British politician (1929?2017)
David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington
,
GCVO
,
PC
,
QC
,
DL
(2 August 1929 ? 23 February 2017) was a British politician and
barrister
.
A member of the
Conservative Party
, he served as a
Member of Parliament
(MP) in the
House of Commons
from 1968 to 1974 and 1979 to 1990, and was then made a
life peer
in the
House of Lords
. During his parliamentary career, Waddington worked in government as
Chief Whip
, then as
Home Secretary
and finally as
Leader of the House of Lords
. He then served as the
Governor of Bermuda
between 1992 and 1997.
Early life
[
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]
Waddington was born in
Burnley
,
Lancashire
, the youngest of five. His father and grandfather were both solicitors in Burnley. He was educated at
Cressbrook School
and
Sedbergh School
, both independent schools.
[1]
He then attended
Hertford College, Oxford
, where he became President of the
Oxford University Conservative Association
. He was
called to the Bar
at
Gray's Inn
in 1951.
[2]
Waddington failed to adequately defend Stefan Kiszko, a civil servant accused of the
murder of Lesley Molseed
, at
Leeds Crown Court
in July 1976 in what would become one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Waddington did not review or question any of the 6000+ statements that the prosecution presented at the last minute. He also failed to ask about semen evidence that could have proved Kiszko's innocence since the sample Kiszko provided did not match semen retained from Molseed's body. Kiszko served 16 years in prison, receiving frequent violent attacks for being a "child killer", after wrongly being found guilty. He died of a massive heart attack 20 months after he was fully released. The real murderer was eventually convicted in 2007. Waddington was a strong supporter of
Capital Punishment
.
Political career
[
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]
Waddington stood for election several times before being successful. He was the
Conservative
candidate at
Farnworth
in the
1955 general election
, at
Nelson and Colne
in
1964
, and at
Heywood and Royton
in
1966
.
[3]
He was first elected to Parliament at the
1968 Nelson and Colne by-election
, caused by the death of
Labour
MP
Sydney Silverman
. He was re-elected there in
1970
and in
February 1974
, but lost his seat at the
October 1974 general election
by a margin of 669 votes to Labour's
Doug Hoyle
.
[2]
Waddington was returned to Parliament for
Clitheroe
at a
by-election in March 1979
, and was subsequently elected for the broadly similar
Ribble Valley
constituency in
1983
.
[1]
In government
[
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]
A junior minister under
Margaret Thatcher
, Waddington was a
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
and Government Whip (1979?81),
Parliamentary Under-Secretary
at the Department of Employment (1981?83), Minister of State at the
Home Office
(1983?87), and
Chief Whip
from 1987 until his elevation to
Cabinet
level in 1989, when he became
Home Secretary
.
[3]
On Monday 5 November 1990, he was the guest-of-honour at the annual dinner of the
Conservative Monday Club
[4]
Life peer
[
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]
On 4 December 1990, he was created a
life peer
as
Baron Waddington
, of
Read
in the
County of Lancashire
.
[5]
He served as
Lord Privy Seal
and
Leader of the House of Lords
until 1992. He then served as
Governor of Bermuda
from 1992 until 1997.
[6]
[7]
Lord Waddington was appointed a
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
(GCVO) in 1994.
[8]
In 2008, his amendment to the
Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
, known as the
Waddington Amendment
, inserted a
freedom of speech
clause into new anti-homophobic
hate crime
legislation.
[9]
In November 2009, the Government failed to repeal the Waddington Amendment in the Coroners and Justice Bill.
[10]
[11]
On 26 March 2015, Lord Waddington retired from the House of Lords pursuant to Section 1 of the
House of Lords Reform Act 2014
.
[12]
Personal life
[
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]
Waddington married Gillian Rosemary Green (born 1939), the daughter of
Alan Green
, on 20 December 1958. The couple had three sons and two daughters.
[13]
Lord Waddington died of
pneumonia
on 23 February 2017, at his home in
South Cheriton
, Somerset, aged 87.
[2]
[13]
Arms
[
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]
Coat of arms of David Waddington
|
- Coronet
- A
Coronet of a Baron
- Crest
- An Arm embowed vested Azure, issuing from the Sleeve of a Silk Gown Sable, the Hand proper, holding a Wreath of four Roses Gules, barbed and seeded proper, enfiled by a Sword point upwards Argent, Hilt Pommel and Quillons Or.
- Escutcheon
- Ermine, on a Cross Azure, between four Roses Gules, barbed and seeded proper, a Lion's Head guardant Or, langued Gules.
- Supporters
- Dexter: A Lion in trian aspect; Sinister: a Griffin, both Or, armed and langued Gules, gorged with a Bar dancetty Ermine, edged Azure, each statant erect amid Reeds growing from a Grassy Mount proper.
- Motto
- Deus Noster Refugium Et Virtus
(God is our refuge and courage)
|
References
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External links
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International
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People
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