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The Earl of Kimberley
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John Wodehouse in 1920
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| Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk | ||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1906–1910 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Frederick Wilson | |||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | William Boyle | |||||||||||||||||
| Member of the House of Lords | ||||||||||||||||||
Lord Temporal | ||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 January 1932 – 16 April 1941 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | The 2nd Earl of Kimberley | |||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | The 4th Earl of Kimberley | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1883-11-11)11 November 1883 | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | 16 April 1941(1941-04-16) (aged 57) London | |||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Frances Margaret Montagu | |||||||||||||||||
| Children | John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley | |||||||||||||||||
| Parent | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | |||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Polo | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Military career | ||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||
| Service/ |  British Army | |||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1911–1933 | |||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Captain | |||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | First World War | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Military Cross War Merit Cross (Italy) | |||||||||||||||||
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John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley, CBE, MC, JP (11 November 1883 – 16 April 1941), styled Lord Wodehouse from 1902 to 1932, was a British hereditary peer and Liberal politician. He was a champion polo player.[1]
Wodehouse was the eldest son of John Wodehouse, 2nd Earl of Kimberley. He attended Eton College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge.[2] At Cambridge, he was a committee member of the University Pitt Club.[3] He started playing polo at university, where he was a member of the Light Blue team.[2] He later played for the Old Cantabs team.[2]
He holds the unique distinction of being the only person to win a gold medal at the Olympics in 1920 and a silver medal in 1908, both for polo.[4]
Wodehouse was elected Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk at the general election of 1906. Aged 22 years and 2 months, he was the youngest Liberal candidate at that election. Throughout his service he was Baby of the House of Commons. In the former year he became JP for the county of Norfolk.[5] He sat in parliament until the January 1910 general election.
Lord Wodehouse was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Norfolk Yeomanry in 1911 and served with them until the beginning of the First World War in 1914. He served as a captain in the 16th Lancers during the war, when he was wounded and twice mentioned in despatches.[5] He was at the Western FrontinFrance from 1914 to 1917, and on the Italian Front during 1917–18.[6] He won the MC in the latter year, and also received the Italian War Merit Cross.[5] His younger brother, Edward, also served in the 16th Lancers, but was killed in 1918.[7] Another brother, Philip, died serving in 1919.[8]
From outside Parliament he served as unpaid Assistant Private Secretary to the Colonial Secretary, then Winston Churchill, in 1921–22, and was awarded the CBE in 1925.[5] From 1921 to 1933 he remained on the Reserve of Officers.
He succeeded to his father's peerages in 1932, giving him a seat in the House of Lords.
Lord Kimberley married the twice-divorced Frances Margaret Montagu,[9] daughter of Leonard Howard Loyd Irby, on 5 May 1922.
In April 1941, aged 57, he was killed in The Blitz at 48 Jermyn Street, Westminster, London,[10] and was succeeded by his only child, John.[2]
Kimberley's son John was the godson of the writer P. G. Wodehouse, a distant cousin, both being descended from Sir Armine Wodehouse, 5th Baronet.[11] According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, P. G. Wodehouse based the character of Bertie Wooster on him.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk 1906 – January 1910 |
Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Kimberley 1932–1941 |
Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Wodehouse 1932–1941 |
Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Baronet of Wilberhall 1932–1941 |
Succeeded by |
