The Earl of Halifax | |
---|---|
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
In office 23 December 1959 – 19 March 1980 Hereditary peerage | |
Preceded by | The 1st Earl of Halifax |
Succeeded by | The 3rd Earl of Halifax |
Member of Parliament for York | |
In office 6 May 1937 – 15 June 1945 | |
Preceded by | Roger Lumley |
Succeeded by | John Corlett |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Ingram Courtenay Wood 3 October 1912 Garrowby, Yorkshire, England |
Died | 19 March 1980 Garrowby Hall, Yorkshire, England | (aged 67)
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse | Ruth Primrose |
Children | 3, including Peter |
Parent(s) |
Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax Lady Dorothy Onslow |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Charles Ingram Courtenay Wood, 2nd Earl of Halifax, DL (3 October 1912 – 19 March 1980), 4th Viscount Halifax of Monk Bretton, 6th Baronet Wood of Barnsley in the County of York, and 2nd Baron Irwin of Kirby Underdale in the County of York, was a British peer, Conservative politician, Lord Lieutenant of Humberside and High Steward of York Minster.
Wood was the son of Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, statesman and Foreign Secretary, and Lady Dorothy Evelyn Augusta Wood (née Onslow). He was educated at Eton College. Charles graduated from Christ Church, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. He successfully captained the Oxford University Polo Team in the same year. [1]
He gained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in 1934 in the service of the Royal Horse Guards. Like his father, Wood also entered politics, becoming Member of Parliament (MP) for the City of York in 1937, as a Conservative. In 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, he rejoined the Royal Horse Guards and served for three years in the Middle East. Charles was styled Lord Irwin between 1944 and 1959. In 1959, Wood succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Halifax. He continued as a member of parliament during this time. At the 1945 general election, he lost his seat to the Labour candidate, John Corlett. Charles held the office of Deputy Lieutenant of the East Riding in Yorkshire between 1955 and 1968, Lord-Lieutenant of Humberside between 1974 until 1980 and High Steward of York Minster between 1972 until 1980.
In 1978, his horse Shirley Heights won The Derby. [2] The earl died in 1980 and was buried at All Saints' parish church, Kirby Underdale, where a Halifax family memorial is to be found. [3]
In 1936, he married Ruth Alice Hannah Mary Primrose (18 April 1916 – 1989), daughter of the Liberal politician Captain Neil James Archibald Primrose and Lady Victoria Alice Louise Primrose, née Stanley, a granddaughter of the Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. [4]
They had three children: