Fergus Montgomery

Sir William Fergus Montgomery (25 November 1927 – 19 March 2013)[1] was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for three separate periods totalling 34 years, each time representing a different constituency.

Sir Fergus Montgomery
Member of Parliament
for Altrincham and Sale
In office
10 October 1974 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byAnthony Barber
Succeeded byGraham Brady
Member of Parliament
for Brierley Hill
In office
27 April 1967 – 8 February 1974
Preceded byJohn Ellis Talbot
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Member of Parliament
for Newcastle upon Tyne East
In office
8 October 1959 – 25 September 1964
Preceded byArthur Blenkinsop
Succeeded byGeoffrey Rhodes
Personal details
Born(1927-11-25)25 November 1927
South Shields, England
Died19 March 2013(2013-03-19) (aged 85)
Spain
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Joyce Riddle
​
(m. 1971)​

Early life

Born in South Shields, County Durham, Montgomery was educated at Jarrow Grammar School and Bede College at the University of Durham, and became a teacher in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1950. From 1950 to 1958, he was a councillor on Hebburn Urban District Council. From 1957 to 1958, he was the national chairman of the Young Conservatives, having been vice-chairman from 1954 to 1957.[2]

Parliamentary career

Having unsuccessfully contested the safe Labour seat of Consett in 1955, he was first elected to the House of Commons for Newcastle upon Tyne East at the 1959 general election with a narrow majority of just 98 votes. He is the only Conservative MP to have ever represented Newcastle East. Montgomery narrowly lost the seat to the Labour Party in 1964. He returned to parliament at a 1967 by-election for Brierley Hill.

Boundary changes which took effect from the February 1974 general election abolished the Brierley Hill constituency. Having unsuccessfully sought selection for South West Staffordshire, Montgomery was selected for the new Dudley West constituency, which partially replaced his old constituency. However, he was unsuccessful, losing the election to Colin Phipps of the Labour Party.

His absence from Parliament was short-lived. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anthony Barber, stood down at the October 1974 general election and Montgomery was selected to contest the constituency of Altrincham and Sale. He was duly elected, and then held the seat until he retired at the 1997 general election.[3]

He was parliamentary private secretary to Margaret Thatcher during her tenure as Secretary of State for Education and when she was Leader of the Opposition.[4]

Family

He married Joyce Riddle, a teacher, cricketer[5] and Conservative local councillor. They had no children. Lady Montgomery was deputy lieutenant and high sheriff of Greater Manchester.[6]

Sources
  • The BBC Guide to Parliament, BBC Books, 1979, ISBN 0-563-17748-9.

References
  1. Sale and Altrincham Messenger Warm tribute to former Altrincham and Sale West MP Sir Fergus Montgomery accessed 19 March 2013
  2. "Sir Fergus Montgomery obituary". The Independent. London. 20 March 2013.
  3. "Fergus Montgomery". The Guardian. London.
  4. "Sir Fergus Montgomery obituary". Daily Telegraph. London. 19 March 2013.
  5. "Joyce Riddle". Cricket Archive.
  6. "Lady Joyce Montgomery DL". Archived from the original on 20 June 2013.
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