Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th Baronet (1 November 1797 – 24 April 1861) was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1831 and 1852.

Williamson was the son of Sir Hedworth Williamson, 6th Baronet. He inherited the baronetcy

Williamson Baronets

There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Williamson, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom....

 from his father in 1810.

Williamson was elected Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for County Durham

County Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

Durham or County Durham was a county constituency in northern England, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1675 until 1832.- History :...

 at the 1831 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1831

The 1831 general election in the United Kingdom saw a landslide win by supporters of electoral reform, which was the major election issue. As a result it was the last unreformed election, as the Parliament which resulted ensured the passage of the Reform Act 1832. Polling was held from 28 April to...

 and held the seat until 1832 when it was divided under the Great Reform Act

Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

. He was then elected at the 1832 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1832

-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

 as an MP for North Durham

North Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

North Durham is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

, and held the seat until he stood down at the 1837 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1837

The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....

. He was High Sheriff of Durham in 1840. In December 1847 he was elected at a by-election as MP for Sunderland

Sunderland (UK Parliament constituency)

Sunderland was a borough constituency of the House of Commons, created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election until it was split into single-member seats of Sunderland North and Sunderland South for the 1950...

 and held the seat until he stood down at the 1852 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1852

The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...

.

Williamson's son Hedworth

Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet

Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet was a British diplomat and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1864 to 1874....

 succeeded to the baronetcy. His daughter Maria Dorothea married David Barclay

David Barclay (MP)

David Barclay was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1826 and 1847.At the 1826 general election Barclay was elected as a Member of Parliament for Penryn in Cornwall...

 who was also an MP for Sunderland.

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