# Ian Grist > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ian_Grist > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ian_Grist.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Grist > Source revision: 1335045639 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British politician Ian Grist Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central In office 9 June 1983 – 16 March 1992 Preceded by new constituency Succeeded by Jon Owen Jones Member of Parliament for Cardiff North In office 28 February 1974 – 13 May 1983 Preceded by Michael Roberts Succeeded by Gwilym Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales In office 5 June 1987 – 28 November 1990 Preceded by Mark Robinson Succeeded by Nicholas Bennett Personal details Born 5 December 1938 Southampton, England Died 2 January 2002(2002-01-02) (aged 63) Party Conservative Spouse Wendy White Alma mater Jesus College, Oxford **Ian Grist** (5 December 1938 – 2 January 2002) was a British [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_(UK)) politician. Grist was Member of Parliament (MP) for [Cardiff North](/source/Cardiff_North_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) from February 1974 to 1983, and for [Cardiff Central](/source/Cardiff_Central_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) from 1983 until 1992. He also served as a Minister in the [Wales Office](/source/Wales_Office) between June 1987 and November 1990. ## Early life Grist was born in [Southampton](/source/Southampton). First he went to [prep school](/source/Preparatory_school_(United_Kingdom)) in [Broadstairs](/source/Broadstairs), Kent, after which he was sent to [Repton School](/source/Repton_School). Having won a scholarship[1] he studied history at [Jesus College, Oxford](/source/Jesus_College%2C_Oxford), from 1957 to 1960.[2][3] He had joined the [Young Conservatives](/source/Young_Conservatives_(UK)) in 1956[1] and in Oxford became Jesus College Conservative Association's secretary.[4][5] ## Career At first Grist wanted a career as a colonial administrator. In 1960 he went to the [Southern Cameroons](/source/Southern_Cameroons) as a plebiscite officer, and in 1961 he moved to Nigeria, working as a manager for the [United Africa Company](/source/United_Africa_Company). In 1963 he returned to Britain.[1][4] 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 general election](/source/1970_United_Kingdom_general_election) he stood for election in [Aberavon](/source/Aberavon_(UK_Parliament_constituency)), a [Labour](/source/Labour_Party_(UK)) stronghold, and lost. However, he won the marginal Cardiff North constituency in the [February 1974 election](/source/February_1974_United_Kingdom_general_election).[1] ### 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](/source/Parliamentary_Private_Secretary) to [Nicholas Edwards](/source/Nicholas_Edwards), the new Welsh Secretary, but he resigned in 1981. He returned to focusing on local issues.[1] Following boundary changes Grist stood for Cardiff Central in the [1983 general election](/source/1983_United_Kingdom_general_election) and won.[5] In the [1987 election](/source/1987_United_Kingdom_general_election) he held the seat by fewer than 2000 votes in what was the "closest three-way contest in Wales".[6] In 1987 [Margaret Thatcher](/source/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](/source/Jesus_Christ)" in Welsh[1]), and remained in the position until he was sacked by [John Major](/source/John_Major) in 1990.[4] In the [1992 general election](/source/1992_United_Kingdom_general_election) he lost Cardiff Central to [Labour Co-operative](/source/Labour_Co-operative) candidate [Jon Owen Jones](/source/Jon_Owen_Jones).[7] ### Outside Parliament After losing his seat Grist was made the chairman of [South Glamorgan](/source/South_Glamorgan) Health Authority, a post he held until 1996, when he retired due to ill health.[1][7] His appointment was regarded as controversial.[7] ## Political views While in opposition, Grist attacked Welsh devolution, unions, pop festivals and [Neil Kinnock](/source/Neil_Kinnock), whom he described as "neo-Marxist".[1] Under Thatcher he opposed the [poll tax](/source/Poll_tax_(Great_Britain)) and the [privatisation of water companies](/source/Water_privatisation_in_England_and_Wales). He also supported the British-American alliance. In social matters, he opposed the death penalty, restrictions on abortion, and [school corporal punishment](/source/School_corporal_punishment). A pro-European, he supported [Michael Heseltine](/source/Michael_Heseltine)'s leadership challenge.[4] ## Personal life and death In 1966 he married Wendy White.[1] They had two sons, Julian and Toby.[4] On the second day of 2002, Grist died of a stroke at the age of 63.[4] ## References - *The Times Guide to the House of Commons*, [Times Newspapers Ltd](/source/The_Times), 1987 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-Telegraph_1-8) ["Ian Grist"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1381160/Ian-Grist.html). *The Daily Telegraph*. 12 January 2002. Retrieved 4 August 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "Old Members' Obituaries (reprinted from the obituary printed in The Times on 8 January 2002)". *The Jesus College Record*: 93–4. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["GRIST, Ian"](http://www.knowuk.co.uk). *Who Was Who (subscription access)*. January 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Guardian_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Guardian_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Guardian_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Guardian_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Guardian_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Guardian_4-5) Roth, Andrew (22 January 2002). ["Ian Grist"](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jan/22/guardianobituaries.obituaries). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 4 August 2014. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Dictionary_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Dictionary_5-1) Jones, John Graham. ["Ian Grist"](https://biography.wales/article/s6-GRIS-IAN-1938). *[Dictionary of Welsh Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_Welsh_Biography)*. [National Library of Wales](/source/National_Library_of_Wales). Retrieved 4 August 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Almanac_6-0)** Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (1999). [*The Almanac of British politics*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9mC7pEr0R6QC&dq=ian+grist+mp&pg=PA143) (6th ed.). London: Routledge. p. 142. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780415185417](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780415185417). Retrieved 4 August 2014. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Echo_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Echo_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Echo_7-2) Tindle, Greg (10 January 2002). ["Tributes are paid to former MP Ian Grist"](http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Tributes+are+paid+to+former+MP+Ian+Grist.-a081591043). *South Wales Echo*. Retrieved 4 August 2014. Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by Michael Roberts Member of Parliament for Cardiff North February 1974–1983 Succeeded by Gwilym Jones New constituency Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central 1983–1992 Succeeded by Jon Owen Jones v t e Conservative Party MPs in Wales Until 1990s Nicholas Bennett Jonathan Evans Roger Evans Ian Grist Gwilym Jones Rod Richards Wyn Roberts Walter Sweeney Until 2019 Guto Bebb Chris Davies Until 2024 Sarah Atherton Simon Baynes Alun Cairns Stephen Crabb Virginia Crosbie David TC Davies James Davies Simon Hart David Jones Fay Jones Robin Millar Katie Wallis Craig Williams Authority control databases: People UK Parliament --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ian Grist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Grist) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Grist?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.