John Wakeham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham, PC (born June 22, 1932), is a businessman and British Conservative politician.

Since he left government, he has been active in business again, notably being a director of Enron before its collapse.

Educated at Charterhouse School, he was a successful accountant and later businessman before his election to the House of Commons for Maldon, Essex in 1974. He became a minister after Margaret Thatcher's victory in 1979.

His first wife, Roberta, was killed in the Brighton hotel bombing and he himself was trapped in rubble for seven hours. They had two children together. He married his second wife Alison Ward MBE in 1995^{[citation needed]} and they have a son of their own.

During the late eighties he served as Leader of the House of Commons, in which capacity he was responsible for the first televisings of Parliament, and as Energy Secretary (1989-1992), where he drew up plans for the privatisation of electricity.

He was appointed a life peer as Baron Wakeham, of Maldon in the County of Essex in 1992 by John Major, and then was Leader of the House of Lords until 1994. He became chairman of the Press Complaints Commission in 1995, retiring in 2001. Tony Blair appointed him in 1999 to head a Royal Commission on reform of the House of Lords — the resulting report suggested a mainly appointed Lords be maintained, with a small elected component.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Alastair Harrison	Member of Parliament for Maldon 1974–1983	Succeeded by (constituency abolished)
Preceded by (new constituency)	Member of Parliament for Colchester South and Maldon 1983–1992	Succeeded by John Whittingdale
Political offices
Preceded by Michael Jopling	Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1983–1986	Succeeded by David Waddington
Preceded by: John Biffen	Lord Privy Seal 1987–1988	Succeeded by: The Lord Belstead
	Leader of the House of Commons 1987–1989	Succeeded by: Sir 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	Succeeded by Office Abolished
Preceded by The Lord Waddington	Leader of the House of Lords 1992–1994	Succeeded by Viscount Cranborne
	Lord Privy Seal 1992–1994