Oliver Baldwin, 2nd Earl Baldwin Of Bewdley

Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin, 2nd Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, was born on 1 March 1899 at his parents' residence in St Ermin's Mansions, St James's Park, London. He was one of six surviving children of Stanley Baldwin, who later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Lucy Ridsdale Baldwin. His early childhood was spent in Worcestershire at Dunley Hall and Astley Hall, following the family's relocation in 1902.

Baldwin was educated at Eton College, an experience he reportedly disliked, citing a disdain for its perceived snobbery and cruelty. He aspired to join the military and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Irish Guards on 27 June 1917. He saw active service in France beginning in June 1918 and was promoted to lieutenant on 27 December 1918. Baldwin relinquished his military commission on 1 April 1920. His wartime service influenced his subsequent political beliefs, leading to the development of socialist ideals.

Following the war, Baldwin served briefly as Vice-Consul in Boulogne and traveled in North Africa. He later attempted to join an infantry unit in Armenia but was imprisoned by Bolshevik revolutionaries shortly after his arrival. He was freed after two months, only to be arrested in Turkey and accused of espionage for Soviet Russia. Baldwin was detained for five months under harsh conditions, with the threat of execution. He documented these experiences in his book, "Six Prisons and Two Revolutions."

Baldwin returned to Britain in 1922. During this period, his father, Stanley Baldwin, entered politics, becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Prime Minister in 1923. Baldwin publicly announced his socialist views shortly after his father's ascension to the premiership, which led to a temporary estrangement from his family. He unsuccessfully contested the British parliamentary seat of Dudley as a Labour candidate in the 1924 general election. Despite this, his relationship with his father was later reconciled, and they maintained a personal warmth, avoiding political discussions.

In the 1929 general election, Baldwin was elected as Labour Member of Parliament for Dudley, becoming a backbencher supporting Ramsay MacDonald's Labour government. He sat facing his father, who was the Leader of the Opposition. Baldwin was critical of MacDonald’s financial policies, especially his austerity measures, and briefly aligned with Oswald Mosley's New Party in 1931 before rejoining Labour.

After the 1931 general election resulted in a Conservative victory and Baldwin's defeat, he resumed journalism and authored works reflecting socialist themes. He unsuccessfully contested the Paisley constituency in 1935. In 1937, upon his father's retirement from politics and the conferment of the Earl Baldwin of Bewdley title upon his father, Baldwin adopted the courtesy title Viscount Corvedale.

During World War II, Baldwin rejoined the army in 1939 as a major in the Intelligence Corps, serving in the Near East and North Africa. In the 1945 general election, Baldwin was elected as Member of Parliament for Paisley, securing a majority of 10,330 votes. Following the Labour victory under Clement Attlee and the establishment of a government lacking peerage representatives, Baldwin was offered a peerage, which he accepted in 1947 upon his father's death, becoming the second Earl Baldwin of Bewdley.

In February 1948, Baldwin was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Leeward Islands, a British Caribbean territory, serving until 1950. His tenure was marked by controversy due to his socialist sympathies and personal life. Baldwin's domestic partner, John "Johnnie" Parke Boyle, accompanied him during his governorship.

In 1922, Baldwin was briefly engaged to Dorothea "Doreen" Arbuthnot but ended this engagement upon recognizing his homosexuality. He then entered a lifelong relationship with Boyle, with whom he established a household in Oxfordshire. The relationship involved discreet correspondence and social events with a select circle of friends.

Baldwin died on 10 August 1958.