The Viscount Blakenham | |
|---|---|
 Hare in 1949 | |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 20 October 1963 – 28 July 1965 | |
| Leader | Alec Douglas-Home |
| Preceded by | Iain Macleod |
| Succeeded by | Edward du Cann |
| Deputy Leader of the House of Lords | |
| In office October 1963 – October 1964 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Alec Douglas-Home |
| Leader | The Lord Carrington |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Champion |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
| In office 20 October 1963 – 18 October 1964 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Alec Douglas-Home |
| Preceded by | Iain Macleod |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Houghton |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office 27 July 1960 – 20 October 1963 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Edward Heath |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Godber |
| Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |
| In office 6 January 1958 – 27 July 1960 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Derick Heathcoat-Amory |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Soames |
| Secretary of State for War | |
| In office 18 October 1956 – 6 January 1958 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Antony Head |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Soames |
| Member of Parliament forSudbury and Woodbridge Woodbridge (1945–1950) | |
| In office 5 July 1945 – 5 December 1963 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Ross-Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Keith Stainton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Hugh Hare (1911-01-22)22 January 1911 London, England |
| Died | 7 March 1982(1982-03-07) (aged 71) London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingMichael |
John Hugh Hare, 1st Viscount Blakenham (22 January 1911 – 7 March 1982) was aBritish Conservative politician.
Blakenham was born in London, the third son of The Rt. Hon.Richard Hare, 4th Earl of Listowel, anAnglo-Irisharistocrat, and The Hon. Freda Vanden-Bampde-Johnstone.[1] His elder brother,The 5th Earl of Listowel, was a prominentLabour politician. He was educated atEton.[1]
Blakenham was anAlderman ofLondon County Council between 1937 and 1952 and fought in theSecond World War with theSuffolk Yeomanry in Italy and was awarded theLegion of Honour and appointed anOBE.[1] He sat asMember of Parliament forWoodbridge between 1945 and 1950 and forSudbury and Woodbridge between 1950 and 1963 and was vice-chairman of the Conservative Party between 1952 and 1955.[1] He served underSir Anthony Eden asMinister of State for the Colonies between 1955 and 1956 and under Eden and his successor,Harold Macmillan, asSecretary of State for War from 1956 to 1958.[1]
He later held office under Macmillan asMinister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1958 to 1960 andMinister of Labour between 1960 and 1963. He was admitted to thePrivy Council in 1955 and in 1963 he was elevated to the peerage asViscount Blakenham, ofLittle Blakenham in theCounty of Suffolk.[2] Blakenham then served underAlec Douglas-Home asChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Deputy Leader of theHouse of Lords from 1963 to 1964 and was chairman of the Conservative Party between 1963 and 1965.[3]
Lord Blakenham married the Hon. Nancy Pearson, daughter ofWeetman Pearson, 2nd Viscount Cowdray, on 31 January 1934.[1] They had three children:
In 1967, Joanna married American attorney andHarvard Law School professorStephen Breyer; Breyer would be appointed a Circuit Judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in 1980 and a Justice of theSupreme Court of the United States in 1994.
Lord Blakenham died in London on 7 March 1982, aged 71, and was succeeded in the viscountcy by his only son, Michael.[1] Lady Blakenham died in November 1994, aged 86.
In 1951 he purchased a wood close to his home, to make awoodland garden. Over the following years he created glades and paths through the bluebells and planted many rare plants, and became known as the Blakenham Woodland Garden.
Hare received the Victoria Medal of Honour from theRoyal Horticultural Society in 1974.[3] In 1982 he became treasurer of the Society.
The Blakenham Woodland Garden was inherited by his son and is open to the public.[4] On his death the wood was made into acharitable trust. His son, Michael Blakenham, a lifelong environmentalist has increased the stock of unusual specimens and has bought many rare including unnamed trees and shrubs from auctions atRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew.[5]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWoodbridge 1945–1950 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forSudbury and Woodbridge 1950–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for War 1956–1958 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1958–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Labour 1960–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1963–1964 | Succeeded by |
| Unknown | Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 1963–1964 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Conservative Party 1963–1965 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Blakenham 1963–1982 | Succeeded by |