William Borthwick (Dorset politician)
# William Borthwick (Dorset politician)

Hon. William Borthwick (14 June 1879 – 16 December 1956) was a British Liberal Party politician, Army Captain and Barrister.

## Background

He was the son of Sir Thomas Borthwick, 1st Baronet and Letitia Mary Banks. He was a younger brother of Lord Whitburgh. In 1909 he married Ruth Margery Rigby of Putney, the only daughter of Jason Rigby. They had four children, including a son William Jason Maxwell Borthwick. She died in 1971. In 1913 he was granted the rank of a baron's son.

## Career

He gained the rank of Temporary Captain in the service of the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, where he was wounded twice and became a Prisoner of war. In 1919 he was called to the Bar. At parliamentary elections he contested, as a Liberal party candidate North Dorset four times;

General Election 1929: North Dorset Electorate 31,684 :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Cecil Hanbury | 12,203 | 47.3 | -6.0 |
| | Liberal | Hon. William Borthwick | 11,281 | 43.8 | -2.9 |
| | Labour | Colin Grant Clark | 2,298 | 8.9 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 922 | 3.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,782 | 81.4 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.5 | |

General Election 1931: North Dorset Electorate 31,898 :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Cecil Hanbury | 15,499 | 59.2 | +11.9 |
| | Liberal | Hon. William Borthwick | 10,682 | 40.8 | -3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,817 | 18.4 | +14.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 82.1 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.5 | |

General Election 1935: North Dorset Electorate 32,714 :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Sir Cecil Hanbury | 13,055 | 50.1 | -9.1 |
| | Liberal | Hon. William Borthwick | 9,871 | 37.9 | -2.9 |
| | Agriculture | George Henry Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers | 1,771 | 6.8 | n/a |
| | Labour | Miss M M Whitehead | 1,360 | 5.2 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,184 | 12.2 | -6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 79.7 | -2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.1 | |

1937 North Dorset by-election Electorate :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Angus Valdemar Hambro | 12,247 | 51.1 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal | Hon. William Borthwick | 11,704 | 48.9 | +11.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 543 | 2.2 | -10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,951 | 73.4 | -6.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -5.0 | |

He did not stand for parliament again.

