John Wakeham
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John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham, Template:Post-nominals (born 22 June 1932) is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was chancellor of Brunel University between 1998 and 2012, and since then has been its chancellor emeritus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wakeham was a director of Enron from 1994<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> until its bankruptcy in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Early life and education
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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
Wakeham stood unsuccessfully in Coventry East in 1966<ref name="roth-1984">Template:Cite book</ref> and in Putney in 1970<ref name="roth-1984"/> before his election to the House of Commons at the February 1974 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Maldon<ref name="roth-1984"/> 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,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> serving as the Leader of the House of Lords until 1994.
Wakeham 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.Template:Citation needed
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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and they have a son of their own. Before being Wakeham's secretary, Ward had been Margaret Thatcher's secretary.Template:Citation needed
Arms
References
External links
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- 1932 births
- Living people
- British secretaries of state
- Conservative Party (UK) life peers
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire
- Enron people
- Leaders of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
- Leaders of the House of Lords
- Lord presidents of the Council
- Lords Privy Seal
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- People associated with Brunel University London
- People educated at Aldro
- People educated at Charterhouse School
- Survivors of terrorist attacks
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- UK MPs 1974
- UK MPs 1974–1979
- UK MPs 1979–1983
- UK MPs 1983–1987
- UK MPs 1987–1992
- Members of Parliament for Maldon
- Rothschild & Co people
- Life peers created by Elizabeth II