Francis Pym
Francis Leslie Pym, Baron Pym, MC, PC, DL (13 February 1922 – 7 March 2008) was a British Conservative politician who served in various positions in the Cabinet in the 1970s and 1980s, including Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Northern Ireland Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Cambridgeshire from 1961 to 1983 and South East Cambridgeshire from 1983 to 1987, and was made a life peer in 1987.
The Lord Pym | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 6 April 1982 – 11 June 1983 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | The Lord Carrington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Geoffrey Howe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lord President of the Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 14 September 1981 – 5 April 1982 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | The Lord Soames | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | John Biffen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leader of the House of Commons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 January 1981 – 5 April 1982 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Norman St John-Stevas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | John Biffen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 January 1981 – 14 September 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Norman St John-Stevas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | The Baroness Young | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paymaster General | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 January 1981 – 14 September 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Angus Maude | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Cecil Parkinson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary of State for Defence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Fred Mulley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | John Nott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 2 December 1973 – 4 March 1974 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Edward Heath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Willie Whitelaw | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Merlyn Rees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 19 June 1970 – 2 December 1973 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Edward Heath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Bob Mellish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Humphrey Atkins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 9 October 1987 – 7 March 2008 Life peerage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member of Parliament for South East Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire, 1961–1983) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 17 March 1961 – 18 May 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Gerald Howard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Jim Paice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Francis Leslie Pym 13 February 1922 Abergavenny, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 7 March 2008 86) Sandy, Bedfordshire, England | (aged||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse(s) | Valerie Daglish ( m. 1949) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parents | Leslie Pym (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education | Eton College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
Early life
Pym was born at Penpergwm Lodge, near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire.[1] His father, Leslie Pym, was also a Member of Parliament, while his grandfather, the Right Reverend Walter Ruthven Pym, was Bishop of Bombay. He was not a descendant of the 17th century Parliamentarian John Pym as has been commonly held (see Pym's own published family history).
He was educated at Eton, before going on to Magdalene College, Cambridge. For much of the Second World War, Pym served in North Africa and Italy as a captain and regimental adjutant in the 9th Lancers. He was mentioned in despatches twice, awarded the Military Cross,[2] and ended his military service as a major. Pym was a managing director and landowner before he went into politics.
Political career
Pym entered politics as a member of Herefordshire County Council in 1958.[3] He contested Rhondda West without success in 1959 and entered Parliament in 1961 at a by-election as Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire. He held the seat until 1983, and was MP for Cambridgeshire South East 1983–87. He was an Opposition whip from 1964 and served under Edward Heath as Government Chief Whip (1970–73) and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1973–74), and Margaret Thatcher as Defence Secretary (1979–81), Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council (1981–82). He became foreign secretary during the Falklands War in 1982 following Lord Carrington's resignation, but was removed by Thatcher in 1983 after her second election victory.
Pym was a leading member of the Wets, Tories sceptical of Thatcherism. During the 1983 general election campaign he said on the BBC's Question Time that "Landslides don't on the whole produce successful governments".[4] This was publicly repudiated by Margaret Thatcher and he was sacked after the election. Shortly afterwards, he launched a pressure group called Conservative Centre Forward to argue for more centrist, One Nation policies. But with Thatcher at the height of her powers, it was unsuccessful. He stood down at the 1987 election and was created a life peer as Baron Pym, of Sandy in the County of Bedfordshire, on 9 October 1987.[5] He was the author of The Politics of Consent published in 1984 after he left office. The book is a guide to the Wets' opposition to Thatcher, both to her leadership style and politics.[6]
He was portrayed by Jeremy Child in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play and by Julian Wadham in the 2011 film, The Iron Lady.
Personal life
Pym died in Sandy, Bedfordshire, on 7 March 2008 after a prolonged illness, aged 86.[7] He was survived by his wife, Valerie (1929 – 2 March 2017),[8] whom he married in 1949, and his four children, Charlotte, Jonathan, Andrew and Sarah.[9]
Arms
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References
- British Foreign Secretaries Since 1974, p. 141, at Google Books, ISBN 978-0714656564.
- "No. 37386". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 December 1945. p. 6074.
- "Francis Pym : Obituary". iAnnounce. Northcliffe Media. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
- "Thatcher's Class of '79". BBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "No. 51091". The London Gazette. 14 October 1987. p. 12695.
- Pym, Francis (1984). The Politics of Consent. Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 978-0241113516.
- "Former foreign secretary Pym dies". BBC News. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "Valerie Fortune (Daglish) PYM". Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- Roth, Andrew (7 March 2008). "Obituary: Francis Pym". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- Burke's Peerage (2000 ed.).
Bibliography
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Francis Pym