British Conservative politician (born 1951)
"Frederick Curzon" redirects here. For the light music composer, see
Frederic Curzon
.
Frederick Richard Penn Curzon, 7th Earl Howe
,
GBE
,
PC
(born 29 January 1951), is a
Conservative
front bench member of the
House of Lords
. He is
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
and former Minister of State for Defence. Howe is the longest continuously serving Conservative frontbencher, having held a front bench role in some capacity since 1991.
Background and education
[
edit
]
Lord Howe was the son of the
Royal Navy
commander and film actor
George Curzon
, who was a grandson of the
3rd Earl Howe
. Lord Howe's mother was Jane Victoria Fergusson, second wife of his father. He was educated at King's Mead School,
Seaford
,
Rugby School
, and
Christ Church, Oxford
, where he graduated in "
Mods and Greats
" in 1973 and, according to his
Who's Who
entry, earned the Chancellor's Prize in Latin Verse.
Business and political career
[
edit
]
After leaving university in 1973, he joined
Barclays Bank
and served in a number of managerial and senior managerial posts in London and in other countries.
[1]
After succeeding his second cousin as 7th Earl Howe in 1984, he left banking to concentrate on his parliamentary activities and on running the family farm (Seagraves Farm Co Ltd) and estate at Penn in south
Buckinghamshire
. In 1991, Howe became a
Lord in Waiting
(Government whip in the
House of Lords
) with responsibilities, successively, for transport, employment,
defence
and
environment
. Following the
1992 general election
he was appointed
Parliamentary Secretary
at the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
and in 1995
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the
Ministry of Defence
, a post he relinquished at the
1997 general election
.
Howe was opposition spokesman for Health and Social Services in the House of Lords between 1997 and 2010. Howe was unique in being the only member of the Conservative Party to shadow the same portfolio throughout the thirteen years of opposition. Since the
House of Lords Act 1999
,
hereditary peers
do not have the automatic right to sit in the Lords. However the Act provides for 92 hereditary peers to remain, and representatives from each faction in the House are elected under
Standing Orders
of the House. At the election in 1999, Howe was the sixth most popular Conservative peer (Conservatives are by far the largest party grouping of hereditary peers). Apart from his frontbench responsibilities, his special interests include
penal affairs
and agriculture. He is a member of the all-party groups on
penal affairs
,
abuse investigations
,
pharmaceuticals
,
adoption
,
mental health
and
epilepsy
.
Since
Lord Strathclyde
retired from the frontbench in January 2013,
[2]
Howe has been the longest-tenured frontbencher (chosen in 1991).
Howe was appointed
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
(GBE) in the
2021 Birthday Honours
for political and parliamentary service.
[3]
Other public appointments
[
edit
]
In 1999 Howe was appointed non-executive chairman of the London and Provincial Antique Dealers' Association (LAPADA),
[4]
the country's largest trade association for the
fine art
and
antiques
trade.
Involved in many charitable commitments, Howe is:
- President of the Abbeyfield Beaconsfield Society
- President of Penn and Tylers Green Residents Society
- Patron of the Chiltern Society;
[5]
- Patron of Design & Manufacture for Disability (DEMAND)
- Hereditary Governor of the King William IV Naval Foundation.
- a trustee of
Milton's
Cottage
- President of the
Epilepsy Society
, formerly the National Society for Epilepsy, for 25 years until his wife Countess Howe became president in September 2010.
[6]
[7]
[8]
- a trustee of RAFT (Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust);
- a member of the Committee of Management of the
RNLI
;
- a trustee of
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School
in
Marlow
, Buckinghamshire;
- President of the South Buckinghamshire Association for the Disabled;
- Honorary Treasurer of the Trident Trust
- a trustee of Penn Street Village Hall
- a vice-president at Knotty Green Cricket Club
Personal life
[
edit
]
Lord Howe married Elizabeth Helen Stuart, elder daughter of Captain Burleigh Edward St Lawrence Stuart, on 26 March 1983. They have four children:
- Lady Anna Elizabeth Curzon (19 January 1987) who studied music at the
University of Nottingham
.
- Lady Flora Grace Curzon (12 June 1989)
- Lady Lucinda Rose Curzon (12 October 1991)
- Thomas Edward Penn Curzon, Viscount Curzon (22 October 1994)
The family live at Penn House,
Penn, Buckinghamshire
, seat of the Earls Howe.
[9]
Countess Howe is active in the Buckinghamshire community, serving as a Deputy Lord Lieutenant from 1995 before becoming
Lord Lieutenant
in 2020.
[10]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Sorted by (historical) entity at time of grant
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England
|
- Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury
- Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby
- William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon
- William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke
- Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon
- Robert Fiennes-Clinton, 19th Earl of Lincoln
- Alexander Howard, 22nd Earl of Suffolk
- William Herbert, 15th Earl of Montgomery
- Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh
- Anthony Fane, 16th Earl of Westmorland
- Alexander Howard, 15th Earl of Berkshire
- Richard Bertie, 14th Earl of Lindsey
- Daniel Finch-Hatton, 17th Earl of Winchilsea
- John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich
- Paul Capell, 11th Earl of Essex
- George Howard, 13th Earl of Carlisle
- Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury
- Daniel Finch-Hatton, 12th Earl of Nottingham
- Richard Bertie, 9th Earl of Abingdon
- Timothy Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland
- Richard Lumley, 13th Earl of Scarbrough
- Rufus Keppel, 10th Earl of Albemarle
- George Coventry, 13th Earl of Coventry
- William Child Villiers, 10th Earl of Jersey
| |
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Scotland
|
- Alistair Sutherland, 25th Earl of Sutherland
- Anthony Lindsay, 30th Earl of Crawford
- Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar
- Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll
- Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness
- Stewart Douglas, 22nd Earl of Morton
- James Leslie, 22nd Earl of Rothes
- Henry Erskine, 18th Earl of Buchan
- Hugh Montgomerie, 19th Earl of Eglinton
- John Stuart, 21st Earl of Moray
- James Erskine, 14th Earl of Mar
- Michael Douglas-Home, 16th Earl of Home
- James David Drummond, 10th Earl of Perth
- Simon Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
- James Erskine, 16th Earl of Kellie
- George Baillie-Hamilton, 14th Earl of Haddington
- Andrew Stewart, 14th Earl of Galloway
- Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale
- James Lindesay-Bethune, 16th Earl of Lindsay
- Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun
- Charles Hay, 16th Earl of Kinnoull
- Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin
- James Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss
- James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie
- David Ogilvy, 14th Earl of Airlie
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, 15th Earl of Leven
- John Grant, 13th Earl of Dysart
- John Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Earl of Selkirk
- Patrick Carnegy, 15th Earl of Northesk
- Andrew Bruce, 15th Earl of Kincardine
- Anthony Lindsay, 13th Earl of Balcarres
- Filippo Rospigliosi, 12th Earl of Newburgh
- Alexander Scrymgeour, 12th Earl of Dundee
- Patrick Hope-Johnstone, 11th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell
- Iain Cochrane, 15th Earl of Dundonald
- James Keith, 14th Earl of Kintore
- Malcolm Murray, 12th Earl of Dunmore
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, 14th Earl of Melville
- Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney
- James Charteris, 9th Earl of March
- Ian Ogilvie-Grant, 13th Earl of Seafield
- John Dalrymple, 14th Earl of Stair
- Neil Primrose, 7th Earl of Rosebery
- Patrick Boyle, 10th Earl of Glasgow
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Great
Britain
|
- Robert Shirley, 14th Earl Ferrers
- William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth
- Peter Bennett, 10th Earl of Tankerville
- Charles Finch-Knightley, 12th Earl of Aylesford
- Richard Parker, 9th Earl of Macclesfield
- James Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave
- Charles Stanhope, 12th Earl of Harrington
- Quentin Wallop, 10th Earl of Portsmouth
- Guy Greville, 9th Earl Brooke
- George Hobart-Hampden, 10th Earl of Buckinghamshire
- Piers North, 10th Earl of Guilford
- Joseph Yorke, 10th Earl of Hardwicke
- Robin Fox-Strangways, 10th Earl of Ilchester
- Guy Greville, 9th Earl of Warwick
- William Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warr
- William Pleydell-Bouverie, 9th Earl of Radnor
- Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
- Allen Bathurst, 9th Earl Bathurst
- George Villiers, 8th Earl of Clarendon
- Alexander Murray, 8th and 9th Earl of Mansfield
- Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 7th Earl Talbot
- Christopher Edgcumbe, 9th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
- Charles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue
- Alexander Murray, 9th Earl of Mansfield
- George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon
- Edward Cadogan, 9th Earl Cadogan
- James Harris, 7th Earl of Malmesbury
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Ireland
| Kingdom of Ireland
|
- Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Waterford
- John Boyle, 15th Earl of Cork
- William Anthony Nugent, 13th Earl of Westmeath
- John Brabazon, 15th Earl of Meath
- Alexander Feilding, 11th Earl of Desmond
- Roger Lambart, 13th Earl of Cavan
- John Boyle, 15th Earl of Orrery
- Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda
- Peter Forbes, 10th Earl of Granard
- Ivo Bligh, 12th Earl of Darnley
- Myles Ponsonby, 12th Earl of Bessborough
- Thomas Butler, 11th Earl of Carrick
- Henry Boyle, 10th Earl of Shannon
- Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran
- Patrick Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown
- John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough
- David Turnour, 8th Earl Winterton
- Robert King-Tenison, 12th Earl of Kingston
- Robert Jocelyn, 10th Earl of Roden
- David Vaughan, 9th Earl of Lisburne
- Patrick Meade, 8th Earl of Clanwilliam
- Randal McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim
- Thomas Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford
- George Dawson-Damer, 7th Earl of Portarlington
- Charles Bourke, 11th Earl of Mayo
- Michael Annesley, 12th Earl Annesley
- Andrew Cole, 7th Earl of Enniskillen
- John Crichton, 7th Earl Erne
- George Bingham, 8th Earl of Lucan
- John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore
- Andrew Stuart, 9th Earl Castle Stewart
- Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon
- Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 8th Earl of Donoughmore
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After 1801
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United
Kingdom
| King George III
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- Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn
- Benjamin Craven, 9th Earl of Craven
- Rupert Onslow, 8th Earl of Onslow
- Julian Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney
- John Pelham, 9th Earl of Chichester
- Francis Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton
- John Herbert, 8th Earl of Powis
- Simon Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson
- Philip Kent Grey, 7th Earl Grey
- William Lowther, 9th Earl of Lonsdale
- Conroy Ryder, 8th Earl of Harrowby
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Prince Regent
| |
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King George IV
| |
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King William IV
| |
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Queen Victoria
|
- Thomas Coke, 8th Earl of Leicester
- Anthony Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough
- William Byng, 9th Earl of Strafford
- Mark Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham
- Graham Wellesley, 8th Earl Cowley
- David Ward, 5th Earl of Dudley
- Hugh Montgomerie, 7th Earl of Winton
- John Russell, 7th Earl Russell
- John Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie
- John Wodehouse, 5th Earl of Kimberley
- Richard Wortley, 5th Earl of Wharncliffe
- Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns
- John Lytton, 5th Earl of Lytton
- William Palmer, 5th Earl of Selborne
- John Northcote, 5th Earl of Iddesleigh
- Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook
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King Edward VII
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King George V
|
- Neil Primrose, 3rd Earl of Midlothian
- Michael Hicks Beach, 3rd Earl St Aldwyn
- David Beatty, 3rd Earl Beatty
- Alexander Haig, 3rd Earl Haig
- Edward Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh
- Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour
- Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith
- Patrick Jellicoe, 3rd Earl Jellicoe
- Peter Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape
- William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel
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King George VI
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Queen Elizabeth II
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Italics
in entries mean the peer also holds a previously listed earldom of higher precedence
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