For other people named Gareth Williams, see Gareth Williams (disambiguation).
The Lord Williams of Mostyn
Honorific prefixThe Right Honourable
Honorific suffixPC QC
OfficeLeader of the House of Lords
Prime ministerTony Blair
Term start8 June 2001
Term end20 September 2003
PredecessorThe Baroness Jay of Paddington
SuccessorThe Baroness Amos
Office 1Lord President of the Council
Prime minister 1Tony Blair
Term start 113 June 2003
Term end 120 September 2003
Predecessor 1John Reid
Successor 1The Baroness Amos
Office 3Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Prime minister 3Tony Blair
Term start 38 June 2001
Term end 313 June 2003
Predecessor 3The Baroness Jay of Paddington
Successor 3Peter Hain
Office 4Attorney General for England and Wales
Attorney General for Northern Ireland
Prime minister 4Tony Blair
Term start 429 July 1999
Term end 48 June 2001
Predecessor 4John Morris
Successor 4The Lord Goldsmith
Office 5Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Term start 5October 1998
Term end 5June 2001
Prime minister 5Tony Blair
Leader 5The Baroness Jay of Paddington
Predecessor 5The Baroness Jay of Paddington
Successor 5The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Office 6Minister of State for Prisons
Prime minister 6Tony Blair
Term start 628 July 1998
Term end 628 July 1999
Predecessor 6Joyce Quin
Successor 6Charles Clarke
Office 7Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs
Prime minister 7Tony Blair
Term start 72 May 1997
Term end 728 July 1998
Predecessor 7Tom Sackville
Successor 7Kate Hoey
Office 8Member of the House of Lords
Status 8Lord Temporal
Term label 8Life peerage
Term start 830 July 1992
Term end 820 September 2003
Birth date5 February 1941
Birth placePrestatyn, Wales
Death date20 September 2003 (aged 62)
Resting place
  • St Michael and all Angels Church
  • Great Tew, England
Death placeEvenlode, England
PartyLabour
Alma materQueens' College, Cambridge
Spouse
  • Pauline Clarke (m. 1962)
  • Veena Russell (m. 1994)

Gareth Wyn Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn, (5 February 1941 – 20 September 2003) was a Welsh barrister and Labour politician who was Leader of the House of Lords, Lord President of the Council and a member of the Cabinet from 2001 until his sudden death in 2003. He played an important role in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Early life

Williams was born near Prestatyn, in North Wales, a son of Albert Thomas Williams and his wife Selina, née Evans.[1] He was educated at Rhyl Grammar School and at Queens' College, Cambridge.[1]

He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1965,[1] he became Queen's Counsel in 1978,[1] was a Recorder from 1978,[2] a Deputy High Court Judge, 1986–92, the Leader of the Wales and Chester Circuit, 1987–89,[1] and a Member of the Bar Council, 1986–92[1] (Chairman, 1992).[1]

Political career

He was created a life peer on 20 July 1992 as Baron Williams of Mostyn, of Great Tew in the County of Oxfordshire,[3] and became an opposition spokesman in the House of Lords on Legal Affairs and later Northern Ireland. After Labour's election victory he was appointed a Home Office minister and played a role in securing the permanent Provisional IRA ceasefire of 1997 during the Northern Ireland peace process.[4] In 1999 he became Attorney General for England and Wales and Northern Ireland. He was appointed Leader of the House of Lords in 2001, initially with the sinecure office of Lord Privy Seal, for which Lord President of the Council was substituted in 2003.

Reputation among his colleagues

As part of the celebrations to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Life Peerages Act, Lord Williams was voted by the current members of the House of Lords as the outstanding life peer since the creation of the life peerage.[5] In his book A View from the Foothills Chris Mullin wrote that he thought that Gareth Williams was most likely to succeed Derry Irvine as Lord Chancellor; in the event the position was next filled by Charles Falconer.[6]

Personal life

Williams married Pauline Clarke in 1962, and they had three children. They divorced, and he then married Veena M. Russell in 1994, and by her had one daughter, Imogen.[1] He died from a heart attack at his home in Evenlode, Gloucestershire on 20 September 2003, aged 62, and was buried at St Michael and all Angels Church in Great Tew, Oxfordshire.[7]

Arms

Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn
EscutcheonErmine on a pile flory at the point Sable a lion rampany Or armed and langued Gules.
CrestA portcullis Or in front of an arm embowed vested and the cuff braided Sable frilled at the wrist the hand Proper holding by its blade upwards Argent a sword palewise to the front of the portcullis its hilt pommel and quillons Gold.
SupportersDexter upon a grassy mount growing therefrom two sweet pea flowers Proper a griffin statant erect Gold sinister upon a like mount a dragon statant erect also Gold both armed and langued Gules.

References

  1. ^ Archer of Sandwell (21 September 2003). "Obituary: Lord Williams of Mostyn". The Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  2. ^ No. 47569. 16 June 1978. p. 7315.
  3. ^ No. 53009. 4 August 1992. p. 13149.
  4. ^ Paddy O'Hanlon (2011). End of Term Report (Paddy O'Hanlon Publishing), pp. 111–114, 164–165
  5. ^ "Former Lords leader honoured with award". Yahoo/Epolitix. Retrieved 20 July 2008.[dead link]
  6. ^ Mullin, Chris (2009). "Monday 7 January 2002". A View from the Foothills: The Diaries of Chris Mullin. Profile Books. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-84668-230-8.
  7. ^ Robbins, Keith (28 June 2017). "WILLIAMS, GARETH WYN, Baron Williams of Mostyn (1941–2003), lawyer and politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 16 August 2022.

Bibliography

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