Background
His mother was Scottish Violet McHutchen and his father was Ossian Donner, who headed Finland"s first diplomatic mission in London 1919 to 1925. The family later settled in England for good, and his father became a British citizen.
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Patrick Donner
Edit ProfileEducation
Donner studied English literature at Exeter College, Oxford and later entered business.
Career
His family moved from Helsinki, Finland, to London in 1919. He was elected at the 1931 election as Conservative Member of Parliament for Islington West. The seat being marginal, Donner was selected for the safe Conservative seat of Basingstoke for the 1935 election against the wishes of Conservative Central Office, who preferred Sir Francis Oswald Lindley.The papers of Sir Henry Maxence Cavendish Drummond Wolff appear to indicate that Sir Oswald Mosley interviewed Donner to decide upon his suitability to serve as Member of Parliament for the Basingstoke constituency, which had previously been held by two fascists, Drummond Wolff and Viscount Lymington.
Donner also featured as writer for New Pioneer, an anti-Semitic and pro-German journal bankrolled by Lymington and closely linked to the British People"s Party.
In Parliament, Donner was active on British Empire and Indian policy, playing an important part in the India Defence League. He served in the Royal Air Force during World World War II and was knighted in 1953.
He served as Basingstoke"s Member of Parliament for 20 years, stepping down at the 1955 election. Donner"s memoirs, Crusade: A Life Against the Calamitous Twentieth Century, were released in 1984.
Membership
36th United Kingdom Parliament. 37th United Kingdom Parliament. 38th United Kingdom Parliament.
39th United Kingdom Parliament.
40th United Kingdom Parliament.
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Born
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Died
August 19, 1988 (aged 83) -
Nationality
Finland -
Ethnicity
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Political Party
Conservative Party