Ian Orr-Ewing, Baron Orr-Ewing | |
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Member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Hendon North |
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In office 1950–1970 |
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Preceded by | Barbara Gould |
Succeeded by | John Michael Gorst |
Personal details | |
Born | 10 February 1912 |
Died | 19 August 1999 | (aged 87)
Relatives |
Archibald Orr-Ewing (paternal great-grandfather) Norah Runge (aunt) |
Education | Harrow School |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
Occupation | Aristocrat, politician |
Charles Ian Orr-Ewing, Baron Orr-Ewing, OBE (10 February 1912 – 19 August 1999) was a British Conservative politician.
Orr-Ewing was a great-grandson of Sir Archibald Orr-Ewing, Bt.. He was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Oxford. At Trinity College he qualified as an electrical engineer, with an MA in physics. Then, as a 22-year-old graduate apprentice at EMI in 1934, he was part of a team of three which built the first production television set.
Orr-Ewing worked with the BBC from 1937 until 1939, when he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and served in the North Africa, Italy and North-West Europe theatres during World War II and was also General Eisenhower's Chief Radar Officer in 1945. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1945. After the war, he returned to the BBC until 1949.
Orr-Ewing's political career began in 1950, when he was elected Member of Parliament for Hendon North, a seat he held for five elections. During this time, he was: Parliamentary Private Secretary to Walter Monckton, the Minister of Labour, from 1951–55; Parliamentary Under-Secretary to George Reginald Ward, the Secretary of State for Air, from 1957–59; Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty in 1959; Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1959–63; Vice-President of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee in 1966 and Vice-Chairman of the Defence Committee from 1966-70.