Patrick Mayhew
Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden, PC, QC, DL (11 September 1929 – 25 June 2016) was a British barrister and politician.
The Lord Mayhew of Twysden | |
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Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
In office 10 April 1992 – 2 May 1997 | |
Prime Minister | John Major |
Preceded by | Peter Brooke |
Succeeded by | Mo Mowlam |
Attorney General for England and Wales Attorney General for Northern Ireland | |
In office 13 June 1987 – 10 April 1992 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher John Major |
Preceded by | Michael Havers |
Succeeded by | Sir Nicholas Lyell |
Solicitor General for England and Wales | |
In office 13 June 1983 – 13 June 1987 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | Ian Percival |
Succeeded by | Sir Nicholas Lyell |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment | |
In office 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | John Grant |
Succeeded by | David Waddington |
Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells | |
In office 28 February 1974 – 2 May 1997 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Archie Norman |
Personal details | |
Born | Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew 11 September 1929 |
Died | 25 June 2016 86) Kent, England | (aged
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford Middle Temple |
Early life
Through his father, Mayhew was descended from the Victorian social commentator Henry Mayhew. Mayhew's mother was a Roche and a relative of Lord Fermoy. He was educated at Tonbridge School, an all boys public school in Tonbridge, Kent.
He then served as an officer in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, studied law at Balliol College, Oxford, and was president of the Oxford University Conservative Association and of the Oxford Union.[1] He was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 1955.
Political career
Mayhew contested Dulwich in 1970, but the incumbent Labour member, Sam Silkin, beat him by 895 votes. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tunbridge Wells constituency from its creation at the February 1974 general election, standing down at the 1997 election.
He was Under Secretary of Employment from 1979 to 1981, then Minister of State at the Home Office from 1981 to 1983. After this, he served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1983 to 1987, and then Attorney General for England and Wales and simultaneously Attorney General for Northern Ireland from 1987 to 1992.
He was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1992 to 1997, the longest anyone has served in this office.
He was one of only five Ministers (Tony Newton, Kenneth Clarke, Malcolm Rifkind and Lynda Chalker are the others) to serve throughout the whole 18 years of the Governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. This represents the longest uninterrupted Ministerial service in Britain since Lord Palmerston in the early 19th century.
Honours and awards
Mayhew was knighted in 1983.[2] On 12 June 1997, he was given a life peerage as Baron Mayhew of Twysden, of Kilndown in the County of Kent.[3] He retired from the House of Lords on 1 June 2015.[4]
Personal life
In 1963, Mayhew married Jean Gurney, and they had four sons.[1] Mayhew's son, The Hon Henry Mayhew, appeared in the fourth episode of the series The Secret History Of Our Streets, discussing life in the Portland Road, Notting Hill, London. Another son, Tristram, co-founded the outdoor adventure company Go Ape.
His son, Jerome Mayhew, is the Conservative MP for the constituency of Broadland in Norfolk since December 2019.
Mayhew suffered from cancer and Parkinson's disease in his later years.[5] He died on 25 June 2016, aged 86, in his home in Kent.[5]
References
- "Profile: The grandee with the smoking gun: Sir Patrick Mayhew MP, attorney-in-question". The Independent. ESI Media. 29 May 1993. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "No. 49397". The London Gazette. 24 June 1983. p. 8380.
- "No. 54809". The London Gazette. 17 June 1997. p. 7011.
- "Lord Mayhew of Twysden". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "Former NI Secretary Lord Mayhew dies, aged 86". BBC News. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Patrick Mayhew
- "Lawyer and huntsman who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "Lord Mayhew of Twysden – obituary". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- Stephen Bates (26 June 2016). "Lord Mayhew of Twysden obituary". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "Patrick Mayhew: Northern Ireland secretary at a critical time in peace process". The Irish Times. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "Lord Mayhew of Twysden". The Times. Times Newspapers. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "Patrick Mayhew's funeral service". GK Church Goudhurst & Kilndown. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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New constituency | Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells 1974–1997 |
Succeeded by Archie Norman |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Ian Percival |
Solicitor General for England and Wales 1983–1987 |
Succeeded by Sir Nicholas Lyell |
Preceded by Michael Havers |
Attorney General for England and Wales 1987–1992 | |
Attorney General for Northern Ireland 1987–1992 | ||
Preceded by Peter Brooke |
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1992–1997 |
Succeeded by Mo Mowlam |