The real Curzon
From Sir David Davies Sir: In a recent article (And another thing, 21 February) in which he describes Curzon as 'snobbish, pompous, self-satisfied and accident-prone', Paul Johnson perpetuates what Curzon's biographer David Gilmour describes as the accepted view of Curzon 'that compound figure of anecdotal absurdities and malevolent imagination'.
It is true that Curzon felt both bitter and humiliated when he was passed over as the successor to Bonar Law in favour of Baldwin, who gained the post of prime minister with fewer credentials than any other Conservative leader. Five days later, however, he proposed Baldwin's election as leader of the Conservatives in a speech of 'singular magnanimity'. The story about the Other Ranks was indeed much enjoyed by Curzon but was apocryphal, as even his detractors admitted.
Gilmour's conclusion that Curzon had been 'a great public servant, a man of brilliant intellect and unparalleled industry' is the message that shines through his obituaries and how we should remember him.
David Davies
London W1
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