David Renton, Baron Renton
David Lockhart -Mure Renton, Baron Renton KBE, QC, TD, DL, PC ( born August 12, 1908 in Dartford, Kent, † 24 May, 2007 Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire ) was a British politician, first the National Liberal Party, later the Conservative Party.
Life and career
Renton was on 12 August 1908 in Dartford, Kent son of a surgeon and a nurse. He attended school in Stubbington and Oundle School, studied at University College, where he is an Honorary Fellow in 1990.
After he studied medicine, he finally moved to law. He was President of the Oxford University Liberal Club. He played Rugby Fives for the University of Oxford and played cricket and rugby union for his college.
It was founded in 1933 approved by the Law Society of Lincoln's Inn. He practiced in civil and criminal processes in South - East Circuit. In 1939 he was elected member of the General Council of the Bar and was in 1979, when he left the House of Commons, Treasurer ( Treasurer ) of Lincoln 's Inn.
He joined the Territorial Army in 1938 and was used in the Royal Engineers. In 1940 he joined the Royal Artillery and volunteered in 1942 to serve overseas. For three years he was employed in the Middle East. Promoted to Major, he was employed as a legal adviser to the General Headquarters Cairo, before in 1944 he was President of the British Military Court of Tripolitania in Tripoli.
Membership in the House of Commons
David Renton was for 34 years, from 1945 to 1979, member of the House of Commons for the electoral district of Huntingdonshire, first as a Liberal National and subsequently pursuant to the merger of the party with the Conservatives as a National Liberal and Conservative, in 1968, he was one of the last three National Liberal MPs who decided to become full members of the Tories.
He returned to England in 1945 and was as MP for the constituency of Huntingdonshire in the lower house election in 1945 as a Liberal National. During his time in the House, the party merged with the Conservatives at the constituency level.
During his political career, he continued his activities as a lawyer and Queen's Counsel in 1954. In 1950, he became friends with Margaret Roberts, later Thatcher, as this was a student at Lincoln 's Inn. Renton Bencher in 1962 and in 1979 was treasurer. From 1963 to 1968 he was recorder in Rochester and from 1968 to 1973 in Guildford. He was Vice Chairman ( Vice-Chairman ) of the Council of Legal Education from 1968 to 1973 and member of the Senate of the Inns of Court
Renton occurred in 1950 in the British delegation which drafted the European Convention on Human Rights. He was Under Secretary of State in the governments of Sir Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan in the 1950s, from 1955 to 1957 he was Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State at the Ministry of Fuel and Power under Aubrey Jones and 1957-1958 when energy ministers (Minister of Power ), where he supported the adoption of the Clean Air Act. He moved as Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for the Home Office ( 1958-1961 ) and was there from 1961 to 1962, Minister of State ( Secretary of State ).
He served under Home Secretary Rab Butler, and brought, among others, the life peerages Act 1958, the Street Offences Act 1958 and the Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962. He was released in the Night of the Long Knives in July 1962 and became a member of the Privy Council. Later he was a member of several committees of the House of Commons.
In 1964 he became Knight of the Order of the British Empire and was awarded the RSPCA bronze medal in the same year for the rescue of horses and pigs from a fire near his house.
Renton supported Britain's entry into the European Union, but later supported the Save the Pound campaign. In 1971 he was a member of Kilbrandon Commission, the Royal Commission on the Constitution, rejected by the full self-government for Scotland and Wales, and instead proposed a limited form of devolution.
At the invitation of Edward Heath back, he headed the Committee on Preparation of Legislation that reviewed the methods for the creation of Acts of Parliament. The Renton Report was published in 1975. He recommended that we should pay more attention to principles than on specific details for every possible situation.
In 1962, he was Deputy Lieutenant for Huntingdonshire, 1964 Huntingdon and Peterborough, as well as 1974 for Cambridgeshire. In the general election in 1979, he did not appear again. His successor as MP for the constituency of Huntingdonshire was the later Conservative Prime Minister John Major, who later wrote the foreword to Renton memoirs.
Membership in the House of Lords
Renton was appointed Life peer as Baron Renton, of Huntingdon in the County of Cambridgeshire on 11 July 1979. His official introduction to the House of Lords took place on 16 July 1979 with the support of Philip Allen, Baron Allen of Abbeydale and Ailwyn Fellowes, 3rd Baron de Ramsey.
His inaugural address was delivered on 24 January 1980.
From 1982 to 1988 he was Deputy Speaker. In 1998 he was elected president of the Association of Conservative Peers unopposed and was 2003 president for life. Since April 4, 2004 until his death he was the oldest living peer.
He played for the Lords and Commons Cricket Club until he was 66 and went hunting until he was 70. He continued to go hunting until he was 91, as a heart valve was replaced.
In July 2003, shortly before his 95th birthday, he passed the driving test for his driver's license for the first time. He drove already regularly since 1934, at a time when there was no driver's license. At the age of 96 years he gave up driving. He was the oldest Briton, who passed the test.
He was a leader in the movement that campaigned for the preservation of the traditions of the House of Lords, including life lay membership of the Peerage. The The Washington Post in 2005, according to Renton was still of the opinion that " the genius at the House of Lords is that his world-renowned experts belong in law, science and the arts, who would never line up for an election ," and that " democracy has its limits ".
His memoirs, The Spice of Life, were published in 2006.
Recently he reported on 25 July 2006 to word. On 19 July 2006 he took part in a vote last.
- Session 1997/1998: 218 1 = 218 days
- Session of April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002: 122 days
- Session of April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003: 153 days
- Session 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004: 148 days
- Session of April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005: 138 days
- Session of April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006: 118 days
- Session of April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007: 52 days
- Session 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008: 0 days
Renton to July 2006 was regularly present in session until he retired due to health holistic reasons.
Family and death
He married 1947 Claire Cicely ( " Paddy " ) Duncan. They have three daughters. His wife died of cancer in 1986. His youngest daughter Davina suffered from Rett syndrome and was therefore mentally and physically disabled.
He was from 1978 Chairman of Mencap and the president of 1982 until 1988. He and his wife founded the charity organization Demand ( Design and Manufacture for Disablement ), who took care of custom furniture for people with disabilities.
Renton died in Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire at the age of 98 years. He was survived by his daughters Caroline and Clare.
Publications
- The Spice of Life, Calder Walker Associates, 2006, ISBN 978-0954127534