John Patten, Baron Patten
John Charles Haggitt Patten, Baron Patten of Wincanton in the County of Somerset ( born July 17, 1945) is a British politician of the Conservative Party, who was among other things, education minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister John Major.
Life
Lower house MP and Junior Minister
After visiting the Wimbledon College Patten studied at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. His political career began in local politics and was between 1973 and 1976 Member of the City Council of Oxford.
In the general election of May 3, 1979, he was first elected as a candidate of the Conservative Party member of the House of Commons and first represented the constituency of Oxford and then since the general election on June 9, 1983 to May 1, 1997, the constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon.
During his parliamentary membership, he was initially 1980-1981 Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State at the Home Office, the UK Home Office, and then took his first government post as " junior ministers " with his appointment as Parliamentary Undersecretary at the Ministry of Northern Ireland, before 1983 to 1985 Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Ministry of Health was. After he then Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment was, he was from 1987 to 1992 Minister of State at the Home Office.
Minister of Education and a member of the Upper House
As part of a government reshuffle Prime Minister Major Patten convened on 10 April 1992 to the Minister of Education ( Secretary of State for Education ) and thus the successor to Kenneth Clarke. The ministerial office he held until his replacement by Gillian Shephard on 20 July 1994.
After he had dropped with the general election of 1 May 1997 on a renewed candidacy for the House of Commons, he was raised as a life peer with the title Baron Patten of Wincanton in the County of Somerset in the peerage, and has since been the House of Lords as a member.
In addition to his political activities Patten took over some functions in the private sector and was also a member of the Board of Lockheed Martin UK Holdings Ltd and advisor to Charterhouse Development Capital Ltd, Thomas Goode & Co Ltd and Lockheed Martin Overseas Corporation. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the British Olympic Association (BOA).