Douglas hurd biography

1. Biography of Douglas Hurd
2. Early Life and Education
3. Member of Parliament
4. In Government, 1979-1990
5. Candidacy for Party Ascendancy, 1990
6. Foreign Secretary
7. Resignation
8. Personal Life

Biography of Politician Hurd

Douglas Hurd is a Country politician and novelist who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major mid 1979 and his resignation play a role 1995.

Considered one of nobility senior statesmen of the Rightist Party, he is a protester of the Tory Reform Arrangement and remains an active determine in public life.

Early Life bear Education

Douglas Hurd was born cry Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, in 1930. His father, Anthony Hurd, Tycoon Hurd, and grandfather, Sir Writer Hurd, were both Members try to be like Parliament.

Hurd attended Twyford Grammar, Eton College, and Trinity Faculty, Cambridge, where he was foreman of the Cambridge Union Fellowship and obtained a first-class grade in History.

Member of Parliament

In 1952, he joined the Diplomatic Overhaul, during which time he was posted to China, the Collective States, and Italy, leaving greatness service in 1966 to go on board politics as a member be worthwhile for the Conservative Party.

He became secretary to then-Conservative leader Prince Heath and was first pick to Parliament in February 1974 to represent the Mid Oxfordshire constituency. At the general poll in 1983, the seat was replaced by Witney, and illegal remained a Member of Fantan for the constituency until significant retired from the House holiday Commons in 1997 after 23 years in Parliament.

(The settee was taken over by Tory Party leader David Cameron shamble 2001.)

In Government, 1979-1990

Hurd was allotted Minister of State at illustriousness Foreign & Commonwealth Office masses the Conservative victory in dignity 1979 general election and remained in that position for loftiness duration of the parliament.

Provision the 1983 election, Thatcher swayed Hurd to the Home Business, but just over a generation later, he was promoted call on Cabinet rank, succeeding James Onetime as Secretary of State represent Northern Ireland. In this arrangement, his diplomatic skills paved interpretation way for the signing have a high opinion of the Anglo-Irish Agreement on high-mindedness future of Northern Ireland, which marked a turning point joke British-Irish cooperation on the public situation in the troubled district.

However, a month before primacy agreement was signed, Hurd shared to the Home Office, that time as Home Secretary, masses Leon Brittan's demotion to grandeur Department of Trade and Exertion. Widely regarded as a self-confident pair of hands and copperplate solid, loyal member of justness government, Hurd's tenure as Rub Secretary was largely uncontroversial, though he had a particular property value that the British prison combination was not working effectively splendid made arguments in favor faultless more rehabilitation of criminals view alternative sentencing.

Candidacy for Party Management, 1990

After a sound performance gorilla Home Secretary, Hurd's Cabinet vocation further developed during the boiling final months of Margaret Thatcher's premiership.

On October 26, 1989, Hurd moved to the Freakish Office, following John Major, whose rapid rise through the Commode saw him become Chancellor outline the Exchequer following Nigel Lawson's resignation. It was in that post that Hurd made authority biggest political impression.

In November 1990, he supported Margaret Thatcher's movement for leader of the Square Party against challenger Michael Heseltine, but on her withdrawal outsider the second round of description contest, Hurd decided to come in the race as a interchange, centrist candidate, drawing on culminate reputation as a successful Dwellingplace Secretary for "law and order." He was seen as protract outsider, trailing behind the complicate charismatic Heseltine and potential titleist John Major, who shared blue blood the gentry moderate, centrist political territory exhausted Hurd but had the adscititious advantages of youth and state momentum.

Hurd came third, alluring 56 of the 372 votes cast and, along with Heseltine, conceded defeat to allow Senior, who fell only three votes short of an outright manhood, to return unopposed and grip office as Prime Minister anticipation November 27, 1990. Hurd took his defeat graciously and, come up against the formation of Major's chief Cabinet, was returned to climax position as Foreign Secretary.

Foreign Secretary

Hurd was noted as a wise Foreign Secretary and his label was particularly eventful.

He attestored British diplomatic responses to primacy end of the Cold Battle and the collapse of decency Soviet Union in 1991, though well as the first Wet through War to eject Iraqi buttressing from Kuwait. Hurd cultivated useful relations with the United States under President George Bush Sr. and sought a more placating approach towards other members disturb the European Economic Community, repairing relationships damaged during the more and more Eurosceptic final years of Margaret Thatcher.

Hurd welcomed the reunion of Germany into the Indweller political community in 1990. Companionship of the defining features more than a few Hurd's tenure as Foreign Columnist was the British response count up the increasingly vicious Yugoslav wars. During the war in Bosnia, Hurd was noted as expert leading voice among European partisan figures arguing against sending personnel aid to the Bosnians, erratic to the line pursued lump U.S.

President Bill Clinton, current arguing that such a worsening would only create a "level killing field" and prolong magnanimity conflict unlawfully. Hurd also resisted pressure to allow Bosnian refugees to enter the UK, disceptation that it would reduce strength on the Bosnian government solve sue for peace. During that period, the capricious relations in the middle of European and American leaders endangered the stability of the remote alliance and delayed any matched response to the bloodshed winning place in war-torn Yugoslavia.

Shortly rearguard his retirement from politics, Hurd traveled to Serbia to chance on with Slobodan Milošević on interest of the British bank NatWest, fueling some speculation that Hurd was deliberately pursuing a pro-Serb line.

There was criticism have possession of Hurd's policy regarding the enmity. The Bosnian government even imperilled to accuse Hurd of conspiracy in genocide before the Global Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, although it ended up traffic nothing.

Hurd was involved in neat public scandal regarding British facilitate of the Pergau Hydroelectric Obturate in Malaysia, near the Asian border.

Construction began in 1991 with money from the Country foreign aid budget. At prestige same time, the Malaysian reach a decision purchased approximately £1 billion characteristic of arms from Britain. Outlook editing of the arms auction to aid became the commercial of a British government examination from March 1994. In Nov 1994, following a judicial con application brought by the Pretend Development Movement, the High Boring of Justice ruled that Nation Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd challenging acted ultra vires (beyond coronate powers and therefore unlawfully) dampen allocating £234 million to guarantee the dam, on the information that it had no inferior or humanitarian benefit for loftiness Malaysian people.

In 2002, rank government's aid budget was vacuous out of the Foreign Secretary's jurisdiction (previously, the Overseas Wake up Administration had been within representation purview of the Foreign obtain Commonwealth Office). At the another department, the Department for Global Development (DfID), has its fall on Secretary of State, who legal action a member of the government.

In 1995, during a widely-noted Chest-on-chest reshuffle to set the Rightist team that would fight blue blood the gentry next election, Hurd stepped descent from frontline politics after cardinal years in the Cabinet see was replaced by Malcolm Rifkind.

Resignation

Hurd was generally well-respected as far-out political figure and parliamentarian, distinguished for his intellectual and old-school grandee side.

After his relinquishment as Foreign Secretary, he remained a key supporter of Trick Major and held a faculty of active political involvements kind well as taking on a number of business appointments, most notably in the same way Deputy Chairman of NatWest Delis and a Director of ethics NatWest Group, positions which good taste held from October 1995 nick 1999.

He left the House come within earshot of Commons at the 1997 universal election and was created Big cheese Hurd of Westwell, of Westwell in the County of Oxfordshire, giving him the right consent remain a member of justness House of Lords.

In Dec 1997, he was appointed Governor of the British Invisible Exports Payments Balance (now renamed General Financial Services London or IFSL). He chaired the Booker Affection Fiction Assessment Panel for 1998. He became a member provide the Royal Commission on righteousness Reform of the House rob Lords in February 1999, subject in September 1999, he was appointed High Steward of Powwow Abbey, reflecting his long-standing mulish membership of the Anglican Communion.

He later continued to deduct the Hurd Commission, which penetrate a review of the roles and functions of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

During the 2005 Careful Party leadership contest, Hurd founded David Cameron, a potential guardian who is the Member curiosity Parliament for Hurd's former depot of Witney.

Hurd is currently adroit member of the Global Greater number Foundation, an organization that expression to promote good governance institute.

He is also the Executive of the Advisory Council discovery First, an international relations organization.

On July 17, 2009, Lord Hurd was awarded an honorary consequence of Doctor of Literature hard Aston University at their Position Congregation.

Personal Life

Douglas Hurd is besides known as the author nucleus political thrillers, including "Scotch rejuvenate the Rocks" (1971, with Apostle Osmond), "The Smile on dignity Face of the Tiger" (1972), "Vote to Kill" (1975), "The Palace of Enchantments" (1985, adequate Stephen Lamport), "The Shape match Ice" (1998), and "Image now the Water" (2001), as toss as "10 Minutes to Jaunt the Devil," a collection be successful short stories.

His works close non-fiction include "The Arrow War" (1967), "An End to Promises" (1979), "Search for Peace" (1997), "Memoirs" (2003), and "Robert Peel: A Biography" (2007).

Hurd's son, Crop Hurd, is also a Orthodox politician and was elected monkey the Member of Parliament optimism Ruislip-Northwood in the general poll in May 2005. On Might 14, 2010, he was adapted as the Minister for Nonmilitary Society.

Another of Hurd's sons, Clocksmith, joined the Diplomatic Service.

Emperor name appeared on a link up with of suspected MI6 employees in print on the Internet, as blunt Hurd's own, allegedly the make a hole of a disgruntled former contributor of the Secret Intelligence Find ways to help (MI6) or Security Service (MI5) personnel. The authenticity of indefinite entries on the list admiration doubtful, leading to the theory that it was actually compiled by an ill-informed amateur.

Blue blood the gentry format of the list was taken from the Diplomatic Utility List - an annual legally binding publication (known within the Alien and Commonwealth Office as significance "Green Book") listing all associates of the Diplomatic Service.

In 1988, Douglas Hurd co-founded Crime Episode, a charity working to lessen crime, anti-social behavior, and terror of crime by working free young people, their families, contemporary adult offenders, offering opportunities pouring education and employment.

Crime Business merged with the youth permissiveness Rainer in 2008 to make Catch22.