Douglas Hurd
The Lord Hurd of Westwell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| In office 26 October 1989 – 5 July 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher John Major |
| Preceded by | John Major |
| Succeeded by | Malcolm Rifkind |
| Home Secretary | |
| In office 2 September 1985 – 26 October 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Leon Brittan |
| Succeeded by | David Waddington |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 27 September 1984 – 2 September 1985 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | James Prior |
| Succeeded by | Tom King |
| Minister for Europe | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 9 June 1983 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Malcolm Rifkind |
| Member of Parliament for Witney | |
| In office 9 June 1983 – 1 May 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Shaun Woodward |
| Member of Parliament for Mid Oxfordshire | |
| In office 28 February 1974 – 9 June 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas Richard Hurd 8 March 1930 Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Tatania, daughter of Major Arthur Eyre MBE (div. 1982) ; (2) Judy née Smart (d. 2008) |
| Relations | Anthony, Lord Hurd (father); Sir Percy Hurd (grandfather); Sir Archibald Hurd (uncle) |
| Children | 3 sons (by 1st wife); 1 son and 1 daughter (by 2nd wife) |
| Alma mater | Eton College Trinity College, Cambridge |
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative politician. He served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.
He was born in the market town of Marlborough in Wiltshire. Hurd first entered Parliament in February 1974 as MP for the Mid Oxfordshire constituency (Witney from 1983). His first government post was as Minister for Europe from 1979 to 1983 (being that office's inaugural holder) and he served in several Cabinet roles since 1984.
His jobs include Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1984–85), Home Secretary (1985–89) and Foreign Secretary (1989–95). He stood unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party leadership in 1990, but retired from frontline politics during a Cabinet reshuffle in 1995.
In 1997, Hurd was elevated to the House of Lords and is one of the Conservative Party's most senior elder statesmen. He is a patron of the Tory Reform Group and remains an active figure in public life.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Hurd's memories of his assignment Beijing in the 1950s Archived 2010-11-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Hurd intervenes in the 2001 General Election campaign on European policy
- BBC reports on the findings of Hurd's commission into the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury
- An article by Douglas Hurd on peace in the Middle East Archived 2016-09-14 at the Wayback Machine
- Speech by Hurd on Britain and Europe[permanent dead link]
- Daily Telegraph review of Robert Peel, a Biography[permanent dead link]
- Economist Review of "Robert Peel, a Biography"
- Daily Mail Review of "Robert Peel, A Biography"
- Patron, Witney History Society Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
This short article about a person or group of people can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.- 1930 births
- Living people
- Alumni of the University of Cambridge
- Secretaries of State for the Home Department
- Members of the British House of Commons for English constituencies
- People educated at Eton College
- People from Wiltshire
- UK MPs 1974
- UK MPs 1974–1979
- UK MPs 1979–1983
- UK MPs 1983–1987
- UK MPs 1987–1992
- UK MPs 1992–1997
- Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Conservative Life Peers