William Hepburn Cozens-Hardy, 2nd Baron Cozens-Hardy,KC (25 March 1869 – 25 May 1924) was a BritishLiberal politician and lawyer.
Cozens-Hardy was the eldest son ofHerbert Cozens-Hardy, 1st Baron Cozens-Hardy and Maria Hepburn. Herbert Cozens-Hardy was a lawyer and LiberalMember of Parliament forNorth Norfolk from 1885 to 1899. He was then appointed a judge and eventually becameMaster of the Rolls. The Barony was created in 1914 and William succeeded as 2nd Baron on the death of his father in 1920. In 1895, he married Gertrude Lilian the eldest daughter of Colonel Sir William Everett KCMG. They had one daughter.[1]
William was educated atUniversity College School inHampstead where he was leader of the school debating society and Captain of School.[2] He then went up toNew College, Oxford where he took his degree with classical honours.[3]
Like his father, William went into the law. He wascalled to the Bar atLincoln's Inn in 1893 andtook silk in 1912. He was made aBencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1916. He also sat as aJustice of the Peace inNorfolk. In 1913 he was offered the post of Chief Justice ofBengal but refused for private reasons.[4] Throughout the four years of the First World War, he was aCommander in theRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving on theAdmiralty War Staff, attached to the Intelligence Department. He was awarded the Italian Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus.[5] He wasknighted in 1912.
Cozens-Hardy also followed his father in his political affiliation. While at Oxford University he was involved in Liberal politics, being a member of the Russell Club and he was President of theUnion.[6] He was elected as Liberal MP forSouth Norfolk at the1918 general election. Although he stood as a Coalition Liberal at that election he did not receivethe Coalition coupon. One source indicates this was because he was late entering the field.[7] He then chose to take the Coalitionwhip in Parliament. William's political stance in the election has been described as a "...conventional Coalition programme: support for Lloyd George and harsh peace with Germany, jobs and houses for the returning soldiers all topped off with expressions of concern about agriculture and repeated references to his own Norfolk roots."[8]When William succeeded his father to the peerage he had to stand down from theHouse of Commons and in theby-election of 27 July 1920 which followed, his seat was won byGeorge Edwards, theLabour candidate with the Liberal vote split betweenLloyd George Coalition Liberal andAsquithian Independent Liberal candidates.[9]
Cozens-Hardy was a pioneer of motoring. In the early days of his marriage he and his wife would undertake long and hazardous trips around continental Europe.[10] This love of cars was the cause of his death as he was killed in a motor accident at Bucchof,Starnberg inBavaria on 25 May 1924 aged 55. As he had no male heir, the title passed to his younger brother, Edward Herbert Cozens-Hardy (1873–1956).[11]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSouth Norfolk 1918–1920 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Cozens-Hardy 1920–1924 | Succeeded by |