{{Short description|British politician (1932–1995)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Use British English|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder |honorific_prefix = |name = Sir David Lightbown |honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}} |image = David_Lightbown_(1932-1995).webp |office1 = Vice-Chamberlain of the Household |prime_minister1 = Margaret Thatcher |term_start1 = 25 July 1990 |term_end1 = 28 November 1990 |predecessor1 = Tony Durant |successor1 = John Taylor |office = Comptroller of the Household |prime_minister = John Major |term_start = 28 November 1990 |term_end = 12 December 1995 |predecessor = Tony Durant |successor = Timothy Wood |office2 = Lord Commissioner of the Treasury |prime_minister2 = Margaret Thatcher |term_start2 = 26 July 1987 |term_end2 = 25 July 1990 |predecessor2 = Second Thatcher ministry |successor2 = Irvine Patnick |office3 = Member of Parliament <br /> for South East Staffordshire |term_start3 = 9 June 1983 |term_end3 = 12 December 1995 |predecessor3 = ''Constituency created'' |successor3 = Brian Jenkins |birth_date = {{birth date|1932|11|30|df=y}} |birth_place = Derby, England |death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|12|12|1932|11|30|df=yes}} |death_place = London, England |spouse = {{marriage|Ann Palmer|1960}} |alma_mater = Derby Technical College }} '''Sir David Lincoln Lightbown''' (30 November 1932 – 12 December 1995) was a British politician who was the Conservative Member of Parliament for South East Staffordshire from 1983 until his death.
==Background== Lightbown was born Derby in 1932, and attended the Derby School and Derby Technical College.<ref name = TelegraphObit>{{cite news|title = Sir David Lightbown|url = https://newspapers.com/image/751999569/|date = 13 December 1995|newspaper = The Daily Telegraph|page = 27|url-access = subscription}}</ref> He was an engineering executive who had an adversarial relationship with the Transport and General Workers' Union.<ref name = TelegraphObit/>
==Political career== Lightbown was elected to the Lichfield District Council in 1975, and served as its leader from 1977 to 1986.<ref name = TelegraphObit/> In 1977, he was also elected to the Staffordshire County Council, where he served until 1985.<ref name = TelegraphObit/> He entered Parliament in 1983.<ref name = TelegraphObit/> He served as a government whip, and his imposing physique and reputation for robust methods led to him being branded "the Terminator".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/15/rumours-of-government-whipping-operation-abound-in-westminster|title=Dark rumours in Westminster over Tory whips' behaviour|date=15 December 2017|website=The Guardian|access-date=16 December 2017}}</ref>
Lightbown held right-wing views, endorsing capital punishment and advertising on the BBC, as well as supporting England's 1984 rugby union tour of South Africa under apartheid.<ref name = TelegraphObit/><ref name = Kirkhope>{{Cite web |date=14 December 1995 |title=OBITUARY: Sir David Lightbown |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-david-lightbown-1525668.html|last = Kirkhope|first = Timothy |access-date=14 June 2023 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> He opposed the ordination of divorced men in the Church of England.<ref name = TelegraphObit/>
==Personal life and death== Lightbown married Ann Palmer in 1960.<ref name = TelegraphObit/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=PIDwkxSfqe33xRUcWtALwQ&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=17 September 2023|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> On 12 December 1995, he was watching The Varsity Match at Twickenham Stadium, when he collapsed and died at the age of 63.<ref>{{cite news|title = Major faces a majority of three|url = https://newspapers.com/image/751999192/|last1 = Jones|first1 = George|last2 = Johnston|first2 = Philip|authorlink1 = George Jones (journalist)|date = 13 December 1995|newspaper = The Daily Telegraph|url-access = subscription|page = 1}}</ref> The resulting by-election for his seat was won by the Labour Party candidate Brian Jenkins.
His widow, Lady Lightbown, contested his successor seat of Tamworth at the 1997 general election but was defeated by Brian Jenkins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC NEWS {{!}} VOTE 2001 {{!}} RESULTS & CONSTITUENCIES {{!}} Tamworth |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/569.stm |access-date=14 June 2023 |website=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
==References== <references /> *''Times Guide to the House of Commons'', Times Newspapers Limited, 1992.
{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-new | constituency}} {{s-ttl | title=Member of Parliament for South East Staffordshire | years=1983–1995 }} {{s-aft | after=Brian Jenkins }} {{s-off}} {{succession box | title=Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | before=Tony Durant | after=John Mark Taylor | years=1990}} {{succession box | title=Comptroller of the Household | before=Sir George Young, Bt | after=Timothy Wood | years=1990–1995}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightbown, David Lincoln}} Category:1932 births Category:1995 deaths Category:20th-century English businesspeople Category:Alumni of the University of Derby Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:Councillors in Staffordshire Category:English chief executives Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Politicians from Derby Category:UK MPs 1983–1987 Category:UK MPs 1987–1992 Category:UK MPs 1992–1997 Category:Councillors in Derby Category:People educated at Derby School
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