Humphrey Edward Gregory Atkins, Baron Colnbrook, KCMG, PC (12 August 1922 – 4 October 1996) was a British politician and a member of the Conservative Party. He served for 32 years as a Member of Parliament (MP), and served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1982.[3]
The Lord Colnbrook | |
|---|---|
 Atkins in 1963 | |
| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal (Government spokesperson for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) | |
| In office 11 September 1981 – 7 April 1982 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Ian Gilmour |
| Succeeded by | Baroness Young |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 11 September 1981 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Roy Mason |
| Succeeded by | Jim Prior |
| Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Commons | |
| In office 4 March 1974 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Leader | Edward Heath Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Bob Mellish |
| Succeeded by | Michael Cocks |
| Government Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 2 December 1973 – 4 March 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Francis Pym |
| Succeeded by | Bob Mellish |
| Government Deputy Chief Whip Treasurer of the Household | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 2 December 1973 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Charles Morris |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Weatherill |
| Member of Parliament for Spelthorne | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 18 May 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Beresford Craddock |
| Succeeded by | David Wilshire |
| Member of Parliament for Merton and Morden | |
| In office 26 May 1955 – 29 May 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Ryder |
| Succeeded by | Janet Fookes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 August 1922 Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England[1] |
| Died | 4 October 1996 (aged 74) Waltham St Lawrence, Berkshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Margaret Spencer-Nairn |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Anna Keay (granddaughter)[2] John Keay (son-in-law) |
Early life
editAtkins was born on 12 August 1922, in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, son of Captain Edward Davis Atkins and Violet Mary (née Preston).[4] His family spent his first few years in Kenya, returning to England after his father died from being attacked by a rhinoceros.[4] Atkins was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and served in the Royal Navy from 1940 to 1948.[4]
In 1944, Atkins married Margaret Spencer-Nairn.[4] They had four children, three daughters and one son.[1] He worked for Nairn's, his wife's family's linoleum business in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, then became a director of a financial advertising agency.[4]
Political career
editAtkins contested the constituency of West Lothian in 1951, and was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Merton and Morden in 1955.[5] He became MP for Spelthorne in 1970.[6]
Atkins was the Conservative Chief Whip from 1973 to 1979, and served as a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1979 to 1981. In September 1981, he was appointed as Lord Privy Seal, which was a role as the chief government spokesman in the House of Commons for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. This role was necessary because the Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, sat in the House of Lords. He resigned in April 1982, along with Lord Carrington, over the Falklands invasion.[7]
Atkins was appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George as a Knight Commander (KCMG) in the 1983 Dissolution Honours.[8] He left the House of Commons in 1987 and was created a life peer on 16 October as Baron Colnbrook, of Waltham St Lawrence in the Royal County of Berkshire.[1][9]
Death
editAtkins died from cancer on 4 October 1996, aged 74, at home in Waltham St Lawrence, Berkshire.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Froggatt, Richard. "Humphrey Atkins (1922–1996): Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1979–1981". Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Ulster History Circle. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ The Telegraph website, Anna Keay on India, motherhood and the Duke of Monmouth, article by Hermione Lister Kaye dated June 13, 2014
- ^ Cosgrave, Patrick (7 October 1996). "Obituaries : Lord Colnbrook". The Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Roth, Andrew (2004). "Atkins, Humphrey Edward Gregory, Baron Colnbrook (1922–1996), politician". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/63353. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ UK Parliament website, Merton and Morden
- ^ UK Parliament website, Spelthorne
- ^ CAIN website, Atkins, Humphrey Edward Gregory
- ^ "No. 49424". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 1983. p. 9700.
- ^ "No. 51097". The London Gazette. 21 October 1987. p. 12971.