Sir Edward du Cann | |
|---|---|
 Du Cann in 1963 | |
| Chairman of the1922 Committee | |
| In office 1972–1984 | |
| Leader | |
| Preceded by | Harry Legge-Bourke |
| Succeeded by | Cranley Onslow |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 21 January 1965 – 11 September 1967 | |
| Leader |
|
| Preceded by | The Viscount Blakenham |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Barber |
| Member of Parliament forTaunton | |
| In office 14 February 1956 – 18 May 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Hopkinson |
| Succeeded by | David Nicholson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Dillon Lott du Cann (1924-05-28)28 May 1924 Beckenham, England |
| Died | 31 August 2017(2017-08-31) (aged 93) |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 (by Innes) |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Oxford |
| Profession | Business |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
Sir Edward Dillon Lott du CannKBE (28 May 1924 – 31 August 2017) was a British politician and businessman. He was amember of Parliament (MP) from 1956 to 1987 and served asChairman of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1967 and as chairman of the party's1922 Committee from 1972 to 1984.
Du Cann was born inBeckenham in 1924, the son of barrister and writer Charles du Cann, and Martha Janet (née Murchie) du Cann.[1] He was educated atColet Court,Woodbridge School andSt John's College, Oxford,[1] where he was a friend ofKingsley Amis. During theSecond World War, he was commissioned as an officer in theRoyal Navy. Serving as a lieutenant inmotor torpedo boats based inEast Anglia patrolling theNorth Sea, he served alongside both Owen Aisher (later a yachtsman and entrepreneur) andDavid Wickins (the founder ofBritish Car Auctions and an entrepreneur).[2][3] At the end of the war, he became a company director.[1]
In 1951, du Cann contestedWalthamstow West and, in 1955,Barrow-in-Furness, on both occasions without success.[1] He was elected as MP forTaunton in a1956 by-election.[1] Du Cann served as theEconomic Secretary to the Treasury from 1962 and as aMinister of State at theBoard of Trade 1963–64. He was then the chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1967, and chairman of the 1922 Committee from 1972 to 1984. He was sworn of thePrivy Council in 1964.
In 1974, du Cann played a part in the events surrounding the elevation ofMargaret Thatcher to the leadership of theConservative Party. Following two narrow defeats for the Conservatives at the polls, in theFebruary andOctober general elections, significant disquiet in the party had developed over the leadership ofEdward Heath, who had lost three elections as leader. On 14 October, the executive of the 1922 Committee met at du Cann's home, amidst a good deal of press attention.[4]
That was soon followed by a more public meeting of the executive at du Cann's offices atKeyser Ullman, onMilk Street, where it was decided that the committee would press Heath to hold a leadership election. The location of this meeting led to Fleet Street nicknaming the attendees the "Milk Street Mafia". AsAlec Douglas-Home, at Heath's request, considered the procedures for a leadership election, there was some speculation that du Cann would himself stand as a representative of the party's right wing against Heath.
By the time Douglas-Home reported in December 1974, however, events had intervened. The devastating collapse of the banking boom had swept up du Cann's firm, Keyser Ullman, in its path. He was criticized as "incompetent" by a 1974Department of Trade and Industry report regarding the bankrupt Keyser Ullman bank, of which he was a director.[5] Du Cann did not put himself forward as a candidate in the leadership contest. This released key support for Margaret Thatcher, especially as another potential right-wing candidate,Keith Joseph, withdrew from any leadership attempt following a series of controversial speeches on social policy. Consequently, after defeating Heath in the first round, Thatcher emerged triumphant in the second round in early 1975, defeating a number of other candidates who would play significant roles in her subsequent premiership.[6]
In the last week of the1975 referendum on British membership of theEuropean Economic Community, du Cann came out against British membership.[7] He was chairman of thePublic Accounts Committee from 1974 to 1979.
Du Cann retired from theHouse of Commons in 1987, selling his homeCothay Manor in 1993 and returning to live in London. He was instrumental in creating a scholarship programme forrugby league players at theUniversity of Oxford.[8]
Du Cann succeededDuncan Sandys as chairman ofLonrho, a position from which he was forced to resign due to his role as deputy chairman of Homes Assured, a finance company which crashed.[5] His resignation came two days before the company collapsed, owing £10 million to creditors.[9] Du Cann was involved in several legal disputes over debts; his Somerset estate was repossessed in 1992 and his London flat was repossessed in 1993. He later had a bankruptcy order served against him.[10]
He was a board member ofE-Clear, a British payment processing company, which went intoadministration in January 2010.[11]
He married three times; first, in 1962, to Sallie (a cousin), whom he divorced in 1987, then to Jennifer (the widow ofRobert Cooke, former MP forBristol West), whom he married in 1990 and was with until her death in 1995.[12] He was declared bankrupt in 1993 and lived for several years inAlderney. As of 2013 he was a resident of Lemona inCyprus.[13] He died from cancer in Cyprus on 31 August 2017 and is survived by his third wife, Maureen Hope-Wynne.[1][14]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forTaunton 1956–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Conservative Party 1965–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the1922 Committee 1972–1984 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |