Sir Gordon Cosmo Touche, 1st Baronet was a British barrister and politician who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for more than 30 years and became Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
19 Facts About Gordon Touche
1.
2.
Gordon Touche was sent to Marlborough College and went on from there to University College, Oxford.
3.
Gordon Touche fought at Gallipoli, in Palestine and in Egypt.
4.
Gordon Touche joined the South-Eastern Circuit where he specialised in commercial cases.
5.
Gordon Touche was a very 'clubbable' man who was prominent in London society; he served on the Executive Committee of the United Club for many years and was chairman in 1938.
6.
In 1928, Gordon Touche was chosen as Conservative candidate for the byelection in Ashton-under-Lyne.
7.
At the 1929 general election, Gordon Touche was chosen for Islington North, the same constituency his father had represented as a Liberal.
8.
Gordon Touche had better luck at the 1931 general election when he was chosen for Reigate in Surrey.
9.
On foreign affairs and defence issues, Gordon Touche opposed the reform of government in India.
10.
Gordon Touche backed Neville Chamberlain in the Norway Debate of 1940.
11.
Gordon Touche voted against the American loan in December 1945, and opposed the establishment of the new town of Crawley and London Gatwick Airport in the south of his constituency.
12.
From 1945 Gordon Touche was Chairman of the Committee of Selection responsible for picking Members for other committee service.
13.
Gordon Touche was knighted in 1952, and in November 1956 was made Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.
14.
Gordon Touche insisted that he had no choice, while Bevan and Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell objected; eventually the Speaker took the chair and endorsed his Deputy's actions.
15.
Gordon Touche was made a member of the Privy Council in 1959.
16.
Gordon Touche accepted a motion for the adjournment of the House moved by a Government whip and the House adjourned, but the next day a motion of censure was put down.
17.
Gordon Touche was reported to be considering resignation but was urged to stay by Conservative colleagues, and decided to continue.
18.
When, in December 1961, Gordon Touche mistakenly announced an opposition victory in a House of Commons division, a long succession of points of order forced him to adjourn the House for "grave disorder".
19.
Gordon Touche was awarded a baronetcy in the 1962 Birthday Honours.