Dudley Ryder, 7th Earl of Harrowby

Dudley Danvers Granville Coutts Ryder, 7th Earl of Harrowby
Born	(1922-12-20) 20 December 1922
Died	9 October 2007(2007-10-09) (aged 84) Sandon Hall
Other names	Viscount Sandon (1956–1987)
Occupation(s)	Banker, hereditary nobleman
Years active	1949–1989 (banking)
Known for	Deputy chairman of Coutts and NatWest

Dudley Danvers Granville Coutts Ryder, 7th Earl of Harrowby, TD (20 December 1922 – 9 October 2007), previously styled as Viscount Sandon from 1956 until 1987, was a British hereditary nobleman who held the position of deputy chairman at Coutts bank and its parent company, NatWest.

Early life and education

A descendant of Thomas Coutts and Sir Dudley Ryder, who served as Lord Chief Justice in the mid-18th century, Harrowby was born in 1922 to Dudley Ryder, 6th Earl of Harrowby, and Lady Helena Blanche Coventry. His education took place at Eton College.

Military service

In 1940, Harrowby enlisted in the South Staffordshire Regiment’s young soldiers’ battalion and received his commission two years later. He arrived in Normandy six days following D-Day and participated in operations across Northern Europe with the 59th Infantry Division. In 1945, he transferred to the 133 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery but sustained serious injuries near the Reichswald forest. After recuperation, he was assigned to the Far East for Operation Zipper; however, this mission was canceled after Japan surrendered. Subsequently, he served as a political officer with the 5th Battalion Parachute Regiment stationed in Java. Remaining active in the Territorial Army after his regular service concluded, he attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel before retiring in 1964, having commanded the 254 (City of London) Field Regiment Royal Artillery.

Career

Between 1950 and 1971, Harrowby was a councillor representing Kensington and Chelsea. He also led the Wolverhampton South West Conservative Association as president until his resignation in protest against Enoch Powell’s controversial "rivers of blood" speech in 1968.

Opting to forgo Oxford University, he entered the family banking business after military service. In 1949, he became managing director of Coutts and maintained this role until 1989, assuming the deputy chairman position from 1970 onward. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he spearheaded modernization initiatives including the introduction of computer systems and directed redevelopment projects for Coutts’ Strand headquarters designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd. After National Provincial Bank merged with Westminster Bank to create NatWest in 1968, Harrowby joined NatWest’s board and served as deputy chairman from 1971 until 1987.

His professional portfolio also included directorships at National Provident Institution (until 1986), Saudi International Bank, Bentley Engineering, Powell Duffryn, Dowty Group, and Dinorwic Slate Quarries. Public service roles encompassed chairmanship of governors at Bethlem Royal and Maudsley hospitals, governorship at Keele University, and treasurer duties for the Family Welfare Association. Additionally, he was affiliated with both the Trilateral Commission and Institut International d’Etudes Bancaires.

Upon his grandfather’s passing in 1956, he adopted the courtesy title Viscount Sandon and later inherited the earldom in 1987 along with Sandon Hall near Stafford. Like many hereditary peers, he lost his seat in the House of Lords following reforms enacted by the Labour Government through the House of Lords Act 1999.

Marriages and children

On 14 June 1949, Harrowby married Jeannette Rosalthé Johnston-Saint, daughter of Captain Peter Johnston-Saint. The couple had two children:

• Dudley Adrian Conroy Ryder, 8th Earl of Harrowby (born 18 March 1951)
• Lady Rosalthé Frances Ryder (born 1 May 1954)

Following his first wife’s death in 1997, he remarried in 2003 to Janet Boote (née Stott), daughter of Alan Edward Stott.

Death

Lord Harrowby passed away unexpectedly at Sandon Hall on 9 October 2007, reportedly due to a heart attack, at the age of 84. He was survived by his second wife as well as two children from his first marriage. His son, Conroy, inherited the earldom along with the associated titles.