Thomas Frederick Peart, Baron Peart, PC (30 April 1914 – 26 August 1988) was a British Labour politician who served in the Labour governments of the 1960s and 1970s and was a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Party.
The Lord Peart | |
|---|---|
 Peart in 1959 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in the Lords Shadow Leader of the House of Lords | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 4 November 1982 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan Michael Foot |
| Preceded by | The Lord Carrington |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos |
| Leader of the House of Lords | |
| In office 10 September 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | The Lord Shepherd |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Soames |
| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | |
| In office 10 September 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | The Lord Shepherd |
| Succeeded by | Ian Gilmour |
| In office 6 April 1968 – 1 November 1968 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | The Lord Shackleton |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Shackleton |
| Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |
| In office 5 March 1974 – 10 September 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Joseph Godber |
| Succeeded by | John Silkin |
| In office 18 October 1964 – 6 April 1968 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Christopher Soames |
| Succeeded by | Cledwyn Hughes |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 10 April 1972 – 5 March 1974 | |
| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | George Thomson |
| Succeeded by | Ian Gilmour |
| Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |
| In office 16 December 1971 – 10 April 1972 | |
| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Cledwyn Hughes |
| Succeeded by | ??? |
| Shadow Leader of the House of Commons | |
| In office 20 June 1970 – 16 December 1971 | |
| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Selwyn Lloyd (1965) |
| Succeeded by | Michael Foot |
| Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council | |
| In office 1 November 1968 – 20 June 1970 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Dick Crossman |
| Succeeded by | Willie Whitelaw |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office 23 September 1976 – 26 August 1988 Life Peerage | |
| Member of Parliament for Workington | |
| In office 5 July 1945 – 23 September 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Cape |
| Succeeded by | Richard Page |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 April 1914 Durham, England |
| Died | 26 August 1988 (aged 74) London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Bette Lewis (m. 1945) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Durham University |
Early life and education
editThomas Frederick Peart was born in Durham, England, in 1914, the son of Emerson Featherstone Peart, a headmaster and leading Labour member of Durham County Council, and Florence Blissenden.[1] The younger Peart qualified as a teacher at the University of Durham in 1936.[1] During his time at university he was President of the Durham Union for Epiphany term of 1936.[2] He studied at the Inner Temple but did not enter the legal profession, instead teaching economics in Durham.[1] He served in the Royal Artillery in World War II, gaining the rank of captain.[1]
Political career
editPeart was elected Member of Parliament for Workington in 1945, serving until 1976.[1] He initially served as PPS to the Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries (Tom Williams).[1]
Peart, along with the rest of the Labour Party, went into opposition after Sir Winston Churchill's 1951 election victory. In 1964, he returned to government after Harold Wilson defeated Sir Alec Douglas-Home at that year's election. He was appointed to the Cabinet holding the Cabinet post of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.[1] His tenure saw advances in pay for agricultural labourers, and in technology.
In 1968, Peart became Lord Privy Seal, with no particular responsibilities.[1] Seven months later, Peart became Leader of the House of Commons, taking the subsidiary title Lord President of the Council.[1] After Labour lost the 1970 election, Peart returned to opposition as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. He held that position until December 1971, when he became Shadow Agriculture Minister.[3] When Labour returned to power, Peart once more took the Agriculture portfolio.
On 23 September 1976, Peart was created a life peer as Baron Peart, of Workington in the County of Cumbria,[4] to serve as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal at a time when the Labour faction in the Lords was tiny compared to the vast Tory majority, mainly composed of hereditary peers.[1]
After Margaret Thatcher won the 1979 election, Peart continued as Leader of the Labour Peers and thus became Shadow Leader of the House of Lords. He served in those roles until 1982, when he was defeated for re-election by Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos in a vote among Labour peers.[5]
Personal life and death
editIn 1945, Peart married Bette Lewis, and they had one son.[1]
On 6 June 1975, Peart was on board the train which derailed in the Nuneaton rail crash; he survived with minor injuries.[6]
In 1984, Peart was attacked by two robbers who broke into his London home. This preceded a terminal decline in his health, and he died at a hospital in London on 26 August 1988, at the age of 74.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Morris, Alfred (2004). "Peart, (Thomas) Frederick, Baron Peart (1914–1988), politician". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39855. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Campbell, P. D. A. (1952). A Short History of the Durham Union Society. Durham County Press. p. 17.
- ^ Warden, John (17 December 1971). "Wilson Gives Foot Key Market Role". The Glasgow Herald. p. 22. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
- ^ "No. 47025". The London Gazette. 28 September 1976. p. 13129.
- ^ "No whip's job for Canavan". The Glasgow Herald. 5 November 1982. p. 6.
- ^ "Nuneaton train crash: Vivid memories 40 years on". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
External links
edit- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Fred Peart