Sydney Chapman (politician)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox officeholder Sir Sydney Brookes Chapman (17 October 1935 – 9 October 2014) was a British Conservative Party politician and architect who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Handsworth and Chipping Barnet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Life

Chapman was educated at Rugby School and Manchester University, where he studied architecture, gaining his Diploma in 1958 and ARIBA in 1960. He was Chairman of the Young Conservatives from 1964 to 1966.<ref name=Burkes>Burke's Peerage, accessed 1 August 2009</ref>

He married his first wife, Claire in 1976 (she was also his secretary when he was an MP), and they had three children.<ref name=Barnet>Who's Who in BarnetTemplate:Dead link</ref> In 2005, he married his second wife, Teresa at Chelsea Town Hall.

After his retirement from politics, he moved from Barnet to Oxfordshire.Template:Citation needed He was a vice-chairman of the Council of Christians and Jews<ref name=CCJ>Council of Christians and Jews Template:Webarchive website accessed 10 April 2012</ref> and on the Council of the Royal Institute of British Architects for 2009–2012.<ref name=RIBA>Builder and Engineer online Template:Webarchive RIBA Council Election Results 2009</ref>

Chapman died on 9 October 2014 in Oxfordshire.<ref name=BarnetToday>Barnet Today 10 Oct 2014 Former Chipping Barnet MP Sir Sydney Chapman dies</ref> A Service of Thanksgiving was organised by his family on 10 June 2015 at St Margaret's Church, Westminster. Attended by some 400 people including family, former colleagues, friends and constituents, the eulogies were read by Lord Ryder, Philip Porter and Chapman's sister, Cllr Christine Bateson.Template:Citation needed

Political career

Chapman first stood for Parliament, unsuccessfully, at Stalybridge and Hyde at the 1964 election, but was defeated by the incumbent Labour MP Fred Blackburn.

He was first elected to Parliament in 1970 as MP for Birmingham Handsworth, but lost his seat when Labour returned to power at the February 1974 general election. During this period he was notable for Plant A Tree In '73, an initiative which had the support of Edward Heath's government and led to the formation of The Tree Council.<ref name=DT05>Daily Telegraph 6 April 2005</ref><ref name=Hansard2005>Hansard 6 June 2005</ref>

Five years later, at the 1979 election, Chapman was returned as MP for Chipping Barnet. The seat had previously been vacant, following the death of incumbent MP, former cabinet minister Reginald Maudling, three months before the election. He was briefly a whip during John Major's administration, one of his principal tasks being to provide Queen Elizabeth II with daily reports of Parliamentary proceedings. His conscientious attention to this role led to his being knighted in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chapman was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1997 to 2005.<ref name=COE>Council of Europe Template:Webarchive Sir Sydney Chapman</ref>

Local achievements

In the late 1980s, following the death of a horse rider crossing the A1 trunk road in Arkley, Chapman championed the campaign to have a bridge put in for walkers, riders and cyclists' use. This campaign was successful, and the bridge opened in 1991. In recognition of his work, he was presented with an award by the British Horse Society's President at the bridge's official opening ceremony.<ref>Barnet and Whetstone Independent, 9 January 1992</ref>

References

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Further reading

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External links

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• Sir Sydney Chapman Photograph, 2006