{{Short description|British politician}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ian Grist | image = Ian_Grist,_former_Conservative_MP.jpeg | birth_date= 5 December 1938 | birth_place= [[Southampton]], England | death_date= {{death date and age|df=yes|2002|1|2|1938|12|5}} | death_place= | spouse = Wendy White | constituency_MP = [[Cardiff Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff Central]] | parliament = United Kingdom | term_start = 9 June 1983 | term_end = 16 March 1992 | predecessor = ''new constituency'' | successor = [[Jon Owen Jones]] | constituency_MP2 = [[Cardiff North (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff North]] | parliament2 = United Kingdom | term_start2 = 28 February 1974 | term_end2 = 13 May 1983 | predecessor2 = [[Michael Roberts (politician)|Michael Roberts]] | successor2 = [[Gwilym Jones]] |office3 = [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales]] |parliament3 = |majority3 = |term_start3 = 5 June 1987 |term_end3 = 28 November 1990 |predecessor3 = [[Mark Robinson (Conservative politician)|Mark Robinson]] |successor3 = [[Nicholas Bennett (politician)|Nicholas Bennett]] | party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] | alma_mater = [[Jesus College, Oxford]] }}
'''Ian Grist''' (5 December 1938 – 2 January 2002) was a British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician.
Grist was Member of Parliament (MP) for [[Cardiff North (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff North]] from February 1974 to 1983, and for [[Cardiff Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff Central]] from 1983 until 1992. He also served as a Minister in the [[Wales Office]] between June 1987 and November 1990.
== Early life == Grist was born in [[Southampton]]. First he went to [[preparatory school (United Kingdom)|prep school]] in [[Broadstairs]], Kent, after which he was sent to [[Repton School]]. Having won a scholarship<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite web|title=Ian Grist|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1381160/Ian-Grist.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=4 August 2014|date=12 January 2002}}</ref> he studied history at [[Jesus College, Oxford]], from 1957 to 1960.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Jesus College Record|pages=93–4|title=Old Members' Obituaries (reprinted from the obituary printed in The Times on 8 January 2002)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knowuk.co.uk | title= GRIST, Ian |work=Who Was Who (subscription access)|date=January 2007|accessdate=19 July 2007}}</ref> He had joined the [[Young Conservatives (UK)|Young Conservatives]] in 1956<ref name=Telegraph /> and in Oxford became Jesus College Conservative Association's secretary.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web|last1=Roth|first1=Andrew|title=Ian Grist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jan/22/guardianobituaries.obituaries|work=The Guardian|accessdate=4 August 2014|date=22 January 2002}}</ref><ref name=Dictionary>{{cite DWB|last=Jones|first=John Graham|title=Ian Grist|id=s6-GRIS-IAN-1938|accessdate=4 August 2014}}</ref>
== Career == At first Grist wanted a career as a colonial administrator. In 1960 he went to the [[Southern Cameroons]] as a plebiscite officer, and in 1961 he moved to Nigeria, working as a manager for the [[United Africa Company]]. In 1963 he returned to Britain.<ref name=Telegraph /><ref name=Guardian />
On his return he became the Tories' Welsh political education officer, and worked for the party as a researcher from 1970 to 1974. In the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general election]] he stood for election in [[Aberavon (UK Parliament constituency)|Aberavon]], a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] stronghold, and lost. However, he won the marginal Cardiff North constituency in the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 election]].<ref name=Telegraph />
=== Member of Parliament === Grist was known as a very assiduous Member of Parliament, who worked hard for his constituents and preferred to handle their complaints, rather than focus on his career. This enabled him to hold off several challenges in his marginal seat. When the Tories returned to power in 1979 he was appointed [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to [[Nicholas Edwards]], the new Welsh Secretary, but he resigned in 1981. He returned to focusing on local issues.<ref name=Telegraph />
Following boundary changes Grist stood for Cardiff Central in the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]] and won.<ref name=Dictionary /> In the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 election]] he held the seat by fewer than 2000 votes in what was the "closest three-way contest in Wales".<ref name=Almanac>{{cite book|last1=Waller|first1=Robert|last2=Criddle|first2=Byron|title=The Almanac of British politics|date=1999|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=9780415185417|page=142|edition=6th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mC7pEr0R6QC&dq=ian+grist+mp&pg=PA143|accessdate=4 August 2014}}</ref>
In 1987 [[Margaret Thatcher]] surprisingly appointed him Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, a post for which his signature posed a problem ("I. Grist" signifying "[[Jesus Christ]]" in Welsh<ref name=Telegraph />), and remained in the position until he was sacked by [[John Major]] in 1990.<ref name=Guardian /> In the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]] he lost Cardiff Central to [[Labour Co-operative]] candidate [[Jon Owen Jones]].<ref name=Echo />
=== Outside Parliament === After losing his seat Grist was made the chairman of [[South Glamorgan]] Health Authority, a post he held until 1996, when he retired due to ill health.<ref name=Telegraph /><ref name=Echo>{{cite news|last1=Tindle|first1=Greg|title=Tributes are paid to former MP Ian Grist|accessdate=4 August 2014|work=South Wales Echo|date=10 January 2002|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Tributes+are+paid+to+former+MP+Ian+Grist.-a081591043}}</ref> His appointment was regarded as controversial.<ref name=Echo />
== Political views == While in opposition, Grist attacked Welsh devolution, unions, pop festivals and [[Neil Kinnock]], whom he described as "neo-Marxist".<ref name=Telegraph /> Under Thatcher he opposed the [[Poll tax (Great Britain)|poll tax]] and the [[Water privatisation in England and Wales|privatisation of water companies]]. He also supported the British-American alliance. In social matters, he opposed the death penalty, restrictions on abortion, and [[school corporal punishment]]. A pro-European, he supported [[Michael Heseltine]]'s leadership challenge.<ref name=Guardian />
== Personal life and death == In 1966 he married Wendy White.<ref name=Telegraph /> They had two sons, Julian and Toby.<ref name=Guardian />
On the second day of 2002, Grist died of a stroke at the age of 63.<ref name=Guardian />
== References == *''The Times Guide to the House of Commons'', [[The Times|Times Newspapers Ltd]], 1987 <references/>
{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{succession box | title = Member of Parliament for [[Cardiff North (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff North]] | years = [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974]]–[[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]] | before = [[Michael Roberts (politician)|Michael Roberts]] | after = [[Gwilym Jones]] }} {{s-new | constituency }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for [[Cardiff Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff Central]] | years = [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]–[[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992]] }} {{s-aft | after = [[Jon Owen Jones]] }} {{s-end}}{{Wales Conservative Party MPs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grist, Ian}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:2002 deaths]] [[Category:People educated at Repton School]] [[Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford]] [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies]] [[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cardiff constituencies]] [[Category:UK MPs 1974]] [[Category:UK MPs 1974–1979]] [[Category:UK MPs 1979–1983]] [[Category:UK MPs 1983–1987]] [[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]