Leonard Ropner

Sir Leonard Ropner, 1st Baronet, (26 February 1895 – 12 October 1977) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.

Ropner was the son of William Ropner (1864-1947), of Thorp Perrow, Bedale, Yorkshire, JP, and Sarah Woolacott, daughter of Ebenezer Cory, of West Hartlepool, County Durham. William Ropner was the third son of Sir Robert Ropner, 1st Baronet, who had come from Germany in 1857 and founded a fleet of merchant ships; as MP he represented Stockton-on-Tees. He was educated at Oatlands, Harrogate and Harrow, obtaining a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge and took a degree in Political Economy. He was a director of the family business of Sir R. Ropner and Co., the shipping company.^[1]

He enlisted in 1914 in the Royal Artillery and commanded a battery in France, being awarded the Military Cross in 1919.^[2] After the war he commanded the Durham Heavy Brigade of the Royal Garrison Artillery in the Territorial Army in the rank of major, and was later appointed their honorary colonel.

At the 1923 general election, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield in County Durham, with a majority of only 6 votes over the sitting Labour MP John Herriotts. Ropner held the seat at the 1924 general election with a more comfortable majority of 1,416, but lost to Herriotts at the 1929 general election.

He returned to the House of Commons at the 1931 general election, for the safe Conservative seat of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He represented the constituency until he retired from Parliament at the 1964 general election, although his majority was cut to only 116 votes at the 1945 election. In 1937, he served as High Sheriff of Durham.^[3]

En 1952, fue nombrado baronet de Thorp Perrow en el North Riding del condado de York . ^{[ 4 ]} La finca de Thorp Perrow , cerca de Bedale, había sido comprada por su padre en 1927. Sir Leonard plantó el arboreto de Thorp Perrow , de 85 acres (34 ha) . ^{[ 5 ]} 

• Craig, FWS (1983) [1969]. Resultados de las elecciones parlamentarias británicas 1918-1949 (3.ª  ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
• Lista de barones de Leigh Rayment
• Lista histórica de diputados de Leigh Rayment

• Hansard 1803–2005: contribuciones en el Parlamento por Sir Leonard Ropner