John Patten, Baron Patten

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John Haggitt Charles Patten, Baron Patten, PC (born July 17, 1945) was a Conservative party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons. He was raised Roman Catholic, and educated by the Jesuits at Wimbledon College.

He was first elected for Oxford in 1979, transferring to Oxford West and Abingdon in 1983 after boundary changes divided his old seat. He stood down at the 1997 general election, and thus avoided losing his seat, which was won by the Liberal Democrat Evan Harris.

He served as Secretary of State for Education from 1992 to 1994. Patten's record as education secretary has been described as "appalling" by David Hart, who recently retired after 26 years as general secretary of the NAHT, Britain's largest headteachers' union.

He was made a life peer as Baron Patten, of Wincanton in the County of Somerset in 1997.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Evan Luard
Member of Parliament for Oxford
19791983
Succeeded by
constituency abolished
Preceded by
new constituency
Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon
19831997
Succeeded by
Evan Harris
Political offices
Preceded by
Kenneth Clarke
Secretary of State for Education
1992–1994
Succeeded by
Gillian Shephard