Biography.guide
Home › People › Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.
Portrait of Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.

Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.

1879 – 1959

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.

Lived 1879 – 1959 (aged 79).

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Baronet, CB, CIE, CVO (25 May 1879 – 22 February 1959) was a British Army officer who served as Military Secretary to the Viceroy of India and Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Career Verney was the son of Frederick Verney (1846–1913), a Member of Parliament and younger son of Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet; his mother was Maude Sarah Williams (d.1937), a daughter of Sir John Hay-Williams, 2nd Baronet. He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford. He joined the British Army when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade on 7 February 1900. The following month, he was among 224 men of the regiment leaving Southampton on the SS Umbria to serve in the Second Boer War in South Africa. He later fought in World War I.

Verney was Military Secretary to the Viceroy of India from 1916 to 1921 and Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1921 to 1955. He was knighted in 1928, and on 16 July 1946 created a Baronet, of Eaton Square in the City of Westminster, in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.

On 11 November 1909 he married Janette "Nita" Cheveria Hamilton Walker, the daughter of Senator James Thomas Walker. He was succeeded by his son John Verney, 2nd Baronet, of Eaton Square.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century

People in Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.'s life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.'s

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.?

(1879-1959)

When was Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt. born?

Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt. was born on 25 May 1879.

When did Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt. die?

Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt. died on 23 February 1959.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.

· Wikidata: Q75307724

· DBpedia: Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Baronet, of Eaton Square

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.. https://biography.guide/sir-ralph-verney-1st-bt/

MLA: "Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sir-ralph-verney-1st-bt/.

Chicago: "Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt.." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sir-ralph-verney-1st-bt/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:30 UTC