Ronald Gardner-Thorpe

Gardner-Thorpe was the son of Joseph Gardner and Hannah Coulthurst Thorpe. He was educated at St John's College, Portsmouth.{{cite web |url=http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Details/1703 |title=Sir Ronald Gardner-Thorpe |publisher=Royal College of Physicians |accessdate=20 July 2015}}Cradled in History: the History of St John's College by Michael Magan, 1974, p.90, 181 In 1938 he married Hazel Mary Dees. They had one son.[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U172611 "GARDNER-THORPE, Col Ronald (Laurence)"], Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2015. Registration required.

Gardner-Thorpe was Liberal candidate for the Eastbourne division of Sussex at the 1959 General Election. The Liberals had not run a candidate at the previous election in 1955. He managed a respectable 18% poll, finishing third. He was joint honorary treasurer of the Liberal Party, a member of the party executive and President of the Home Counties Young Liberals.Time & Tide – Volume 43, 1962

He was Liberal candidate at the 1962 West Derbyshire by-election. The election took place at a period where the Liberal Party's fortunes were on the rise following victory in the Orpington by-election. Again, no Liberal had stood at the previous general election; despite this, he was able to poll nearly a third of the vote, push Labour into third place and come within 1,200 votes of gaining the seat from the Conservatives. He was Liberal candidate again for West Derbyshire at the 1964 General Election. However this time, the Conservatives regained some lost support and Gardner-Thorpe remained second. He did not stand for parliament again.British parliamentary election results 1950–1983, Craig, F.W.S. He was elected Sheriff of London in 1978 and Lord Mayor of London in 1980. In 1980 he was knighted a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).

{{Election box begin |

|title=General Election 1959: Eastbourne}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Charles Stuart Taylor

|votes = 27,874

|percentage = 57.3

|change = -8.4

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = A A Dumont

|votes = 11,837

|percentage = 24.3

|change = -10.0

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Ronald Laurence Gardner-Thorpe

|votes = 8,955

|percentage = 18.4

|change = n/a

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 16,037

|percentage = 33.0

|change = +1.6

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 48,666

|percentage = 77.3

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing = +0.8

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=1962 West Derbyshire by-election}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Aidan Merivale Crawley

|votes = 12,455

|percentage = 36.0

|change = -25.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Ronald Laurence Gardner-Thorpe

|votes = 11,235

|percentage = 32.5

|change = +32.5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = John Dilks

|votes = 9,431

|percentage = 27.2

|change = -11.5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Independent (politician)

|candidate = Raymond Gregory

|votes = 1,433

|percentage = 4.1

|change = +4.1

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 1,220

|percentage =

|change =

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{{Election box turnout|

|votes =

|percentage =

|change =

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{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing =

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{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General Election 1964: West Derbyshire}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Aidan Merivale Crawley

|votes = 16,825

|percentage = 44.2

|change = +8.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Ronald Laurence Gardner-Thorpe

|votes = 11,559

|percentage = 30.4

|change = -2.1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = John Dilks

|votes = 9,669

|percentage = 25.4

|change = -1.8

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 5,266

|percentage = 13.8

|change = +10.3

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes =

|percentage = 85.8

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing = +5.1

}}

{{Election box end}}

• GBE (1980)
• KStJ (1980)
• TD (1948)
• Hon DCL London (1980)
• Hon DH Lewis Chicago (1981)
• Hon FRCP (1986)

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{{succession box|title=Treasurer of the Liberal Party|years=1962–1965|before=Baron Granchester
Heather Harvey
J. McLaughlin|with = Andrew Murray (1962–1965)
Timothy Beaumont (1963–1965)|after=Andrew Murray}}

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{{succession box | title=File:Coat of Arms of The City of London.svg
Lord Mayor of London | before=Sir Peter Gadsden| after=Sir Christopher Leaver | years=1980–1981}}

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Category:1917 births

Category:1991 deaths

Category:Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates

Category:People educated at St John's College, Portsmouth

Category:Sheriffs of the City of London

Category:20th-century lord mayors of London

Category:20th-century English politicians

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire

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Category:Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) officers

Category:British Army personnel of World War II

Category:Knights of the Order of St John