Cranley Onslow

Cranley Gordon Douglas Onslow, Baron Onslow of Woking, (8 June 1926 – 13 March 2001) was a British politician and served as the Conservative MP for Woking from 1964 to 1997, and a British Peer from 1997 until his death in 2001. Family background Onslow was related to the Earl of Onslow, and was named for one of the subsidiary titles of the Earldom: Viscount Cranley. His parents were Francis Robert Douglas Onslow (1878–1938) and Mabel Strachan (d 1974). He had a younger brother, Ian Denzil Onslow (1929–2013). Onslow was a descendant of George Onslow, eldest son of Lieutenant-General Richard Onslow, nephew of the first Baron and uncle of the first Earl. Early life and career He was educated at Harrow School and then Sandhurst. He then joined the military in 1944 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Queen's Own Hussars. Upon completing this service he read history at Oriel College, Oxford. Onslow then joined MI6 as an intelligence officer and had a tour of duty in Burma. Political career Onslow resigned from the civil service in 1960 and became active in politics, first being elected to Dartford Rural District Council and later to Kent County Council. In 1963 he was selected to succeed Harold Watkinson as MP for Woking and he was elected the following year in the 1964 general election.