbury
at a by-election
in 1927, following the death of the sitting Conservative MP Walter William Shaw
. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election
, but stood down at the 1931 election
.
He saw wartime service as commander of 329 Battery of the 32nd Search Light Regiment, Royal Artillery
, based at Carlton Hall near Saxmundham
, Suffolk
. He was asked to resign in 1942.
In 1944, his nephew Major Walter Long
was killed in action in World War II
. Walter had no male heirs, so Long succeeded to his nephew's titles, becoming the 3rd Viscount Long
. Prior to this he had been generally known as "Major Eric Long".
In 1946 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant
of Wiltshire
.
According to his obituary in The Times
in January 1967, he once described the Socialists as 'dangerous beasts'. When women peers
were introduced into the House of Lords
he said: "I will of course speak to them if they thrust their presence in my face, but otherwise I will do my best to overlook them". He said of women that they had "not a clue" about politics
.
He died at Bath in Somerset
12 January 1967 and is buried in the family vault at West Ashton
, Wiltshire
.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
TD
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...
(22 August 1892 – 12 January 1967) was 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...
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. He married Gwendoline Hague-Cook in 1916, and they had three sons, including Richard Long, and one daughter.
In 1922 he was initiated into Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
in the Chaloner Lodge No. 2644, meeting at Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
. Later he also joined the Lodge of Assistance No. 2773, meeting in central London. He became a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1923.
He was elected to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Westbury
Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Westbury was a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, and then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1927, following the death of the sitting Conservative MP Walter William Shaw
Walter William Shaw
Walter William Shaw was a British Conservative Party politician.He was elected at the 1924 general election as Member of Parliament for Westbury in Wiltshire, having unsuccessfully fought the seat in 1923...
. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, but stood down at the 1931 election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
.
He saw wartime service as commander of 329 Battery of the 32nd Search Light Regiment, Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, based at Carlton Hall near Saxmundham
Saxmundham
Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately northeast of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He was asked to resign in 1942.
In 1944, his nephew Major Walter Long
Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long
Walter Francis David Long, 2nd Viscount Long was a British peer.The eldest son of Brigadier General Walter Long, CMG, DSO , Long was educated at St David's School, Reigate, and later at Eton on the insistence of his mother, who had remarried in 1921 to Baron Glyn. Traditionally the Longs were...
was killed in action in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Walter had no male heirs, so Long succeeded to his nephew's titles, becoming the 3rd Viscount Long
Viscount Long
Viscount Long, of Wraxall in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for the Conservative politician Walter Long, who had previously served as Member of Parliament, President of the Board of Agriculture, President of the Local Government...
. Prior to this he had been generally known as "Major Eric Long".
In 1946 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
According to his obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in January 1967, he once described the Socialists as 'dangerous beasts'. When women peers
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
were introduced into the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
he said: "I will of course speak to them if they thrust their presence in my face, but otherwise I will do my best to overlook them". He said of women that they had "not a clue" about politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
He died at Bath in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
12 January 1967 and is buried in the family vault at West Ashton
West Ashton
West Ashton is a village civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is two miles south of Trowbridge, on the A350 road between Melksham and Yarnbrook bypassing Trowbridge....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.