William Ridley-Colborne

William Ridley-Colborne
Member of Parliament for Richmond
In office
1841–1846
Serving with John Dundas
Preceded bySir Robert Lawrence Dundas
George Wentworth-FitzWilliam
Succeeded byHenry Rich
John Dundas
Personal details
Born(1814-07-24)24 July 1814
Died28 March 1846(1846-03-28) (aged 31)
Political partyWhig
Parents
RelativesSir Matthew White Ridley (paternal grandfather)
Thomas Steele (maternal grandfather)

The Hon. William Ridley-Colborne (24 July 1814 - 28 March 1846) was a British politician, who represented Richmond from 1841 until his death in 1846.

Ridley-Colborne was born in 1814, the only son of the politician Nicholas Ridley-Colborne and his wife Charlotte (née Steele). His grandfathers, Sir Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Baronet, and Thomas Steele, were both also Members of Parliament. He became heir to a title when his father was created Baron Colborne in 1839.

In the 1841 general election he was elected as a Whig for Richmond, There had been some local opposition to his nomination, and a rumour that the seat was being held open by its patron as a safe seat for Lord John Russell should he be defeated in London, but in the event he was returned along with John Dundas, a fellow Whig, in an unopposed election. Other than a by-election to fill a vacancy in 1839, the seat had not been contested for over a century, and was dominated by the Dundas family.

In Parliament, Ridley-Colborne voted against repeal of the Corn Laws. He died in office after a sudden illness at the age of 31, on 28 March 1846.