The Right Honourable The Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market OBE PC FKC
Parliamentary portrait, 2018
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 11 April 1992 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Malcolm Rifkind
Succeeded by	Brian Mawhinney
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
In office 2 November 1990 – 11 April 1992
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	Geoffrey Howe
Succeeded by	Tony Newton
Secretary of State for Education and Science
In office 24 July 1989 – 2 November 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Kenneth Baker
Succeeded by	Kenneth Clarke
Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 13 June 1987 – 24 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Michael Jopling
Succeeded by	John Gummer
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 2 September 1985 – 13 June 1987
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Peter Rees
Succeeded by	John Major
Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In office 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Member of Parliament forSouth Norfolk
In office 28 February 1974 – 14 May 2001
Preceded by	John Hill
Succeeded by	Richard Bacon
Member of theHouse of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 5 July 2001 – 26 July 2019
Personal details
Born	(1937-02-14)14 February 1937 (age 88) London, England
Party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of St Andrews King's College London

John Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market,OBE, PC, FKC (born 14 February 1937), is a British politician. A member of theConservative Party, he was theMember of Parliament (MP) forSouth Norfolk from1974 to2001. He served in theCabinet asChief Secretary to the Treasury (1985–87),Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1987–89),Secretary of State for Education and Science (1989–90),Leader of the House of Commons andLord President of the Council (1990–92), andSecretary of State for Transport (1992–94). He was made alife peer in 2001.

MacGregor was educated atMerchiston Castle School inEdinburgh,^[1] then at theUniversity of St Andrews (MA economics and history, 1959) and atKing's College London (LLB, 1962). Prior to the 1979 general election he worked forHill Samuel, a merchant bank.^[2]

MacGregor became an MP at the February 1974 General Election,^[3] and served as a Torywhip from 1977 to 1981, when he became a junior minister at theDepartment of Trade and Industry, moving toMAFF in 1983.

MacGregor entered the Cabinet on 2 September 1985 asChief Secretary to the Treasury, and was madeMinister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1987 – during theBSE crisis. He was promoted toSecretary of State for Education and Science in July 1989. In the small reshuffle following the resignation of SirGeoffrey Howe, he was madeLeader of the House of Commons andLord President of the Council just days beforeThatcher's own resignation. He continued in this position from 1990 to 1992, althoughWilliam Keegan writes that he was a contender for the position of Chancellor whenJohn Major came to power.^[4]

MacGregor was appointedSecretary of State for Transport in 1992, remaining in the post until July 1994 when was dismissed from the cabinet. His time asTransport Secretary saw him given responsibility for theprivatisation of British Rail and the decision to privatise theTransport Research Laboratory (TRL).^[5] He was made a life peer asBaron MacGregor of Pulham Market, ofPulham Market in theCounty of Norfolk on 5 July 2001.^[6][7] He sat in theHouse of Lords until his retirement on 26 July 2019.^[8]

MacGregor was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1971 New Year Honours for political services.^[9]

Coat of arms of John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market

Crest A boar rampant Azure armed langued and crined Or bearing a lyre Or stringed Argent.[10] Escutcheon Argent a sword in bend Azure hilted and pommelled Or surmounted by an oak tree eradicated and fructed Proper its trunk enfiled with five antique crowns of the third on a chief per pale Vert and Gules two portcullises chains pendent of the third. Supporters A stag Gules bearing a magician's wand Sable tipped Argent and having about its neck a chain from which is pendent a money purse Or sinister a winged lion guardant Or also bearing a magicians's wand Sable tipped Argent and having about its neck a chain from which is pendent a close book Gules. Motto To Thyself Aye True

MacGregor is an accomplishedmagician and member of theMagic Circle. His passion for magic started when he was given a conjuring set at the age of 11. He gave regular performances on British television, including guest spots onThe Best of Magic and an annual children's charity programme onAnglia Television.^[11]

• Hansard 1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by John MacGregor
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