John MacGregor

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Person.png John MacGregor   PowerbaseRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(politician)
Official portrait of Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market crop 2.jpg
Born4 February 1937
London, United Kingdom
Alma materUniversity of St Andrews, King's College London
Member ofRabobank
PartyConservative
Given responsibility for the privatisation of British Rail

Employment.png Secretary of State for Transport Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
11 April 1992 - 20 July 1994
Preceded byMalcolm Rifkind

Employment.png Leader of the House of Commons Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
2 November 1990 - 11 April 1992
Preceded byGeoffrey Howe

Employment.png Lord President of the Council

In office
2 November 1990 - 11 April 1992
Preceded byGeoffrey Howe

Employment.png Secretary of State for Education and Science

In office
24 July 1989 - 2 November 1990
Preceded byKenneth Baker
Succeeded byKenneth Clarke

Employment.png Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_Agriculture, _Fisheries_and_Food

In office
13 June 1987 - 24 July 1989

Employment.png Chief Secretary to the Treasury Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
2 September 1985 - 13 June 1987
Preceded byPeter Rees
Succeeded byJohn Major

Employment.png Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In office
4 May 1979 - 5 January 1981

Employment.png Member of Parliament for South Norfolk

In office
28 February 1974 - 7 June 2001

John Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market is a politician from the United Kingdom. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Norfolk from 1974 to 2001. He served in the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1985-87), Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1987-89), Secretary of State for Education and Science (1989-90), Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council (1990-92), and Secretary of State for Transport (1992-94). He was made a life peer in 2001.

Early life

MacGregor was educated at Merchiston Castle School,[1] then at the University of St Andrews (MA economics and history, 1959) and at King's College London (LLB, 1962). Prior to the 1979 general election he worked for Hill Samuel, a merchant bank.[2]

Member of Parliament

He became an MP at the February 1974 General Election,[3] and served as a Tory whip from 1977 to 1981, when he became a junior minister at the Department of Trade and Industry, moving to MAFF in 1983.

In government

He entered the Cabinet on 2 September 1985 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and was made Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1987 - during the BSE crisis. He was promoted to Secretary of State for Education and Science in July 1989. In the small reshuffle following the resignation of Sir Geoffrey Howe, he was made Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council just days before Thatcher's own resignation. He continued in this position from 1990 to 1992, although William Keegan writes that he was a contender for the position of Chancellor when John Major came to power.[4] He was made Secretary of State for Transport in 1992, remaining in the post until July 1994 when was sacked from the cabinet. His time as Transport Secretary saw him given responsibility for the privatisation of British Rail and the decision to privatise the Transport Research Laboratory(TRL).[5] He was made a life peer as Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, of Pulham Market in the County of Norfolk on 5 July 2001.<[6] He sat in the House of Lords until his retirement on 26 July 2019.[7]

Honours

MacGregor was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1971 New Year Honours for political services.


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References

  1. "How charitable status has boosted the income of Scotland's top private schools" The Herald (Glasgow); 28 Feb 2008; Andrew Denholm, Brian Donnelly; p. 5
  2. Debretts, The Rt Hon the Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE
  3. "Theodore Mallinson" The Times (London); 22 Oct 2008; p. 61
  4. "Business & Media: Mr Lamonts darkest day" The Observer (London); 22 Jul 2007; William Keegan; p. 6. "For Major it was simple: of four possibilities, neither Chris Patten nor Ken Clarke had any Treasury experience. John MacGregor and Lamont were 'both credible candidates'"
  5. Hansard Wednesday 30 March 1994 Col 750-751 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-03-30/Writtens-1.html
  6. "Life Baronies", The Times (London); 9 Jul 2001; p. 14
  7. https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-macgregor-of-pulham-market/131