John Wakeham

John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham, PC DL (born 22 June 1932) is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.[2] Between 1998 and 2012, he was chancellor of Brunel University, and since then has been its chancellor emeritus.[3]

The Right Honourable
The Lord Wakeham
PC DL
Official portrait, 2019
Leader of the House of Lords
In office
11 April 1992 – 20 July 1994
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byThe Lord Waddington
Succeeded byViscount Cranborne
Secretary of State for Energy
In office
24 July 1989 – 11 April 1992
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded byCecil Parkinson
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Lord President of the Council
In office
10 January 1988 – 24 July 1989
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byThe Viscount Whitelaw
Succeeded byGeoffrey Howe
Leader of the House of Commons
In office
13 June 1987 – 24 July 1989
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byJohn Biffen
Succeeded byGeoffrey Howe
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
In office
11 April 1992 – 20 July 1994
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byThe Lord Waddington
Succeeded byViscount Cranborne
In office
13 June 1987 – 10 January 1988
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byJohn Biffen
Succeeded byThe Lord Belstead
Chief Whip of the House of Commons
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office
9 June 1983 – 13 June 1987
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byMichael Jopling
Succeeded byDavid Waddington
Minister of State for Treasury
In office
6 April 1982 – 9 June 1983
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byThe Lord Cockfield
Succeeded byBarney Hayhoe
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry
In office
15 September 1981 – 6 April 1982
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byMichael Marshall
Succeeded byJohn Butcher
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
9 January 1981 – 15 September 1981
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byDavid Waddington
Succeeded byTony Newton
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
29 April 1992
Life peerage
Member of Parliament
for South Colchester and Maldon
(Maldon 1974–1983)
In office
28 February 1974 – 16 March 1992
Preceded byBrian Harrison
Succeeded byJohn Whittingdale
Personal details
Born (1932-06-22) 22 June 1932[1]
Political partyConservative
Spouses
  • Roberta Wakeham
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1965; died 1984)​
  • Alison Ward
    ​
    (m. 1985)​
Children3
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Wakeham was a director of Enron from 1994[4] until its bankruptcy in 2001.[5]

Early life and education
Wakeham as Chancellor of Brunel University

Wakeham was educated at two independent schools in Surrey, Aldro School in Shackleford, and Charterhouse near Godalming. He became a successful accountant and later a businessman.

Political career

He stood unsuccessfully in Coventry East in 1966[6] and in Putney in 1970[6] before his election to the House of Commons at the February 1974 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Maldon[6] in Essex. He became a minister following Margaret Thatcher's victory in 1979.

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 29 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.

Personal life

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[8] and they have a son of their own. Before being Wakeham's secretary, Ward had been Margaret Thatcher's secretary.

Arms
Coat of 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". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. "Mr John Wakeham". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. "Chancellor". Brunel University.
  4. "Enron's board of directors". The Guardian. 30 January 2002.
  5. "UC reaches $168-million settlement with Enron directors in securities fraud case". University of California. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
  6. Roth, Andrew; Kerbey, Janice; Tench, Judy (1984). Parliamentary Profiles S–Z. Parliamentary Profile Services. pp. 854–56. ISBN 0-900582-24-3.
  7. "No. 52907". The London Gazette. 29 April 1992. p. 7461.
  8. "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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.