Humphrey Atkins
Humphrey Edward Gregory Atkins, Baron Colnbrook, KCMG, PC (12 August 1922 – 4 October 1996) was a British politician and a member of the Conservative Party. He served for 32 years as a Member of Parliament (MP), and served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1982.[2]
The Lord Colnbrook | |
|---|---|
Atkins in 1963 | |
| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal (Government spokesperson for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) | |
| In office 11 September 1981 – 7 April 1982 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Ian Gilmour |
| Succeeded by | Baroness Young |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 11 September 1981 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Roy Mason |
| Succeeded by | James Prior |
| Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Commons | |
| In office 4 March 1974 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Leader | Edward Heath Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Bob Mellish |
| Succeeded by | Michael Cocks |
| Government Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 2 December 1973 – 4 March 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Francis Pym |
| Succeeded by | Bob Mellish |
| Government Deputy Chief Whip Treasurer of the Household | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 2 December 1973 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Charles Morris |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Weatherill |
| Member of Parliament for Spelthorne | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 18 May 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Beresford Craddock |
| Succeeded by | David Wilshire |
| Member of Parliament for Merton and Morden | |
| In office 26 May 1955 – 29 May 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Ryder |
| Succeeded by | Janet Fookes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 August 1922 Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England[1] |
| Died | 4 October 1996 (aged 74) Waltham St Lawrence, Berkshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Margaret Spencer-Nairn |
| Children | 4 |
Early life edit
Atkins was born on 12 August 1922, in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, son of Captain Edward Davis Atkins and Violet Mary (née Preston) and lived in Kenya until the age of three. He and his wife, Margaret (née Spencer-Nairn; 1924–2012), had four children, three daughters and one son.[1]
Atkins was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and served in the Royal Navy from 1940 to 1948. He worked for Nairn's, his wife's family's linoleum business in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, then became a director of a financial advertising agency.
Political career edit
Atkins contested the constituency of West Lothian in 1951, and was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Merton and Morden in 1955. He became MP for Spelthorne in 1970.[citation needed]
Atkins was the Conservative Chief Whip from 1973 to 1979, and served as a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1979 to 1981. In September 1981, he was appointed as Lord Privy Seal, which was a role as the chief government spokesman in the House of Commons for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. This role was necessary because the Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, sat in the House of Lords. He resigned in April 1982, along with Lord Carrington, over the Falklands invasion. [citation needed]
Atkins was appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George as a Knight Commander (KCMG) in the 1983 Dissolution Honours.[3] He left the House of Commons in 1987 and was created a life peer on 16 October as Baron Colnbrook, of Waltham St Lawrence in the Royal County of Berkshire.[4][1]
Death edit
Atkins died from cancer on 4 October 1996 at the age of 74 in Waltham St Lawrence, Berkshire.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ a b c Froggatt, Richard. "Humphrey Atkins (1922–1996): Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1979-1981". Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Ulster History Circle. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Cosgrave, Patrick (7 October 1996). "Obituaries : Lord Colnbrook". The Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "No. 49424". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 1983. p. 9700.
- ^ "No. 51097". The London Gazette. 21 October 1987. p. 12971.
External links edit
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Humphrey Atkins