John Wakeham

The Right Honourable
The Lord Wakeham
PC DL
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Privy Seal
In office
11 April 1992  20 July 1994
Prime Minister John Major
Preceded by The Lord Waddington
Succeeded by Viscount Cranborne
Secretary of State for Energy
In office
24 July 1989  11 April 1992
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded by Cecil Parkinson
Succeeded by Office abolished
Lord President of the Council
In office
10 January 1988  24 July 1989
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by The Viscount Whitelaw
Succeeded by Geoffrey Howe
Leader of the House of Commons
In office
13 June 1987  24 July 1989
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by John Biffen
Succeeded by Geoffrey Howe
Lord Privy Seal
In office
13 June 1987  10 January 1988
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by John Biffen
Succeeded by The Lord Belstead
Chief Whip of the Conservative Party
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office
9 June 1983  13 June 1987
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by Michael Jopling
Succeeded by David Waddington
Member of Parliament
for South Colchester and Maldon
In office
9 June 1983  9 April 1992
Preceded by Constituency created
Succeeded by John Whittingdale
Member of Parliament
for Maldon
In office
28 February 1974  9 June 1983
Preceded by Brian Harrison
Succeeded by Constituency Abolished
Personal details
Born (1932-06-22) 22 June 1932[1]
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Roberta Wakeham (19??-1984; her death)
Alison Ward (1985 - present)
Children 3
Alma mater Christ Church, Oxford

John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham, PC, DL (born 22 June 1932) is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician, and the current Chancellor of Brunel University.[2]

He was a director of Enron from 1994[3] until its bankruptcy in 2001.[4]

Life and career

Wakeham was educated at two independent schools in Surrey: Aldro School in Shackleford, and Charterhouse School near Godalming, and later attended Christ Church, Oxford. He became a successful accountant and later a businessman. He stood unsuccessfully in Coventry East in 1966[5] and in Putney in 1970[5] before his election to the House of Commons at the February 1974 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Maldon[5] in Essex. He became a minister after Margaret Thatcher's victory in 1979.

His first wife, Roberta, was killed in the Brighton hotel bombing in October 1984 and he was trapped in rubble for seven hours, suffering serious crush injuries to his legs. The couple had two children. Wakeham married his secretary, Alison Ward MBE in 1985[6] and they have a son of their own. Before being Wakeham's secretary, Ward had been Margaret Thatcher's secretary.

During the late 1980s he served as Leader of the House of Commons, in which capacity he was responsible for the televising of Parliament, and as Energy Secretary (1989–92), where he drew up plans for the privatisation of electricity supply. Following a recommendation by John Major, he was created a life peer on 24 April 1992 taking the title Baron Wakeham, of Maldon in the County of Essex,[7] serving as the Leader of the House of Lords until 1994.

He became chairman of the Press Complaints Commission in 1995, retiring in 2001. In 1997 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire. Tony Blair appointed him in 1999 to head a Royal Commission on reform of the House of Lords — the resulting Wakeham Report suggested a mainly-appointed Lords be maintained, with a small elected component.

Arms

Arms of John Wakeham
Coronet
A Coronet of a Baron.
Crest
A Greyhound statant Or, crowned with a Mural Crown chequy Azure and Argent, and supporting by the dexter foreleg a Cross Raguly Argent, nailed of three Or.
Escutcheon
Per fess embattled Azure and Argent, a Pale counterchanged, in the azure a Lion's Head guardant Or, langued Gules, and in the argent, a Bugle Horn Azure, garnished and stringed Or.
Supporters
Dexter: a Sea-Lion Azure, Mane and Head in trian aspect Argent, langued Gules, crowned with a Crown Tridenty Gold; Sinister: a Sea-Horse Azure, Head and Neck Argent, and crowned also with a Crown Tridenty Gold, the whole upon a Compartment consisting of three Bars wavy Azure, Argent and Azure, in front thereof a Grassy Mount growing therefrom three Double Roses Argent, upon Gules, barbed and seeded stalked and leaved proper.
Motto
Vigilo (I watch)

References

  1. "Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Wakeham". Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. "Chancellor". Brunel University.
  3. "Enron's board of directors". The Guardian. 30 January 2002.
  4. "UC reaches $168-million settlement with Enron directors in securities fraud case". University of California. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 Roth, Andrew; Kerbey, Janice; Tench, Judy (1984). Parliamentary Profiles S–Z. Parliamentary Profile Services. pp. 854–56. ISBN 0-900582-24-3.
  6. "John Wakeham: The watchdog now has to explain why he didn't bark". The Independent. 3 February 2002. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011.
  7. The London Gazette: no. 52907. p. 7461. 29 April 1992.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Brian Harrison
Member of Parliament for Maldon
19741983
Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for
South Colchester and Maldon

19831992
Succeeded by
John Whittingdale
Political offices
Preceded by
Michael Jopling
Chief Whip of the Conservative Party
1983–1987
Succeeded by
David Waddington
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
1983–1987
Preceded by
John Biffen
Lord Privy Seal
1987–1988
Succeeded by
The Lord Belstead
Leader of the House of Commons
1987–1989
Succeeded by
Geoffrey Howe
Preceded by
The Viscount Whitelaw
Lord President of the Council
1988–1989
Preceded by
Cecil Parkinson
Secretary of State for Energy
1989–1992
Energy merged into
Department of Trade and Industry
Preceded by
The Lord Waddington
Leader of the House of Lords
1992–1994
Succeeded by
Viscount Cranborne
Lord Privy Seal
1992–1994
Party political offices
Preceded by
The Lord Waddington
Leader of the Conservative Party
in the House of Lords

1992–1994
Succeeded by
Viscount Cranborne
Media offices
Preceded by
Oliver McGregor
Chairman of the
Press Complaints Commission

1995–2002
Succeeded by
Robert Pinker
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