Name William 7th | Died February 28, 1958 | |
Parents William Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth People also search for William Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth, Mary Coke, William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth | ||
Lieutenant-Colonel William Legge, 7th Earl of Dartmouth GCVO TD (22 February 1881 – 28 February 1958), styled Viscount Lewisham between 1891 and 1936, was a British peer and Conservative politician, who was Acting Lord Great Chamberlain 1928-36.
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Background
Legge was the eldest son of the 6th Earl of Dartmouth. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He commissioned as a Second lieutenant in the Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) on 11 June 1902.
Political career
In 1907, he joined the London County Council and entered Parliament in 1910 as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich, a seat he held until 1918. He was High Bailiff of Westminster from 1930–42 and was knighted for his services in 1934. Legge inherited his father's titles in 1936. He served with the Staffordshire Yeomanry in the Egypt and Palestine campaign in the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Territorial Decoration.
Family
Lord Dartmouth married Lady Ruperta Wynn-Carington, third daughter of Robert Wynn-Carington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire, on 7 December 1905. They had six children:
Following the death of his father-in-law in 1928 Lord Dartmouth acted as Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain until the death of George V in 1936. Lord Dartmouth died in February 1958, aged 77. As he had no surviving male issue, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Humphry Legge.