Dudley Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair

Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Gladstone Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair DSO (6 May 1883 – 16 April 1972), styled Lord Dudley Gordon from 1916 to 1965, was a British peer, soldier, and industrialist.

Early life and family

Aberdeen was the second son of John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, and his wife Ishbel, daughter of Dudley Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth. He attended Harrow School and was awarded an honorary doctorate of Law from the University of Aberdeen.

Military service

He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 8th Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders in 1914. He was shortly thereafter transferred to the 9th Battalion as a temporary captain, and was later promoted to temporary major. In 1917, he received the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry in supervising the construction of two artillery tracks under enemy fire. He later gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and served as commander of the 8/10th Battalion from 1917 to 1919.

Career

He worked for J. and E. Hall Ltd (an engineering company based in Dartford, Kent) from 1907 and became a director in 1910.

Aberdeen was President of the British Association for Refrigeration from 1926 to 1929, President of the British Engineers Association from 1936 to 1939, and President of the Federation of British Industries between 1940 and 1943, as well as serving as President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Aberdeen was a founding member and President of Gravesend Rugby Football Club, originally known as Darenth RFC, between 1921 and 1931.

Family

Lord Aberdeen and Temair married, firstly, Cécile Elizabeth Drummond (7 August 1878 – 17 September 1948), daughter of George James Drummond, on 25 April 1907. They had five children:

• David George Ian Alexander Gordon, 4th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (21 January 1908 – 13 September 1974)
• Lady Jessamine Cécile Marjorie Gordon (14 August 1910 – 14 December 1994), married Michael Harmsworth and had issue.
• Archibald Victor Dudley Gordon, 5th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (9 July 1913 – 7 September 1984)
• Captain Michael James Andrew Gordon (22 May 1918 – 8 October 1943)
• Alastair Ninian John Gordon, 6th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (20 July 1920 – 19 August 2002)

He married, secondly, Margaret Gladys Munn (died 22 November 1990) on 17 June 1949.