William Henry Ord (1803–1838)

William Henry Ord (1803 – 9 November 1838) was a British politician, who represented Newport in Parliament from 1832 until 1837.

Ord was the only son of William Ord, a landowner who was MP for Morpeth 1802–32 and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and his wife Mary Scott.[1] He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was President of the Cambridge Union Society in 1822. He then trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn. In 1829, he married Frances Vere Loraine, daughter of Sir William Loraine, 4th Baronet.[2]

Ord was elected for Newport at the 1832 general election as a Liberal, and re-elected at the 1835 general election. After the 1835 election he was made a Lord of the Treasury in the Second Melbourne ministry, with a salary of £1,200.[1] This necessitated a ministerial by-election; Ord was returned unopposed on 27 April.[3] It was reported that he had been earlier offered the post in June 1834 at the end of the Grey ministry, as a gesture to acknowledge his father's support, but had declined at the time as he thought it would be unlikely he could secure re-election.[4]

During 1836, at the Treasury, he worked on the consolidation and reduction of stamp duties on newspapers and other publications; his friend Charles Knight considered the task "herculean" and wrote later that "the labour killed him".[5] Ord stood down at dissolution in 1837 and did not contest the general election.[1]

Ord died at his father's residence, Whitfield Hall in Northumberland, on 9 November 1838. He was aged 35.[6]

References

1. M. Stenton, ed. (1976). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885. Harvester Press. p. 295.
2. "Ord, William Henry (ORT821WH)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. Craig, F.W.S. (1987). Chronology of British parliamentary by-elections, 1833-1986. Chichester: Parliamentary research services. p. 5. ISBN 0900178310.
4. "London". Morning Post. 11 June 1834.
5. Knight, Charles. Passages of a Working Life during Half a Century. Vol. 2. pp. 251–252.
6. "Deaths". The Examiner. 18 November 1838.