Donald Sumner

Donald Sumner
Donald Sumner
Member of Parliament; for Orpington
	In office; 20 January 1955 – 1 October 1961
Preceded by	Waldron Smithers
Succeeded by	Eric Lubbock
Personal details
Born	William Donald Massey Sumner; 13 August 1913
Died	12 May 1990 (aged 76)
Party	Conservative

William Donald Massey Sumner OBE, QC (13 August 1913 – 12 May 1990), known as Donald Sumner, was a British Conservative Party politician who later became a judge.

Career

Sumner was educated at Charterhouse and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, before training to become a barrister at Lincoln's Inn. He served with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War, where he was mentioned in despatches, and was a Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General in the 21st Army Group. In 1945 he was awarded an OBE (mil.), and was subsequently honoured with a Croix de guerre (Belgium) and an American Bronze Star.^[2]

Sumner was elected the Member of Parliament for Orpington at a by-election in January 1955. Having been the chairman of the local Conservative Association, he had defeated a young Margaret Thatcher to become the party's candidate.^[3] From 1959 to 1961 he was the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Jocelyn Simon, the Solicitor General,^[2] before stepping down from Parliament after accepting an appointment as a County Court judge. The resulting by-election in March 1962 was won by the Liberal Party candidate Eric Lubbock, marking the start of a revival in the fortunes of the Liberals.

References

↑ "By-Election Writ For Orpington Reply To Protest". The Glasgow Herald. 21 February 1962. p. 8. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
1 2 Stenton, Michael; Lees, Stephen (1981). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV. Brighton: Harvester Press. p. 358. ISBN 0-85527-335-6.
↑ Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley