Matthew White Ridley, 1st Viscount Ridley (July 25, 1842) - (November 28, 1904) was a British Conservative politician and statesman. The eldest son of his namesake, 4th baronet, Ridley was born in London and educated at Harrow and Balliol College, Oxford. After graduating BA in 1865, he was a Fellow of All Souls for nine years. In 1868, he was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for North Northumberland, and held this seat for seventeen years before being returned as member for the Blackpool Division of North Lancashire in 1886.

Having been Under Secretary at the Home Office for two years in Disraeli's administration, Sir Matthew Ridley (as he became when he succeeded his father as fifth baronet in 1877) was Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Lord Salisbury's interim government of 1885 to 1886. In 1895, after the fall of Lord Rosbery's ministry, and having already failed in April of that year to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons, Ridley became Home Secretary, and held this post until his retirement in 1900. He was that same year created Viscount Ridley and Baron Wensleydale, of Blagdon amd Blyth in the County of Northumberland.

Lord Ridley died aged 62 at Blagdon home, and was buried there.

Preceded by: Herbert Henry Asquith

Home Secretary 1895–1900

Followed by: Charles Thomson Ritchie

Preceded by: New Creation

Viscount Ridley

Followed by: Matthew White Ridley