View source for John Wakeham

{{short description|British businessman and Conservative Party politician (born 1932)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name             = The Lord Wakeham
| honorific-suffix = [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|PC]] [[Deputy Lieutenant|DL]]
| image            = Official portrait of Lord Wakeham crop 2.jpg
| office           = [[Leader of the House of Lords]]
| caption          = Official portrait, 2019
| primeminister    = [[John Major]]
| term_start       = 11 April 1992
| term_end         = 20 July 1994
| predecessor      = [[The Lord Waddington]]
| successor        = [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury|Viscount Cranborne]]
| office3          = [[Department of Energy (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State for Energy]]
| primeminister3   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]<br />[[John Major]]
| term_start3      = 24 July 1989
| term_end3        = 11 April 1992
| predecessor3     = [[Cecil Parkinson]]
| successor3       = ''[[Department of Energy (United Kingdom)|Office abolished]]''
| office4          = [[Lord President of the Council]]
| primeminister4   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start4      = 10 January 1988
| term_end4        = 24 July 1989
| predecessor4     = [[The Viscount Whitelaw]]
| successor4       = [[Geoffrey Howe]]
| office5          = [[Leader of the House of Commons]]
| primeminister5   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start5      = 13 June 1987
| term_end5        = 24 July 1989
| predecessor5     = [[John Biffen]]
| successor5       = [[Geoffrey Howe]]
| office1          = [[Lord Privy Seal|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal]]
| primeminister1   = [[John Major]]
| term_start1      = 11 April 1992
| term_end1        = 20 July 1994
| predecessor1     = [[The Lord Waddington]]
| successor1       = [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury|Viscount Cranborne]]
| primeminister2   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start2      = 13 June 1987
| term_end2        = 10 January 1988
| predecessor2     = [[John Biffen]]
| successor2       = [[The Lord Belstead]]
| office6          = [[Chief Whip|Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons]]<br />[[Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury]]
| primeminister6   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start6      = 9 June 1983
| term_end6        = 13 June 1987
| predecessor6     = [[Michael Jopling]]
| successor6       = [[David Waddington]]
| office7          = [[Minister of State for the Treasury]]
| primeminister7   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start7      = 6 April 1982
| term_end7        = 9 June 1983
| predecessor7     = [[Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield|The Lord Cockfield]]
| successor7       = [[Barney Hayhoe]]
| office8          = [[Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry]]
| primeminister8   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start8      = 15 September 1981
| term_end8        = 6 April 1982
| predecessor8     = [[Michael Marshall (politician)|Michael Marshall]]
| successor8       = [[John Butcher (British politician)|John Butcher]]
| office9          = [[Lord Commissioner of the Treasury]]
| primeminister9   = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start9      = 9 January 1981
| term_end9        = 15 September 1981
| predecessor9     = [[David Waddington]]
| successor9       = [[Tony Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree|Tony Newton]]
| office10         = [[Member of the House of Lords]]
| status10         = [[Lord Temporal]]
| term_label10     = [[Life peer]]age
| term_start10     = 29 April 1992
| term_end10       = 
| office11         = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[South Colchester and Maldon]]<br>{{nobold|([[Maldon (UK Parliament constituency)|Maldon]] 1974–1983)}}
| term_start11     = 28 February 1974
| term_end11       = 16 March 1992
| predecessor11    = [[Brian Harrison (Conservative politician)|Brian Harrison]]
| successor11      = [[John Whittingdale]]
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1932|6|22|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Wakeham |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-john-wakeham/index.html |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |access-date=9 April 2016}}</ref>
| birth_place      = 
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| spouse           = {{ubl|{{marriage|Roberta Wakeham|1965|1984|end=her death}}|{{marriage|Alison Ward|1985}}}}
| children         = 3
| party            = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| alma_mater       = [[Christ Church, Oxford]]
}}

'''John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham''', {{post-nominals|country=GB|PC|DL}} (born 22 June 1932) is a British businessman and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] politician.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mr John Wakeham |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-john-wakeham/index.html |website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |access-date=14 May 2021}}</ref> He was [[Chancellor (education)|chancellor]] of [[Brunel University]] between 1998 and 2012, and since then has been its chancellor [[emeritus]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chancellor |url=http://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/Lord-Wakeham-appointed-Chancellor-Emeritus-of-Brunel-University |publisher=[[Brunel University]] |date=5 March 2013 |access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref>

Wakeham was a director of [[Enron]] from 1994<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff and agencies |title=Enron's board of directors |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/feb/01/corporatefraud.enron3 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 January 2002 |access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref> until its bankruptcy in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=UC reaches $168-million settlement with Enron directors in securities fraud case |url=http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/10095 |url-status=dead |publisher=[[University of California]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724070458/http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/10095 |archive-date=24 July 2008}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
[[File:The Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of Brunel stand ready with some graduates (7637454146) (Wakeham cropped).jpg|thumb|Wakeham as Chancellor of Brunel University]]
Wakeham was educated at two independent schools in Surrey: Aldro School in [[Shackleford]], and [[Charterhouse School|Charterhouse]] near [[Godalming]]. He became a successful accountant and later a businessman.

==Political career==
Wakeham stood unsuccessfully in [[Coventry East]] in [[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966]]<ref name="roth-1984">{{cite book |last1=Roth |first1=Andrew |author1-link=Andrew Roth |last2=Kerbey |first2=Janice |last3=Tench |first3=Judy |title=Parliamentary Profiles S–Z |publisher=Parliamentary Profile Services |year=1984 |pages=854–856 |isbn=0-900582-24-3}}</ref> and in [[Putney (UK Parliament constituency)|Putney]] in [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]]<ref name="roth-1984"/> before his election to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] at the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]] as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Maldon (UK Parliament constituency)|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>{{London Gazette|issue=52907|date=29 April 1992|page=7461}}</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.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

==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 [[Member of the Order of the British Empire|MBE]], in 1985<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-wakeham-the-watchdog-now-has-to-explain-why-he-didnt-bark-659231.html |title=John Wakeham: The watchdog now has to explain why he didn't bark |work=[[The Independent]] |date=3 February 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116055613/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-wakeham-the-watchdog-now-has-to-explain-why-he-didnt-bark-659231.html |archive-date=16 January 2011 }}</ref> and they have a son of their own. Before being Wakeham's secretary, Ward had been Margaret Thatcher's secretary.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

==Arms==
{{Infobox emblem wide |style="clear: none;"
|image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|150px]] [[File:Wakeham Escutcheon.png|centre|200px]]
|crest = A Greyhound statant Or, crowned with a Mural Crown chequy Azure and Argent, and supporting by the dexter foreleg a Cross Raguly Argent, nailed of three Or.
|coronet = A [[Coronet|Coronet of a Baron]].
|escutcheon = Per fess embattled Azure and Argent, a Pale counterchanged, in the azure a Lion's Head guardant Or, langued Gules, and in the argent, a Bugle Horn Azure, garnished and stringed Or.
|supporters = Dexter: a Sea-Lion Azure, Mane and Head in trian aspect Argent, langued Gules, crowned with a Crown Tridenty Gold; Sinister: a Sea-Horse Azure, Head and Neck Argent, and crowned also with a Crown Tridenty Gold, the whole upon a Compartment consisting of three Bars wavy Azure, Argent and Azure, in front thereof a Grassy Mount growing therefrom three Double Roses Argent, upon Gules, barbed and seeded stalked and leaved proper.
|motto = Vigilo ''(I watch)''
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-john-wakeham | John Wakeham }}
* {{C-SPAN|29785}}
* {{NPG name}}
* [http://www.apfn.org/enron/wakeham.htm Wakeham profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704035835/http://www.apfn.org/enron/wakeham.htm |date=4 July 2010 }}, apfn.org

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{{Leader of the House of Commons}}
{{Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change}}
{{Conservative Chief Whips}}
{{Thatcher Ministry}}
{{Major Ministry}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeham, John}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British secretaries of state]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) life peers]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire]]
[[Category:Enron people]]
[[Category:Leaders of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Leaders of the House of Lords]]
[[Category:Lord presidents of the Council]]
[[Category:Lords Privy Seal]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People associated with Brunel University London]]
[[Category:People educated at Aldro]]
[[Category:People educated at Charterhouse School]]
[[Category:Survivors of terrorist attacks]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974–1979]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1979–1983]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1983–1987]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:Members of Parliament for Maldon]]
[[Category:Rothschild & Co people]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]