John Wakeham

{{short description|British businessman and Conservative Party politician (born 1932)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable | name = The Lord Wakeham | honorific_suffix = PC DL | image = Official portrait of Lord Wakeham crop 2.jpg | office = Leader of the House of Lords | caption = Official portrait, 2019 | prime_minister = John Major | term_start = 11 April 1992 | term_end = 20 July 1994 | predecessor = The Lord Waddington | successor = Viscount Cranborne | office3 = Secretary of State for Energy | prime_minister3 = Margaret Thatcher John Major | term_start3 = 24 July 1989 | term_end3 = 11 April 1992 | predecessor3 = Cecil Parkinson | successor3 = ''Office abolished'' | office4 = Lord President of the Council | prime_minister4 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start4 = 10 January 1988 | term_end4 = 24 July 1989 | predecessor4 = The Viscount Whitelaw | successor4 = Geoffrey Howe | office5 = Leader of the House of Commons | prime_minister5 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start5 = 13 June 1987 | term_end5 = 24 July 1989 | predecessor5 = John Biffen | successor5 = Geoffrey Howe | office1 = Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | prime_minister1 = John Major | term_start1 = 11 April 1992 | term_end1 = 20 July 1994 | predecessor1 = The Lord Waddington | successor1 = Viscount Cranborne | prime_minister2 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start2 = 13 June 1987 | term_end2 = 10 January 1988 | predecessor2 = John Biffen | successor2 = The Lord Belstead | office6 = Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | prime_minister6 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start6 = 9 June 1983 | term_end6 = 13 June 1987 | predecessor6 = Michael Jopling | successor6 = David Waddington | office7 = Minister of State for the Treasury | prime_minister7 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start7 = 6 April 1982 | term_end7 = 9 June 1983 | predecessor7 = The Lord Cockfield | successor7 = Barney Hayhoe | office8 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | prime_minister8 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start8 = 15 September 1981 | term_end8 = 6 April 1982 | predecessor8 = Michael Marshall | successor8 = John Butcher | office9 = Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | prime_minister9 = Margaret Thatcher | term_start9 = 9 January 1981 | term_end9 = 15 September 1981 | predecessor9 = David Waddington | successor9 = Tony Newton | office10 = Member of the House of Lords | status10 = Lord Temporal | term_label10 = Life peerage | term_start10 = 24 April 1992 | term_end10 = | office11 = Member of Parliament for South Colchester and Maldon {{nobold|(Maldon 1974–1983)}} | term_start11 = 28 February 1974 | term_end11 = 16 March 1992 | predecessor11 = Brian Harrison | successor11 = John Whittingdale | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1932|6|22|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Wakeham |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-john-wakeham/index.html |work=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) |access-date=9 April 2016}}</ref> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Roberta Wakeham|1965|1984|end=her death}}|{{marriage|Alison Ward|1985}}}} | children = 3 | party = Conservative | }}

'''John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham''', {{post-nominals|country=GB|PC|DL}} (born 22 June 1932) is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mr John Wakeham |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-john-wakeham/index.html |website=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) |access-date=14 May 2021}}</ref> He was chancellor of Brunel University between 1998 and 2012, and since then has been its chancellor emeritus.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chancellor |url=http://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/Lord-Wakeham-appointed-Chancellor-Emeritus-of-Brunel-University |publisher=Brunel University |date=5 March 2013 |access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref>

Wakeham was a director of Enron from 1994<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff and agencies |title=Enron's board of directors |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/feb/01/corporatefraud.enron3 |work=The Guardian |date=30 January 2002 |access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref> until its bankruptcy in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=UC reaches $168-million settlement with Enron directors in securities fraud case |url=http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/10095 |url-status=dead |publisher=University of California |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724070458/http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/10095 |archive-date=24 July 2008}}</ref>

==Early life and education== thumb|Wakeham as Chancellor of Brunel University Wakeham was educated at two independent schools in Surrey: Aldro School in Shackleford, and Charterhouse near Godalming. He became a successful accountant and later a businessman.

==Political career== Wakeham stood unsuccessfully in Coventry East in 1966<ref name="roth-1984">{{cite book |last1=Roth |first1=Andrew |author1-link=Andrew Roth |last2=Kerbey |first2=Janice |last3=Tench |first3=Judy |title=Parliamentary Profiles S–Z |publisher=Parliamentary Profile Services |year=1984 |pages=854–856 |isbn=0-900582-24-3}}</ref> and in Putney in 1970<ref name="roth-1984"/> before his election to the House of Commons at the February 1974 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Maldon<ref name="roth-1984"/> in Essex. He became a minister following Margaret Thatcher's victory in 1979.

During the late 1980s he served as Leader of the House of Commons, in which capacity he was responsible for the televising of Parliament, and as Energy Secretary (1989–92), where he drew up plans for the privatisation of electricity supply. Following a recommendation by John Major, he was created a life peer on 29 April 1992 taking the title '''Baron Wakeham''', of Maldon in the County of Essex,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=52907|date=29 April 1992|page=7461}}</ref> serving as the Leader of the House of Lords until 1994.

Wakeham became chairman of the Press Complaints Commission in 1995, retiring in 2001. In 1997 he was appointed a Deputy lieutenant of Hampshire. Tony Blair appointed him in 1999 to head a Royal commission on reform of the House of Lords – the resulting Wakeham Report suggested a mainly-appointed Lords be maintained, with a small elected component.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

==Personal life== His first wife, Roberta, was killed in the Brighton hotel bombing in October 1984 and he was trapped in rubble for seven hours, suffering serious crush injuries to his legs. The couple had two children. Wakeham married his secretary, Alison Ward MBE, in 1985<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-wakeham-the-watchdog-now-has-to-explain-why-he-didnt-bark-659231.html |title=John Wakeham: The watchdog now has to explain why he didn't bark |work=The Independent |date=3 February 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116055613/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-wakeham-the-watchdog-now-has-to-explain-why-he-didnt-bark-659231.html |archive-date=16 January 2011 }}</ref> and they have a son of their own. Before being Wakeham's secretary, Ward had been Margaret Thatcher's secretary.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

==Arms== {{Infobox emblem wide |style="clear: none;" |image = centre|150px centre|200px |crest = A Greyhound statant Or, crowned with a Mural Crown chequy Azure and Argent, and supporting by the dexter foreleg a Cross Raguly Argent, nailed of three Or. |coronet = A Coronet of a Baron. |escutcheon = Per fess embattled Azure and Argent, a Pale counterchanged, in the azure a Lion's Head guardant Or, langued Gules, and in the argent, a Bugle Horn Azure, garnished and stringed Or. |supporters = Dexter: a Sea-Lion Azure, Mane and Head in trian aspect Argent, langued Gules, crowned with a Crown Tridenty Gold; Sinister: a Sea-Horse Azure, Head and Neck Argent, and crowned also with a Crown Tridenty Gold, the whole upon a Compartment consisting of three Bars wavy Azure, Argent and Azure, in front thereof a Grassy Mount growing therefrom three Double Roses Argent, upon Gules, barbed and seeded stalked and leaved proper. |motto = Vigilo ''(I watch)'' }}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-john-wakeham | John Wakeham }} * {{C-SPAN|29785}} * {{NPG name}} * [http://www.apfn.org/enron/wakeham.htm Wakeham profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704035835/http://www.apfn.org/enron/wakeham.htm |date=4 July 2010 }}, apfn.org

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{{Leader of the House of Commons}} {{Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change}} {{Conservative Chief Whips}} {{Thatcher Ministry}} {{Major Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeham, John}} Category:1932 births Category:Living people Category:British secretaries of state Category:Conservative Party (UK) life peers Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire Category:Enron people Category:Leaders of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Category:Leaders of the House of Lords Category:Lords president of the Council Category:Lords Privy Seal Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Category:People associated with Brunel University London Category:People educated at Aldro Category:People educated at Charterhouse School Category:Survivors of terrorist attacks Category:UK MPs 1974 Category:UK MPs 1974–1979 Category:UK MPs 1979–1983 Category:UK MPs 1983–1987 Category:UK MPs 1987–1992 Category:Members of Parliament for Maldon Category:Rothschild & Co people Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II