| Ralph Etherton | |||||||||
| Birth Date: | 11 February 1904 | ||||||||
| Party: | Conservative Party | ||||||||
| Constituency Mp: | Stretford | ||||||||
| Alma Mater: | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | ||||||||
| Majority: | 18,984 | ||||||||
| Term Start: | 8 December 1939 | ||||||||
| Term End: | 15 June 1945 | ||||||||
| Predecessor: | Anthony Crossley | ||||||||
| Successor: | Herschel Lewis Austin | ||||||||
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Ralph Humphrey Etherton (11 February 1904 – 10 December 1987) was a British barrister and Conservative politician.He was the son of Captain Louis Etherton.[1] He was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was called to the Bar in 1926.[2] [3]
He became involved in Conservative politics, failing to win a parliamentary seat at Everton, Liverpool in 1935. In 1937, he unsuccessfully stood for election to the London County Council as a Municipal Reform Party candidate.[4] Two tears later, the 1939 Stretford by-election was caused by the death of Anthony Crossley, Member of Parliament for Stretford. Etherton won the contest and was elected to the seat.[5]
Etherton joined the Royal Air Force, rising from the rank of Pilot Officer to Flight Lieutenant.[6] On 15 December 1944, he married Johanne Cloherty in St Mary Undercroft, the crypt chapel of the Palace of Westminster.[1] He met his future wife while she was Charles de Gaulle's diplomatic driver.[2]
He lost his parliamentary seat at the 1945 general election.[7] He retired from active politics and pursued a career in business. He died in December 1987, aged 82.[2]